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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Nutrition
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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
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.