I don’t know if I mentioned this, but I pretty much ate my weight in cheese over the holiday. Now that I feel sufficiently icky, I’m trying to focus on some more plant-based recipes to help me get back to feeling normal. I decided to throw together a warm stew today with some things that I had on hand and ended up with this super hearty and delicious Smoky Potato Chickpea Stew. NOM NOM! Perfect for these cool fall days!
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The seasoning for this stew is very simple, just a ton of smoked paprika and curry powder, plus a little pinch of red pepper flakes for kick. I simmered the soup for a good long time which made the potatoes break down and thicken the broth into a wonderfully thick stew. I was really bummed that I didn’t have a really good loaf of bread or homemade croutons to soak up this stew, but I found some saltine crackers in my pantry, which worked in a pinch. Just know that this stew is just begging for a nice piece of crusty bread to go along with it!
What Kind of Curry Powder Do You Use?
I’ve enjoyed both 365 brand curry powder and Sharwood’s curry powder. You can use either hot or mild in this recipe, but I think I actually prefer mild curry powder here so that it doesn’t overpower the other flavors. You can also try making your own curry powder with this recipe for Easy Homemade Curry Powder from Spiceitupp.com.
Can You Freeze Smoky Potato Chickpea Stew?
Yes! This recipe freezes beautifully. Just divide the soup into single portions after cooking, cool the portions completely in the refrigerator first, then transfer to the freezer for long term storage. You can keep the stew frozen for about three months. I like to use the reusable Ziploc containers because they can go straight from the freezer to the microwave for fast reheating when I need a quick meal.
Can I Substitute the Kale?
Yes, spinach makes a great substitute for the kale. But since spinach is much softer and more delicate than kale, add the spinach at the very end and just stir it into the stew until wilted.
Want more vegan stews? Try Vegan Winter Lentil Stew, Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Stew, or West African Peanut Stew.
Smoky Potato Chickpea Stew
Servings 6 1.3 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder ($0.30)
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.30)
- pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 15oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 2 russet potatoes (1.75-2 lbs total) ($1.62)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($0.55)
- 4 cups vegetable broth* ($0.52)
- 1/4 lb. fresh kale, chopped ($1.16)
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large soup pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the curry powder, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes to the pot and continue to stir and cook for 1-2 minutes more to toast the spices.
- While the onion, garlic, and ginger are sautéing, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Drain the chickpeas.
- Once the spices are toasted, add the potatoes, fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juices), and chickpeas to the pot. Pour the vegetable broth over top, then stir until everything is combined.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and allow the soup to simmer with the lid in place for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 45 minutes, stir the stew well and smash the potatoes against the side of the pot to help them break down and thicken the stew. Add the chopped kale and stir it into the stew until it has wilted. Taste the soup and adjust the salt or other spices if desired. Serve hot with crusty bread or crackers.
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How to Make Smoky Chickpea Stew – Step by Step Photos
Finely dice one onion, mince two cloves of garlic, and grate about a teaspoon of fresh ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large soup pot along with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent, then add 1 Tbsp curry powder, 1 Tbsp smoked paprika, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes more to toast the spices.
While the onions garlic and ginger are sautéing, peel and dice two russet potatoes and drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas. Once the spices have toasted, add the potatoes, chickpeas, and a 15oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juices) to the pot.
Pour 4 cups vegetable broth over the contents of the pot, stir everything really well, then place a lid on top an turn the heat on to medium-high. Allow the stew to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 45 minutes, stirring only occasionally. After 45 minutes, stir well and smash the potatoes against the side wall of the pot to help thicken the stew (the photo is after smashing).
Pre-bagged chopped kale is the best thing that ever happened to me (okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration). I used about 1/3 of this 12oz. bag. You can use however much you want. Just add a few handfuls to the stew and stir it in until the kale is wilted.
If you like your kale extra tender, you can simmer it a bit longer to soften it up, but I like mine to have some tooth and to be bright green. It’s important to taste the stew at this point and adjust the salt and seasonings to your liking. Depending on what type of broth you used, you may want to add a touch more salt to really make the flavors pop. Or maybe you want just a little more heat, so you add another pinch of red pepper flakes.
While the saltines were good in the stew, I really wish I had a nice crusty, chewy loaf of ciabatta! :D
I live in Germany, and I’m pretty sure fire roasted tomatoes don’t exist here. Is it crucial to the recipe?
Regular diced tomatoes would be fine! The fire-roasted ones are easily accessible here and add a little extra smokiness, but it’s not necessary!
This was incredible! It was inexpensive but tasted expensive! So easy to make and so flavorful! We didn’t need any salt and it had such a nice warm spice flavor without being spicy. 10/10!
Great recipe! Thanks, Beth!
Only complaint is I feel steps 2 & 3 could be switched so that those of use who do not read all the way through when making do not burn spices like I accidentally did while peeling my potatoes. Was great but had a slight burnt taste I’m sure next time it’ll be better when I do it properly.
This was SO delicious and pretty easy to make! It makes for great leftovers… I may have had another bowl for breakfast this morning haha. I just couldn’t wait for lunch! This is one recipe I definitely will be making again. Yum! Thank you!
Made this tonight with spinach instead of kale. Totally delicious and nourishing. I was nervous about the curry powder / paprika combo but it doesnt taste of curry at all but it just gives it a lovely smokey flavour (kids wise i mean.. I love curry personally). and all one pot, which I love, less washing up!! thanks so much for the recipe.
I just recently went vegan and this stew was AMAZING. Non-vegans would definitely enjoy it too. Very hearty and satisfying, not too much spice, and perfect for a cozy winter night.
Can you substitute ground ginger instead of fresh?
It wont have quite the same punch as fresh ginger since it will be missing those bright essential oils, but you can definitely swap for ground in a pinch. I would do maybe 1/8 of a teaspoon.
This is EXCELLENT! I made it on a Sunday and used it for lunches for my husband and me for 4 days. First day, prepared as directed*; Second day, added carrots and peas; Third day I scooped most of the potato onto our plates along with the stew which left one final serving of a mostly potato-less stew for the Fourth day– and served that over steamed brown rice with a big dollop of plain yogurt and chopped cashews.
*- I used spinach instead of kale, and added 1/3 cup of instant mashed potato flakes at the end of cooking time to thicken (instead of partially mashing some of the cooked potato chunks).
This recipe was awesome, I’m definitely adding it to my regular rotation. Thanks, Beth!
Too spicy and I cut the amount of spices down after reading previous reviews.
This was delicious but I would reduce the smoked paprika by half. It drowned out the flavor of the curry and overall was too dominant.
I subbed potatoes for chopped up chunks of cauliflower an it turned out fantastic.
This has been one of my favorite recipes the last few years. Can I make it in a slow cooker?
I’d say so! We haven’t tested out but you should be able to do 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. Let us know how it goes!
This was tasty! I (of course, I know it’s annoying) added a few things. I took out about a third of it and blended it up and added it back to the pot, then I added a can of coconut milk and some 100% peanut butter, just a tiny little bit (I learned that from a vegan curry recipe that has a tiny spoonful of almond butter, it’s a really great trick to add depth to recipes, especially vegetarian ones). It all turned out great! I added extra curry powder, because I had extra potatoes to use up, so that might be the reason I felt compelled to add the coconut milk. I imagine if followed to the letter it may not even need it. Super filling, healthy, cheap, and easy. Great dish!
Absolutely delicious- thank you!
This was so tasty! I’ll definitely make it again. I used red onion, sweet potato and spinach, since that’s what I had on hand and I loved it. Thank you!
Unfortunately, I had no available kale but decided to proceed without it. Oh! Wow! This was scrumptious to the max anyway. This recipe will be making its way to my table for many more future meals.
Really yummy! This is the first dish I’ve tried from the vegetarian plan, and I loved it! I was generous with the red pepper, so it was spicy.
This has become one of my new favorite recipes. I recently had a whole bunch of spinach on hand that needed to be used up quickly, so I made this (along with the Indian Style Creamed Spinach). I love the flavors, and it’s so easy to make.
This was my first recipe to try out of the vegetarian meal plan. I absolutely loved the bold flavors! In addition, I value using as much fresh produce as possible and the meal plan includes plenty of that. Where not, I can easily substitute some things and make from fresh (for instance, a can of diced tomatoes: use fresh tomatoes instead).
Any of the canned beans: I can cook beans myself from dried and freeze them to have handy when the recipe calls for them. And none of the ingredients are “exotic” which means everything is easily available at any major grocery store.
Well thought-out plan: healthy, “shoppable”, budget friendly, tasty. YES, YES, YES!
I wasn’t sure if I’d like this one or not but it turned out delicious! I basically doubled the curry powder, but other than that I made the recipe unaltered and it was super yummy and filling.
I can’t wait to start trying out these recipes. They sound absolutely delicious. Thank you.
Made this yesterday. Simple to make but seriously delicious. Had some leftovers for lunch today, with more for tomorrow. Yum.
I needed to use up some ingredients and this soup included all of them! Which doesn’t usually happen. I also had an extra can of coconut milk, so I added that and it turned out amazing! I know it would also be amazing without the coconut milk too :D
It also purees really well if you can’t eat solid food because all your wisdom teeth were just pulled 😅
Simple & very filling. It’s one of my favorite recipes. I tripled the batch due to guests coming for dinner. I have some leftover. Will this freeze well?
Hi, Romelia! Freezing cooked potatoes changes their texture in a way that some people (but not all!) find unpleasant. I would suggest freezing one portion and then reheating it to see if you like it before freezing the rest. It will also keep for 5 days in the refrigerator. ~Marion :)
This was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I used beet greens instead of kale because that’s what I had and they were a good substitution. I’ll definitely be making again.
Do you think chicken thighs would be good added to this? Or would you suggest sausage links? Trying to figure out which would taste better with the other ingredients and spices!
Hi! If you want to add protein, chicken thighs would be my choice. They have higher fat content and can withstand a longer cook. First, sear them in the pot you’re making the soup in. Set them aside, and take out all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan. Use this fat instead of the olive oil called for in the recipe to sear your veg. Then follow the rest of the recipe. A mild-flavored sausage- like a kielbasa would be a great choice well. SLice on the diagonal for best results. XOXO -Monti
Awesome–extremely flavorful, easy and cheap; I make it often!
Extremely yummy and provided excellent leftovers for lunch. Will definitely be making again!!!
So glad I made this – great recipe! A few modifications: I seasoned the stew with turmeric and pumpkin pie spice in addition to the paprika — I did not have curry. Added chopped zucchini instead of potatoes. Garnished with crumbled feta and served with garlic naan. DELICIOUS.
For anyone who is wondering if this can be adapted to use dried beans and an instant pot, YEP. Here’s how I did it:
– Soaked chickpeas overnight
– Used the saute setting up until the point of adding tomatoes, potatoes, and drained (soaked) chickpeas
– Used same amount of liquid in recipe
– Used “pressure cook” setting for 8 minutes, and manual released pressure when done
– Added kale, the residual heat from pressure cooking was enough to cook it.
Delicious, and economical! Also, I used regular paprika and regular tomatoes because I didn’t have smoked paprika or fire roasted on hand, and it was still great.
Lexi! Thanks so much for sharing this! XOXO -Monti
So yum! The perfect amount of spice, nice cozy and comforting flavors. Adding to the soup rotation for sure!
Really delicious and simple. Thank you <3
So good! We used spinach instead of kale and sweet potatoes instead of russet-they added this amazing sweetness. We loved this!
Could this be adapted to be a slow cooker recipe?
Yes. As we haven’t tested it, we don’t have exact times. Bu generally speaking when converting from stove top to slow cooker: 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. XOXO -Monti
This is delicious, filling, and lunch preps like a dream – the flavors get even deeper and cozier after a day or two. I also like my kale bright green and a bit crunchy, so I added it after I turned off the heat, and just let the ambient heat of the stew soften it. It came out perfect! I can already see so many variations, too – sweet potatoes instead of russets, as CP1005 mentions below, cumin or za’atar instead of curry powder, spinach instead of kale, the options are endless.
Where does the “smoky” come from?
Hi Kurt. The smokiness comes from the smoked paprika and fire-roasted tomatoes. XOXO -Monti
Sorry, ignore my reply to Kurt, I didn’t see yours!
I would never ignore you Bev!! XOXO -MOnti
Smoked paprika and fire roasted tomatoes
Could I use sweet potato instead of russet?
I think sweet potato would be wonderful in this stew. XOXO -Monti
This is a go to recipe that never fails- I have made it so many times. I sometimes add sliced mushrooms and use frozen spinach. Its one of those recipes that you always just seem to have all the ingredients for. It’s so delicious.
The stew-soup turned out very well; instead of salt I used white miso and that rather balanced the seasonings. Also, the dish can be more toward a stew if the liquid is reduced, making it ideal for combining with rice or using naan as a sop.
I was wondering about serving this over rice — thanks for the input!
This is my first time commenting on a recipe! I was very happy with this recipe, it was amazing I was nervous since I had never cooked with curry powder before but it exceeded my expectations completely. I had to add salt because my vegetable broth did not have enough. At first I was nervous that it was to watery but I had faith, let it cook, and mashed some potatoes to thicken the stew. Great recipe definitely recommend!
my son’s favorite soup!
Delicious, filling, easy, and healthy! Checks all the boxes! It’s definitely going in the dinner rotation.
Do you have a suggestion on what could be used in place of the chick-peas? Could I add more potatoes or other veggies instead?
Yep! This soup is very flexible and you could easily do more potatoes, any other vegetable you like, or even just leave them out without replacing. :)
My boyfriend and I love this recipe! I make it *all* the time. I alter the spices a bit, my curry powder is hot so I substitute some with cumin and coriander, and add some other spices. Use lots of kale and baby potatoes cut up. Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s truly favourite I’m sure I will cook for many years to come.
I love this soup and haven’t made it in awhile, so am super excited to make it tonight! I could not find fire roasted tomatoes at my grocery store this time so I bought regular – any suggestions of what I can add to substitute for the “fire roasted” flavor? Thanks!
Maybe just a little extra smoked paprika, but it shouldn’t make too much of a difference. :)
This stew is so good it should come with a warning that it’s very addicting. lol I did use powdered ginger instead of fresh and I used frozen kale instead of fresh. It was perfect. My husband liked it a lot too. Thank you for sharing.
This was perfect for some unusual root vegetables I received in my CSA. I subbed in a small celeriac and turnip, and used one potato. I served it with cornbread. Thumbs up from my family!
I’m happy to report that this recipe works great with a pound of andouille sausage sliced up and thrown in.
I’ve been following Budget Bytes since I was 23, all the way back in 2013, and this might be my favorite recipe! The seasoning is simple but so on point! I’m making my way through the one pot meal plan and i’m looking forward to seeing what else is in store.
made this last night but with cayenne instead of paprika and added some turmeric had with a few pieces of a tiger roll put the rest in the fridge for todayyy :)
HI! Can this be frozen?
Yes, this should freeze well. :)
This meal was delicious! Packed with healthy greens, and inexpensive. It’s a keeper at our house.
This is one of our favorites. I’ve made it multiple times and this go around, I realized too late that I didn’t have potatoes. I used frozen southern style hash browns and it was a great, easy substitute. So delicious.
Absolutely amazing!!
Bought the meal plan and this was superb.
Made this for the first time last night. I was a bit nervous since we used to be a very meat heavy household and we’ve just started going veg, but it turns out I didn’t have to worry. It was a BIG hit. Next time I need to make 2x as much. The stew was completely gone by lunch today.
Delicious! I must’ve missed the part about crushing ALL of the potatoes, but I consider it a happy little accident. I’ve left the skin on both times I made this, and having potato chunks interspersed with the crushed ones is a great combo.
I’ve made this before and loved it! So filling. I want to try it in the instant pot not sure what the cooking time would be though
Made this for my family for the first time tonight. It was very good and filling! Perfect for cold weather.
We added a little cooked ground beef to it, but it probably didn’t need it. Might add some small pasta noodles next time to get my toddlers excited about it.
All around great recipe. Can’t wait to eat it for lunch this week. Will be adding it to our soup recipe rotation. :)
I was so excited to try this. I don’t know where I went wrong, but it was terrible. It tasted exactly like a fart smells. Was I supposed to use sweet curry powder? So disappointed.
Yeah, I’m not sure why your soup smells like farts. Kale can smell kind of farty when it goes bad, so maybe that was it?
Can I substitute the russet potatoes for yukon gold potatoes?
You can, but Yukon Gold tends to be more waxy and less starchy, so you won’t get the same amount of thickening from smashing the potatoes at the end like you would with russet potatoes.
I only have dried chickpeas. When in the recipe steps would you recommend adding them and how long should I cook before moving to the next step? Planning on making this with sweet potatoes and my mouth is watering!
You would want to cook them separately first before adding them to the soup because they’ll require too much liquid and too long of a cooking time to cook them directly in the soup. I don’t have a tutorial for cooking dry chickpeas, but I’m sure Google will have you covered. :)
I’ve made this a few different times now, and find it delightful each time. Sweet potato adds such wonderful character to the recipe, and hard greens like kale or chard are perfect. Pumpkin is also a good add for that sweetness and starchiness. It goes great with baked bread and keeps in the fridge well (with the exception of the greens, which become soggy – i would recommend boiling a new batch of greens quickly if you want to prepare a refrigerated serving).
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband and I both loved it. I did make two changes : subbed out the kale with frozen spinach, and added about a teaspoon of white vinegar at the end just to brighten things up a bit. This will be going into our regular rotation for sure.
We loved this recipe! I added a can of cannellini beans for extra fiber. Delicious!
This is great! Needed to use up some potatoes and kale from my CSA. Excellent flavor, easy to throw together. Gonna freeze some single servings and thaw as needed for lunches!
I’ve never rated a recipe before, but this one is that good. I’ve made it for friends and family and everyone loves it. My wife and I have had it weekly since I discovered it a couple months ago. Thanks Beth!
This stew was amazing! And super filling!
This was so flavorful! I’m putting it on my weekly rotation. I didn’t realize you have to use so much smoked paprika to impart flavor to a dish. Good to know, I literally thought the smoked paprika I bought was old.
Had to make my own curry powder since I didn’t have a premade mix. I accidentally doubled the amount of curry powder…but it made it SO flavorful. It was a happy accident. For those who think it is bland, go on and double that curry powder! It’s tastes amazing.
This is really nice and rich served with sour cream on top.
This is restaurant-quality delicious! Seriously. If I sat down in a restaurant and was served this, I would be so pleased. It’s easy and simple, but also surprisingly hearty and filling. Another winner from Budget Bytes that’s going in my regular rotation – thank you!
Delicious! Just made this tonight and it was just perfect – especially considering it’s really cold out right now.
I added chopped carrots and celery to this recipe, only because I had some on hand.
Will make this again… and again.
10/10 winner!!! Tastes amazing… really hearty and healthy. And pretty quick and easy to make :)
Will become a regular in our house now!
Seriously…so good. I have been trying to do more vegetarian and your site is my go to!
I really liked this soup. Unfortunately due to the shortage of stuff at the grocery store because of the pandemic they did not have fire-roasted tomatoes, so I bought regular ones. This seemed to make the soup pretty bland. I ended up adding some cumin and that worked well.
I also left the potato skins on because I don’t mind potato skins floating around in my soup
I’ve just recently found your site and am loving what I see! Was wondering what you think about subbing in sweet potatoes for the russet potatoes in this dish?
We haven’t tried it with sweet potatoes, however previous readers below have and commented it was delicious!
Sweet potatoes work very well
I ONLY make this with sweet potatoes! Tried it once and it’s even better than russet in my opinion. The sweet spicy smoky combo is amazing!
Hello! Did this used to be your “Kale and Chickpea Soup”? I can’t find that recipe and this is the closest thing to it. Would you be able to share what that recipe was? It was wonderful, and I was hoping to make it again. Thank you!
Hi Megan! Shoot us an email at support@budgetbytes.com and we’ll find what you’re looking for :)
Once more, I have another favorite recipe from your website. Thanks again for sharing an affordable, easy, and flavorful plant-based dish that my whole family enjoys eating. It’s so easy to adapt to the Instant Pot too.
Instead of canned chickpeas, I used 1.5 cup soaked chickpeas. First, I sautéed the garlic, ginger, onion, spices, etc. Then I stirred in the the broth and soaked chickpeas. Then added the potatoes (unpeeled and cut it in larger pieces maybe 1.5-2 inches so they wouldn’t disintegrate) and put the canned tomatoes on top. I cooked it on high pressure for 35 minutes and 10 minute natural release, then I stirred in the kale. It can probably be less cooking time, but my chickpeas weren’t soaked overnight (more like 6 hrs).
My guess is that 1 cup unsoaked chickpeas would work and increase cooking time to whatever is usual for unsoaked chickpeas (55 minutes?) There seems to be enough broth to cook the beans.
Thank you so much for this IP conversion!! I was wanting to use dried beans as well but as an IP newbie was worried about messing everything up. This is super helpful!!
Absolutely delicious. Made it a couple weeks ago, making it again among this chaos!
Only one swap, since I had it on hand. I subbed about a teaspoon of adobo sauce from a chipotle pepper can that I had, in for the red pepper flakes. Wanted to keep the smokiness going!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Hearty and flavorful AND easy enough to make on a weekday.
I’ve made this several times, and have always loved it. We recently discovered that my son is allergic to chick peas, so I substituted with cannellini beans. It is so full of flavor!
Was nervous at first that it was too thin and bland but after everything cooked down and I smashed the potatoes against the side, (excellent idea btw) all the flavors came out and meddled well together. I used a miso ginger broth instead of vegetable and fresh ginger and it turned out well. Thanks
I am a pretty picky eater and was worried I wouldn’t like this but it was so good! I added more chickpeas just because I like them a lot.
So yummy! The kale in the soup keeps its form and is deliciously chewy days later. Quick to throw together and perfect for cold winter day.
Made this tonight and boy is it delish!!! Will be on my top soup/ stew list!! Thank you!
can I use frozen kale?
Yes you certainly can.
Great recipe but strongly advise against using the Better Than Bullion (or similar) product in this (or any recipe). Just go with a high quality vegetable or chicken stock that’s not mass-produced (preferably homemade, but if store-bought, then a high quality minimally processed one). Most bullion products like BTB are essentially just meat-flavored glutamate/MSG goop that relies on highly-concentrated, highly-processed, chemical-ly flavor enhancers that are thinly-veiled sources of glutamates (ie, “yeast extracts”, “concentrates”, “flavors”). If you’re gonna go to the trouble of crafting this otherwise great dish from whole foods from scratch in your kitchen, why dump a mass-manufactured flavor enhancer into it? Go totally authentic, and let the wonderful flavors develop from the herbs and spices, whole ingredients, and a quality broth or stock.
Thank you for the details. I have used BTB whenever I want more intense chicken flavor than my broth has thinking it was the healthier option (over Knorr), but now will stick with bone broth!
This recipe is so delicious and easy. I’ve made it about 6 times over the past few months, as the weather has cooled down. It’s so perfect for a cold day, and is one of mine and my husband’s favourites. It’s refreshing (for us) to have a meatless meal that’s still so satisfying! After everything has softened, I smush it all with a potato masher! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
What a great idea to mash it with the potato masher! Thanks for sharing Jess!
I made this this week, but instead of simmering in a pot I put it all in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Turned out great! Everything up until the part where you simmer it can be done ahead of time and put in the fridge overnight. A great weeknight meal.
Oh good to know Dave! Thanks for letting us know.
This is excellent. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was to make. I love recipes where I just chop things up and throw them in a pot! This actually tastes kind of similar to the 15 bean soup, with a lot less prep and shorter cook time. Definitely going to add this to the rotation!
One pot meals are the true winners of late fall and winter!
Yesterday I made this and had to chuck it all out because one tablespoon of the Hungarian smoked paprika I had was waaaaaaay too much. Today I remade it with one teaspoon of (a different) smoked paprika and it was truly amazing. Disclaimer: newbie cook, so not the first time it ended in the garbage on first try.
I’ll definitely be making this one again, thanks!
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that Dana! But happy you tried it again. The sign of a real chef is trying it again and again!
I made this with sweet potato and holy moly it was delicious!
Oh that’s a great twist! Thanks Remy!
First time commenter, long time Budget Byter! This stew was absolutely amazing. The flavors and the way the potatoes soak up the spices was so great on a cold fall day. I added a pound of cooked ground pork to beef it up, as well as doubled the greens (used spinach instead of kale, personal preference), and 1 extra cup of broth (used chicken since I didn’t need it to be a vegan dish). This bumped up the servings to at least 8, probably closer to 10-12. After our family of 6 ate we still had about 10 cups of stew leftover, so this was a great dish to freeze a bulk of the leftovers for another easy dinner a few weeks down the line.
Thank you Chris! And great work on making it last!
Made this with sweet potato and spinach, added a jalepeño and chili powder too – the spice with the sweetness evened the flavors out. Greek yogurt was a great topping.
Definitely making this again!
Loved the pun of using pork to beef it up! :-)
This turned out incredibly! Super easy to throw together and the flavors were so rich and tasty. Definitely will be making again!
Thanks Danielle!
Hmmm I wonder what it would be like to add some liquid smoke and bbq sauce to make it even more smoky tasting. Would probably not add curry powder with those additions but it’s worth a try
Definitely worth a try!
Made this tonight, it was fantastic! I love your recipes!
Thanks Michelle!
This is honestly my favorite soup recipe EVER! I make it at least once a month and bring it to work for lunch in the winter. Now that the weather is cooling off it might be time for my first batch of the season!
Question – do you think I could make it in an Instant Pot? I’m a big fan of Instant Pot soups so that would make this so much better!
Yep, I think this one would be easy to do in an IP. I’d probably use the sauté function for the onion and stuff in the beginning, then the soup function after everything else is added. After it cooks on the soup function, add the kale and maybe let it simmer with the sauté function until the kale is to the level of tenderness that you like. But that’s just my best guess. I’m not super well versed with the IP.
This was really delicious! I used powdered ginger instead of fresh, sweet potatoes instead of white, and then added an extra can of chickpeas for protein and it was so yum. Added some cayenne pepper too because I like it spicy. I’m adding this to my meal rotation, super tasty and healthy.
Loved this soup!! I wanted it a bit creamier, so I used my immersion blender for a few pulses. So good, even my non veggie loving hubby liked it. We used spinach in lieu of kale. Thank you Beth
Can this be froZen?
Yes, this one should freeze well.
Fabulous!!! Thank you! Even my picky husband loved it.
Delicious! I substituted fresh ginger for 3/4 tsp powdered and couldn’t find fire roasted tomatoes at the store so I just went with regular. Added this to my favorite recipes 😊
Great tasting stew, however, how many calories are in a serving,. it would help me while maintaining my daily points in Weightwatchers.
Thanks
I was wondering the same thing, just now. This is the second time I’ve made this soup in two weeks!
I ran it through a recipe calculator and came up with:
333 calories
7g Fat (1g Saturated)
61g Carbohydrate (8g Fiber, 6g Sugar)
13g Protein
It also had more than 900mg of sodium because I assumed canned beans, tomatoes, and broth. If that’s a concern you can bring that down to about 250mg by using low sodium varieties. Plus there are all those lovely vegetables, which give it about 900mg of potassium.
Thank you for that. I did purchase low sodium ingredients based on your input. I’m trying it tonight!
Any recommendations for substituting collards in for the kale? They were all out of kale in my local store and I don’t like how wilty spinach gets in soups.
Collards should work the same as kale. :) Just stir it in and let it simmer until the collards are tender to your liking.
Delicious! I’ve been trying to find a chickpea recipe I really like in the slow cooler and I’ve had no luck until THIS masterpiece! I cooked on high for 4 hours and the extra liquid cooked off leaving it less soupy, less stew-like. We served it over top of quinoa. Delish, will definitely make again!
Delicious! Thanks for a great vegan recipe!
I would suggest a little splash of lemon juice to brighten up the flavor. It was pretty okay originally, but once I added the lemon juice, I liked the leftovers a lot better.
Any substitutions that I could do for the curry powder? I’m not a big fan of curry powder
You could go the Italian route and do some Italian herbs instead (either a pre-blended Italian herb mix, or some basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
I made this to prep for lunches this week and… wow. I made some substitutions based on what I had around the house, but this recipe made with sweet potatoes and spinach (rather than white potato and kale) is the bomb. Full of nutrients, low fat, flavorful, spicy, sweet, and incredible easy to make. Another winner, Beth!!
I have made this recipe several times and my family and friends love it. I have used both frozen and fresh greens, different kinds of curry powders, and today I’ve added lentils to the pot. It always comes out delicious.
Can i make this a day or two ahead of serving?
Yes, definitely. :)
This is fantastic! I’ve made it three times already and shared with a friend who has also made it. Yum!
Could this be made in a slow cooker?
Probably. Soups like this usually do pretty well in a slow cooker. :)
Could I use frozen spinach in place of kale? If so, should I thaw it before adding it into the soup? Thank you!
Yes, you can do spinach instead of kale and you don’t really need to thaw it first. It will thaw as it heats in the soup. :)
This was delicious! We only had one potato so cut the recipe in half but still used a whole can of diced tomatoes and a whole can of chickpeas. Used chicken broth instead of veggie broth since that’s what we had on hand. Also had half a chicken breast to use up so grilled and diced it and added it to the stew. Added a little cayenne pepper too. Will definitely make this again. Love that it’s tasty and budget friendly. Served with warm french bread rolls.
This was my very first soup and it was soooooo delicious!!!
Made this last night and it was very good. We used spinach instead of kale and made it in the Instant Pot – 4 minutes on high pressure. With a side of naan, it was a perfect Meatless Monday meal!
A friend made this for us and it is DELICIOUS! We ate the double batch in 2 days and we are now halfway through a triple batch in just 2 days. Thank you!
Wow! First recipe I’ve made from this site and I’m super impressed!! I wanted a hearty soup to go with the colder weather. I thought this might taste meaty without the meat and I was right!
I did use low organic sodium chicken broth instead of vegetable because that’s all I had on hand. Also, I used yukon gold instead of russet potatoes and they held their shape well which I think I prefer. I cooked it for 30 minutes longer and that seemed to make it as thick as the russets probably would have.
Thanks!
Wow, what an amazingly healthy yet flavor-packed dish! It has a lovely spicy smokey flavor. I’m gonna pick up some garlic naan, it’ll be incredible to dip into this hearty stew. A few notes about subs: I realized too late that I didnt have curry powder so used Garam masala, also used garlic salt instead of instead of garlic; I think the recipe is very forgiving of subs and add-ins such as carrots. The smoked paprika is a major part of the flavor profile so I’d definitely use good quality stuff. Thanks for an incredible recipe that I’ll enjoy time and again!
I got the app so it would be easier for me to save recipes for later, but I’m dismayed to discover that most of the recipes I want to save from the website aren’t on the app! This is one of those…
Hi Sarah, the app comes with 500 recipes pre-loaded onto the app, and everything I’ve created since the app launched can be found in the marketplace (the little shopping bag icon at the bottom). You use credits to download the recipes you want from the marketplace into your app. The app comes with tons of free credits to get you started and you earn more as you use the app, so you can continue to get free recipes (or you can buy credits, if you want).
Flavoursome, fresh and filling, this is a really hearty supper. As a deviation from the plant-based ethos to this dish, a good sprinkling of grated cheese on top works a treat.
I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I’ve always been an “it’s not a meal without meat” guy, but this is flat-out, absolutely fantastic. Goes great with some buttered sourdough.
I made this recipe last night. Wonderful…the taste was amazing :).
Does anyone know???
I have a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 can potatoes, 1 can chickpeas, frozen onion, frozen spinach. I don’t have much in the way of spice. Would this work? And since I need a serving for one, how would I store the rest for the next 6 months to a year? Thank you!
You could probably make do with some salt and pepper if you have that. Be generous with the salt and make sure to caramelize your onions. To store it just freeze individual sized portions in recycled glass jars, tupperwares, baggies etc.
This is fantastic! So delicious and easy! We didnt have roasted tomatoes so used cilantro, lime and oregano tomatoes and topped it at the end with fresh cilantro….FANTASTIC! I would do two cans of rinsed chick peas next time but it was SO YUMMY!
This is amazing. Make it now.
My mom just made this for me and I paired it with rice.
Oh. My. God. This tastes like it came from a trendy vegan Cajun food trunk found in the hipster burroughs of Orlando.
I am in love! I can’t wait to make this myself. Thank you!
This stew is amazing, the flavours come together beautifully. Next time, I’m going to kick up the heat with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and some more chili powder.
I’ve made this stew almost a dozen times now and it has become one of my favorite comfort foods! I like to use halved fingerling Yukon Gold potatoes and just mash a few after cooking to thicken the liquid. I also like to either do a kale/spinach combo, or all spinach. This is one of the most forgiving recipes I’ve made. A little more or less ginger, more or less curry, etc…and it still turns out amazing. And a nice touch for summer….it also tastes fantastic cold! All around the best veggie stew I’ve ever made. Thank you!
Just made this tonight and it’s great! I was worried because I only had Jamaican curry powder on hand but it turned out fine. More than fine actually. I will absolutely make this again.
What do you think out brining some red lebtil to the party for this recipe? Maybe 1/4 cup?
I think that would be great! Yeah, 1/4-1/2 cup would probably be ideal. :)
This looks delicious!! But it is NOT plant-based!! More and more, food bloggers are using the term “Plant-Based” incorrectly. The actual diet: Whole Foods Plant Based excludes ALL oils!!
Wikipedia definition – A plant-based diet is a diet based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, but with few or no animal products
You can nit pick all you want but this is the definition.
That’s just entirely incorrect. Plant based diets to not exclude all oils completely. Some do, many do not.
I made this last night and it was delicious!!! Perfect for a meatless weekday meal.
I’ve made this soup several times since you posted it, and it is amazing! I like to add in some carrots and quinoa, but it is phenomenal as written!
Oh. My. Lanta. This is my favorite recipe from your blog I’ve tried to far. So filling in just the right way, savory, and texturally amazing. I had some little cheese bread loaves that I toasted alongside it, and it was PERFECT! Also added a little liquid smoke which was such a yummy addition. I will DEF be making this again!
This is amazing and a surprisingly easy weeknight meal! I had made a similar version from another recipe with chorizo, but I think I prefer this version better…there’s something about the potato/tomato combo that is especially hearty and delicious. With the potatoes, I still felt like I got my carb fix, but in a healthier way.
Absolutely delicious! This is my second time making it, and I just wanted to point out a typo I didn’t notice the first time. In the ingredient list it says “2 Tbso Olive Oil”. Thanks for another great recipe!
Wow, what a great recipe! Well done. Healthy, easy, great taste, inexpensive, it’s got it all. I can see the possibilities for this as a base for many variations. I added 2 sliced carrots, 1 can of drained red beans and a teaspoon of Turmeric. OMG, so good! I have a Jalapeno sea salt grinder my wife got me for Christmas that was the perfect finish. Keep them coming!
This was awesome. I used sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes. Everyone came back for seconds. I will make this again. Tangy and tasty!
This was so, so good. I think next time I make it (and there WILL be a next time), I may top each bowl off with a few crumbles of goat cheese. This recipe was even a hit with my husband who doesn’t like chick peas.
Even better the second day! I substituted a few things based on what was in my pantry, but don’t think they altered the overall idea. Used baby potatoes, white beans, and sambhar masala. Added extra red pepper flakes because I love heat. I’m so sad I’m almost out of leftovers. :-(
This looks delicious! I’m planning on making it tomorrow night, and I’m excited.
2 questions: If I add chorizo, should I do that at the beginning of the recipe? And if I substitute frozen spinach for the kale, will I need longer cooking time?
Another winner! Thank you!
This is great! My partner and I loved it and there’s lots leftover for us! :)
Just WOW!
I just made this for lunch as I am transitioning to plant based and this is sooooo good!
I added a cauliflower leftover, angle loofah and some carrots and I absolutely love this.
I will definitely keep this recipe for winter.
Great recipe – my fiancé, who doesn’t even like chickpeas, loved it! Easy, readily-available ingredients, tasty, made enough for me to eat leftovers for most of a week. I used slightly more kale and could’ve added even more. Thanks!
This is AMAZING! I made this last night. My husband wolfed down three bowls of it. Now, I don’t like potatoes in soup, so I substituted gnocchi for it. So so good! I even had some for lunch just a few mins ago. Yum!!!
This looked amazing and I’m trying out a few vegetarian options and experimenting with new things, but I made a mistake and let the moisture dry out too much in This! So instead of a stew, I just put it into a quinoa wrap, toasted it and turned it into a quesadilla. still great!
I am extremely fortunate to live in a grocery-rich area: there’s an Aldi two blocks away next to a Target superstore and the corner bodega right across the street from my apartment stocksn a variety middle eastern, african, asian and latin staples.. I mention this because this bodega also stocks fantastic locally made injera bread, which I am having with this stew!
Lucky!! :D
I made this to get through the cold weather and even my meat loving husband enjoyed it. Reheats great too! I nixed the red pepper flakes since my paprika was a hot version. Still had a delightfully spicy flavor.
Hi Beth!
We are longtime users of your site and have never been less than ecstatic with a recipe we’ve made. We’re on a strict budget now since we are renovating our new house, so I pretty much exclusively make recipes from BB. Thanks for keeping us so well fed on a tight budget!
We are making this stew tonight and I was wondering if you have any recommendations for adding in a meat. I see some people using chorizo, but I was thinking a shredded chicken might be nice. What are your thoughts? I don’t want to ruin it!
Yes, I think shredded chicken would be awesome, or even ground turkey or chicken (browned in the pot first).
Tried this with some leftover shredded chicken, worked well.
Would you have a guess at Instant Pot directions? Soup button – 5/8/10 min?? Thanks.
Hmm, not sure because I’m not that well versed with the IP, but I would guess using a longer cook time so those potatoes break down a bit and thicken it up, like I did with mine on the stove top.
I made this with IP using soup setting at 8 min and it was perfect
Did you try using the IP yet for this recipe? I was curious too
Another great recipe in which I had all the ingredients and then some. Followed the recipe to a “T” but also added two carrots and some brown rice and cauliflower I had in the freezer to use up some leftovers. Made my apartment smell great!
I didn’t check my cupboard before I went grocery shopping so I had to sub cumin for curry, spinach for kale, and chicken for veggie broth. haha Everything was still delicious, and very easy. Waiting was the hardest part. I’ll def make this again this winter.
I made this soup for my friend Raph and I devoured it and so did he haha!!
Avid blog reader but first time commenter here! I just want to say that your recipes are always a lifesaver when I want something quick and affordable with ingredients I usually have on hand. I haven’t been disappointed by a recipe yet :) I substituted regular paprika for smoked and frozen spinach for kale, and this turned out delicious for lunch meal prep! Do you think this would freeze well? I’ve never frozen anything with potatoes or chickpeas in it.
I think it would freeze great! Some people find potatoes to be a bit grainy after freezing and thawing, but I’ve never experienced that issue. :)
This is great! I added a bit of corn and some matchstick carrots, and even my carnivore dad liked it! This is for sure becoming a staple recipe.
This soup is delicious! I used Muraski sweet potatoes from Trader Joe’s and they perfectly counterbalanced the spiciness in this. Love love love!
This recipe is so good. I’ve made it several times in big batches and eat it for breakfast. I’ve been making it with butternut squash and it’s fantastic (Trader Joe’s squash deals in fall are so great).
Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m going to make this tonight and add sliced sausage! I’ll let you know how it turns out :)
Hi Beth! I’ll be making this for dinner sometime this week, but one question: do you (or anyone else in the comment section) have any alternative bean suggestions? I’ve got someone who is apparently allergic to chickpeas and I’m trying to decide what to use instead.
I think someone else suggested cannellini and I agree that those would be awesome in this soup! :)
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it twice since you posted it! It’s cheap, healthy, easy, and DELICIOUS. Plus, my husband said it reminds him a little of a soup he had growing up in Spain called “sopa castillana”. :D
Thanks again!
Added a bit of cumin, 1/2 lb chorizo, a little red wine, and a splash of soy sauce. Flavorful and delicious while also very simple to make.
Deeelicious! And easy. And inexpensive. My favorite combo.
I made this the other night. It was wonderful. House had such wonderful aromas that lasted through the next day.
This was such a wonderful, hearty offering on a cold New England night. Even–non vegetable liking– son loved it.
Thanks so much for all of your inspiring posts.
This was SO good! The smoked paprika and ginger make this really flavourful and interesting, and the potato thickens it nicely and makes it hearty and comforting!
I’ve been looking to cut down on my monthly grocery spending, and your website has been such a great find! I look forward to trying more of your recipes! :)
Instant pot sauté , 7 minutes manual high pressure followed by quick release: yum!
Thank you! Making this for the second time but just saw your IP comment, will give it a shot next time, 7 minutes! Wow
Since I’m using my instant pot to turn dried chickpeas into ready to eat I’m going to go ahead and make the stew in it. One less pan to wash!
Have you tried this in the instant pot? I want to make it today for dinner and I’m thinking 5 minutes manual?
I haven’t tried that yet, but I think someone else commented that they did 7 minutes high pressure? I’d probably just use the soup button and see how it goes.
This was great! Just what I needed for my sick husband. I made the recipe but subbed chicken broth for the vegetable broth (used better than bouillon- used 2 tsp with the 4 cups of water so it would be less salty). I also added some chopped mushrooms at the end because I had some in the fridge.
Loved the ginger, curry and smoky/spicy flavor. The potatoes thickened up the soup nicely. Tasted wonderful with a dollop of greek yogurt on top and some mozzarella cheese. Also paired nicely with grilled cheese sandwiches.
The leftovers tasted just as good the next day! Tried some pesto in one of the leftover bowls which was a great addition. This recipe is so versatile I can imagine using this with most vegetables. Will definitely make again.
Man oh man. I made this using sweet potatoes and lots of frozen spinach. Sooo so good. And even better reheated. The smoked paprika is just magic.
Thanks for the constant stream of amazing recipes!
Made your chicken noodle soup with bone in breasts. Followed recipe. So good I just made it again. Doubled the noodles so needed more broth. Also used Better Than bullion.
Amazing recipe! I’ve been on soup kick recently and have made some great soups, BUT this is the best one yet! I did alter it a bit and added some sausage (had it on hand…). Absolutely delicious!
I made this for lunch on Sunday and it was awesome! I used reds instead of russets because it’s what I had, and frozen spinach instead of kale, but it was still great. I haven’t made a good potato-based stew in awhile and I’ve really been missing it, especially with winter starting, and this was a great twist.
I’m not a fan of chickpeas, are they necessary or could I use a different kind of bean instead?
You can certainly use cannellini beans as a substitute for the chickpeas.
I like Kelly’s idea of cannellini beans!
Made this today for my work lunches this week. I had to sub regular paprika (couldn’t find the smoked) and regular diced tomatoes (my store didn’t have the fire roasted). I also subbed frozen spinach for the kale. Even with those changes, it was incredible! I also added in a little cumin for some smoky/earthy flavor. So wonderful!
I’ve been looking for recipes like this cause I’m too lazy to make separate dishes for meal prep and this one just blew my taste buds out of the water! I’m on day 3 and I could eat it for another week without getting sick of it. I think next time the only thing I would change is substituting half the russets with sweet potatoes and adding some roasted red peppers for an extra layer of flavor. But I have to say, this is one of the most delicious soups I have tried from your website! Thanks Beth! (quick sidenote I tried to find this recipe on your app but couldn’t find it. I had to come here to comment cause it was just so darn good!)
Thanks Vanessa!! I’m so glad I posted it. I almost didn’t because I felt that it was very similar to things I’ve made before. :) The recipe will be added to the app soon. :)
This was delicious! Only change I made was to add a small sweet potato. Really wonderfully good, hearty, flavorful.
Expecting this to become a winter staple—I swapped in sweet potatoes and carrots instead of russets, added red lentils to thicken it up, and chorizo for some more protein and kick. So tasty.
I’d love to do this in the Instant Pot. How long would suggest setting the time for? I’m thinking 20-25 minutes.
I think that’s a good place to start. :) You just want to make sure the potatoes get super soft so they break down and thicken the broth.
I’d love to know your take. I will try this in my instapot soon, so any experience from your take would be kick-ass awesome.
Made this for dinner and we loved it. I used chicken broth simply because I don’t like any of the veggie broths available. We like kale so I added lots. Great filling and satisfying stew/soup for this cold Pennsylvania night! Thanks for the recipe!
This seems like something you could also either slow cook or make in an Instant Pot too, right? How would you go about converting this recipe for either of those?
Sure, I think either would work great since the soup basically just simmers for a long time, which is what both of those machines do. :) I would still sauté the ingredients in the beginning first, then either slow cook or pressure cook. I’m not sure how long, but this one would be difficult to over cook, since you want the potatoes to really break down anyway.
You can overcook in an instant pot fast. If you use canned chickpeas, it would take 5 minutes to cook the diced potatoes under pressure. I’m still using a stove top pressure cooker, but I don’t see much time saving here. It takes 3-4 minutes to come up to pressure, 5 minutes under high pressure, and another 5 minutes to come down using normal cooling method (I know I can do it fast, but since I’m putting the rest of the meal together, I let it go). It takes about the same time as boiling soup sized diced russets (half inch) on the stove top, which is why I rarely take the trouble to use my pressure cooker for diced potatoes.
With soups that use only fast cooking veggies, the prep often takes as much time as actual cooking–kale is a fine example since long cooking makes it bitter. During a 15-30 minute simmer I set the table, make a salad, fill drink glasses, talk to Hubs, etc. Maybe I start something like cornbread even before the soup, and that needs to bake. Many fast soups need to taste fresh, so putting them in a slow cooker in the morning means that they are well past peak taste by dinner–plus, I have to say, those early morning minutes are scarcer than the ones I have to put dinner on the table.
I save long and short cooking devices for recipes where they shine–typically those that have meat that needs to be broken down and tender. Ask me about the traditional Hungarian goulash that takes 30 minutes total in the pressure cooker, 8 hours in the crockpot, or 3-4 hours watching on the stovetop–hint, smoked paprika!!!.
Hey Beth,
is there any leafy green substitute that you would recommend? would spinach work just as well? Where I live is not easy to find Kale or is very expensive (for a student like me :P) and I would still like to have some greens in the soup.
Btw I’ve been reading your blogs for years and you are a lifesaver!!
Yes, I almost used spinach as a matter of fact! :) Just stir it in at the end just like I did with the kale.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was great. No kale, but it was fine as it was. Spicy and smoky. Thanks.
Would the recipe change much if you subbed sweet potatoes in for russets? Any recommendations for sprinkling a little cheese on top?
It might not get as thick, but I think the flavor of sweet potatoes would be AWESOME in this! Great idea! And personally, I think cheese is good on just about anything. ;)
This looks like something I’m dying for, but my husband would eat too. Bonus: I have all of the ingredients already :D can’t wait to try it.
This looks great! I’ve been detoxing too: made a big batch of your black bean-roasted sweet potato-lime crema salad on Sunday to take to work for lunch all week.