30 Minute Moroccan Stewed Chickpeas with Tomatoes

Elevate your vegetarian recipe repertoire with these Moroccan spiced stewed chickpeas. Made with canned chickpeas simmered in a fragrant tomatoey broth, this meal comes together on the stovetop in just 30 minutes. It’s the perfect cozy main dish to serve in the colder months with a loaf of fresh bread or bowl of rice.

Why We Love This Recipe

These stewed chickpeas are packed with flavors & ingredients that are commonly used in Moroccan cuisine.

It’s hearty, easy to make, and completely meat & dairy free. And while there aren’t any vegetarians in my household, we certainly love any opportunity to not touch raw meat and get dinner on the table in half an hour.

It’s also easy to make on the stovetop in a dutch oven or tagine. If you enjoy the Moroccan flavors in this recipe, be sure to check out this Lentil & Chickpea Soup (Harira) and 30-Minute Spiced Chickpea Salad. Also learn how to cook dried chickpeas from scratch if interested.

Ingredients

Here’s everything you will need to make this chickpea tagine:

• Olive oil
• Yellow onion, minced
• Garlic cloves, minced
• Ras el hanout (see note for substitute) 
• Tomato puree 
• Chickpeas, drained
• Water or vegetable broth
• Spinach
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Optional: feta and/or cilantro, minced

See recipe card for quantities and learn how to cook chickpeas from scratch here.

Step by Step Instructions

If using dried chickpeas: soak 1 cup of dried chickpeas overnight. Drain and add to a pot full of water. Bring to a boil before lowering to a simmer and cooking until fork tender, about an hour and a half. 

Ras el hanout substitute: make your own ras el hanout, buy a jar online, or substitute with equal parts cumin, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and turmeric. 

What to Serve it With

The rich, hearty broth in this tagine is perfect for serving with Moroccan bread (khobz), rice, or toasted pita bread. It’s also really tasty when topped with fresh herbs and a dollop of plain yogurt.

These stewed chickpeas also go well with these Moroccan dishes:

Easy Add Ins

Because this stew has such a simple list of ingredients, there are plenty of directions to go with add ins. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Raisins – If you’re into the salty sweet flavor combination, a couple handfuls of golden or traditional raisins are perfect for that.
• Almonds – Almonds are a super popular ingredient in Moroccan cuisine. They add a crunchy bite to this recipe as well as some hearty flavor.
• More greens – If you don’t have spinach on hand (or don’t like it) you can try kale, collard greens, or chard. Just be sure to remove the stems and tear into small pieces before adding to the stew.
• Other veggies – Add some diced carrots or zucchini with the onions and garlic and add some extra nutrients to your final dish.
• Broth over water – Keep in mind that using vegetable broth instead of water will amp up the flavor in this dish!

You can also add some chili flakes and/or harissa paste to the stew if you want a spicy kick.

More Moroccan Chickpea & Bean Recipes

Storage

This chickpea tagine makes excellent leftovers as the flavor only gets better overnight. I recommend storing any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze this in an air tight container for up to 3 months.

Using Dried Chickpeas

While I usually make this with canned chickpeas because that’s what I have on hand, you can also make it with dried chickpeas.

You will want to prepare for this the night before as the dried chickpeas take additional time to cook.

Soak 1 cup of dried chickpeas in a bowl of water overnight. Drain off the water, rinse and add the soaked chickpeas to a pot full of water. Bring the liquid to a boil before lowering to a simmer and cooking until fork tender, about an hour and a half. Make sure to drain all the liquid before using in this recipe.

1 cup of the dried chickpeas should result in about 2 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas, which is about the equivalent to two cans or 28 ounces.

Bismillah,

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