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
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.