Cumin-Stewed Chickpeas
June 21, 2019 | By Millie Hillman | 124 Comments
This recipe is adapted from a dish I first had upon returning from a long hike with my boyfriend a couple summers ago. Weary and muddy, we returned to his house, where his mother served us a delightful chickpea dish with whole cumin, saucy chickpeas, and chard. We ate it with sourdough toast and a little bit of red wine vinegar, and both had seconds. This stew has quickly become one of my favorite comfort foods, and I make it almost weekly at school. Made with pantry staples, this dish really transcends the sum of its parts: a little spicy, salty, rich, and somehow creamy from the olive oil and chickpeas, this dish is made to be savored and shared with those you love. This recipe is easily doubled, and makes great leftovers (if you can resist eating it in one sitting!).
Serving suggestions: eat plain, with crusty bread, over pasta (I like rotini or orzo), rice, or even raw greens such as arugula
Makes 1 hearty serving plain or can serve 2 accompanied by a grain of your choice
Naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy free, nut-free
Cumin-Stewed Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1-2 shallots, finely sliced
- 4-6 garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped
- ~1 tablespoon ground cumin (use more or less to taste)
- Pinch dried red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use more or less to taste)
- 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed*
- 1 bunch hearty greens, such as chard or kale, stems separated and sliced; leaves coarsely chopped
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- Paprika, (optional), to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the aromatics and greens: thinly slice the shallots, and roughly chop the garlic, and cut the stems of the greens into bite-size pieces (I like to include the stems for extra fiber and flavor, but discard if you would prefer). Roughly tear or chop the leaves.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, heat most of the olive oil on medium-low heat until it becomes fragrant and starts to shimmer. Add the garlic and shallots into the pot, and stir well.
- When the shallots and garlic start to soften, add in the chili flakes and ground cumin, as well as a pinch of paprika if using (this will "bloom" the spices and bring out deeper flavors: you will immediately be able to smell fragrance coming from the pot).
- Turn up the heat to medium/medium high and add the chopped stems to the pot, if using. Leave to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, to ensure the aromatics do not burn.
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas, and add to the pot, along with a splash of water and a large pinch of salt. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, crush up the chickpeas into smaller pieces, adding more water when the stew becomes too dry.
- Cook until the chickpeas are soft, saucy, and flavorful. Add handfuls of the greens to the pot, along with another splash of water if needed. Wilt until the leaves are bright green and decreased in volume.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve in a large bowl, and top with more olive oil, chili flakes, and paprika. A squeeze of lemon also goes a long way.
Notes
*A note on chickpeas: while I suggest canned chickpeas for this recipe, simply for ease, dried chickpeas can also be used. Soak overnight, cook in salted water until tender, and use as specified above.
this dish is seriously amazing, its my go to when im in a rush ,jeremy you’re my king
I really enjoyed these! Reminded me a lot of an Indian style channa or choke dish in terms of the flavor profile. Overall a great way to get your greens in too!!
*chole not choke
So so good! Will definitely make again!!
So delicious. I’ve made this a few times it’s so quick and easy. I use spinach instead of chard as I don’t have it.
I absolutely love this dish when I’m looking for something warm and comforting. The addition of the rainbow chard adds a fun twist to this dish.
This is my favorite recipe!!! SUUUPER easy to make and I always use it to meal prep.
This is my absolute favorite of the recipes of yours I’ve tried – thanks for sharing!!
When I first made this I was out of cumin so I put in sumac instead and that’s how I’ve made it ever since! So sumac stewed chickpeas…It’s worth a try, I completely fell in love with it!
I love this recipe so much! I have made it a couple of times now. However, I dont have chard so I just use spinach and it is really good, you just have to make sure you season the spinach extra well. I also have eaten it topped with some goat cheese and that was really good.
This is just as delicious as advertised. I crave it all the time now ????
Love this ! Perfect when u want something filling but not to heavy.
Love this! Added spinach (just what I had in the fridge) at the end instead of separating like with a more hearty green. I gave a bowl to my dad as well, who only likes dishes with meat usually, and even he said it was great!
This has quickly become one of my favorite dishes to make in quarantine because it uses a lot of shelf-stable ingredients when I’m trying to limit my trips to the grocery store. It’s also pretty adaptable — if I have a few extra mushrooms or carrots leftover, they add to the richness. This is also a great dish to pair with homemade bread, especially if you, like me, can’t stop making focaccia.
I’ve been vegan for 5 1/2 years and one staple plant-based ingredient I’ve always despised is chickpeas. I love to cook and experiment with new recipes, but somehow I’ve never been able to get them to a texture I enjoy. I recently tried this recipe (found on your TikTok account) and I was blown away. I think part of your talent is being able to showcase simple ingredients and make them shine with patience and technique. This recipe is no exception. Keep up the good work and I look forward to trying more recipes!
This is one of my favorite dishes! It’s a really easy and hearty meal that’s perfect for weeknights. I love how all of these ingredients are inexpensive and are pantry staples for most homes. It’s a good way to use up leftover greens you have in the fridge as well!
So so easy! One of my favorite recipes to make – seriously life changing for a college student. 🙂
I made it and absolutely loved it. I plan on making it again this week. Warm and satisfying. Thank you for sharing . I knew as soon as I sat the video that this was a recipe for me. I am not vegan or vegetarian generally speaking but tend towards meatless meals when I don’t have to cook for anyone but myself.
*saw
This is so good! And it’s easy to adjust to what you have on hand
So like the chaotic mess I am I didn’t even have cumin or shallots and these still turned out lovely. I only had bell pepper so I subbed that for onion, it turned out so good. As for not having cumin I just subbed in chili powder in its place and it tasted very very yummy. As a 16 year old college student with a part time job who is plant based I will be making this many more times. Jeremy you’re a king.
Definitely a new favorite ! I was a little skeptical to add the cumin but followed the recipe and so good!! Thank you Jeremy for the AMAZING recipe! Love from Mexico!
This recipe is really so easy and so good. I love to serve it over rice and quinoa that I make in my rice cooker while the chickpeas stew. I prefer spinach over chard. Recently I did one can of chickpeas and one can of white beans which was delicious too. I’ve also added curry powder too. It’s really so versatile and I love it.
I’m obsessed with this recipe and I make it almost every week!! Makes me feel healthy but also full and warm at the same time 🙂 and I save leftovers that make such easy lunches later in the week.
My favourite online recipe that i’ve ever tried!!! you can’t mess it up. and it’s so warm and tasty :))
This has become one of my all-time favorite recipes! It stores really well, so it’s excellent when I need a quick leftover meal. I like to have it with a little bit of Greek yogurt to balance out the spiciness. I’d also like to add that this recipe has inspired me to make meals with stewed chickpeas but with different kinds of spices and veggies- so thanks for the inspiration!
I love this so much and make it at least once a week! It’s so easy but delicious
I am literally eating these as I type! I am (according to other people) a slightly fussy eater so I always caution when trying new recipes but I literally this and then 2 days later made it again because I couldn’t stop thinking about it! Made it maybe 6 times within a 4 week period. The only thing I want to eat, with some fresh bread from the bakery; Amazing! My new favourite meal!
this changed my life. thank you jeremy and millie.
I’m vegetarian and my family recently agreed to doing meatless Mondays so I chose to make this. It was so delicious and comforting! My omnivorous family enjoyed it too. I served it with warm naan and with lemon as suggested. I used dried chickpeas because I had them and no cans at the time, but would probably used canned text time for ease. I also used chard, (the white one not the red one) and added some spinach I had leftover in the fridge at the end. Will definitely be making again!
I made this during quarantine when I didn’t really have much energy for anything. It’s really simple but so good. I served it with some rice and it was delicious. My family loved it too.
this recipe is seriously so good. it’s easy to modify to your taste, highly recommend!!
Cumin-Stewed Chickpeas – ScheckEats
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LOVE this recipe. It’s my go-to when I want an easy and healthy dinner, since I usually have all of these ingredients on hand. I used Trader Joe’s chickpeas once, though, and I found that they’re smaller than other brands which made them harder to crush and they weren’t as soft.
This recipe is phenomenal! It has become a staple with my roommates at college and with my parents at home. It’s so quick and simple to make and easy to adjust if you want to add or subtract anything. I like to let the chickpeas sit for a bit in the pot so they soften a bit and then use a potato masher to mash it up. I love adding extra red pepper flakes for extra spice and HIGHLY recommend pairing this with Trader Joe’s garlic flatbreads (I’m not sure what they are called off the top of my head). Great recipe for beginners and advanced cooks 🙂
This was soooo good! I used spinach because I had it on hand, but it was still delicious- just the right amount of spice and nice and easy to make
I love this. It has become my go to meal weekly. I have definitely tried modifications (sweet potato, spinach, squash, fresh corn, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
This is one of my all time favorite recipes. It has so much flavor, is relatively easy to prepare and so affordable! It’s a really filling, satisfying dish that will always be a staple recipe in my kitchen.
Found you on tik tok yesterday. I look forward to trying this one in particular
This is amazing!! Perfectly filling, and fairly easy to make. I love this with rice or on top of toasted bread with a lot of lemon juice. 🙂
This recipe is delicious!! So filling and nourishing. So much flavor and pretty easy to make! A new go-to recipe for me.
Tried this last night and it was amazing! It was really simple my whole family loved it!
YUM. I just enjoyed this dish!! The suggestion to add a squeeze of lemon at the end was a game changer.
Thanks for sharing!
do you have a calorie estimate for this recipe?
Made this for the first time tonight and it was delicious! Such a perfect meal for winter time. I did add a tiny bit of maple syrup and used spinach but I loved it! I will definitely be recommending this recipe to family and friends.
I have no words except “utterly delicious.” It feels wrong that something that good can come from a can of chickpeas. I’m actually sad that I’m done eating it. 11/10 will make again.
I just made this rciepe for dinner and it was fantastic! I made a double recipe for my family and it was supper easy to double. Extra olive oil on top is a must!
Delicious!! The squeeze of lime on top was so perfect. Easy to make, so simple yet so flavorful! Give it a try for an easy and healthy weeknight meal that leaves you satisfied.
I just made this for lunch and HOLY CRAP it is amazing. Thanks you so much for the recipe!!! 🙂
I saw this on TikTok a few months ago and I made it on the spot. I added Harissa and lemon, and swapped Lacinato kale for the chard. Then I served it with saffron rice and pomegranate. It was a HUGE hit with my husband and I! Thanks so much for the recipe!
These are so good. So quick, easy, and filling. I ate it with pita because it’s all I had and it was delicious.
C’est tellement bon, rapide, économique, sain! Ce plat n’a que des qualités! On peut le doubler, le tripler, le quadrupler, alouette! Ça se congèle! Merci pour ce petit bijou!
I am always looking for yummy lunch recipes to make since I have a long lunch break during online school, so when I saw this on TikTok, I decided to try it. It was literally amazing! It was so easy and delicious. My sister was hesitant to try it but ended up loving it! I will definitely make this again!
Love this one! I swapped some of the spices, most notably cumin for curry. And kept the rest relatively the same. It made for a very filling meal!
Absolute life changer. I can’t go more than a week without making this!
This dish is UNREAL, the squeeze of lemon at the end just made it that much better. Easy, delicious, healthy and affordable!!
SUPPER GOOD! Favorite dish!
My whole family quite literally devoured this whole thing, even my dad who needs meat in every, single meal. I’m the one most likely in my family to enjoy any vegetarian/vegan dishes, my mom can be open to it on occasion, but the rest of my family is hesitant when meat isn’t involved. That wasn’t the case with this dish. Everyone had come back for seconds and is something I see them asking for in the very near future. I had picked up my younger brother from school when he told me that the “chickpea-thingy” I made last night was so good and that he loved it. Probably my favorite thing I have made so far.
Not to mention it’s super affordable and the quickest dinner I have made so far with a family of six. Usually takes me a couple of hours to make dinner for my large family, but this didn’t take me long at all. And with lots of citrus, it was amazing.
I love this dish. I made with white rice and it was seriously amazing. I cannot get enough of it. Just the right amount of spice and the lemon on top cuts through it all. Amazing
honestly my favourite recipe i’ve ever found online. so tasty, comforting, and difficult to mess up!
Made this with kale for my family tonight, and the three of us finished four portions. Absolutely delicious!!!!!! I doubled the recipe added lemon and cilantro on top as well, which really pushed this over the edge.
These were really good! I served mine on a sweet potato and topped with cilantro and a dollop of vegan cheese sauce and guacamole.
I’m not even finished eating but had to come comment before I forgot. This is SO GOOD! Not only that, but my kitchen smells amazing, too. Guess I’ll be buying chickpeas every week now. Thank you for the recipe!
Served this over brown rice and made it with kale. I “massaged” the kale with olive oil and lemon juice before adding in just to be extra fancy. It was delicious. I want to try it again with swiss chard because it looks so pretty. Will make again for sure.
this is seriously amazing!! it is better than i ever expected and is now and forever part of my go to recipe list!! so easy and SO good!!
I’m very happy I finally made this! It’s absolutely worth the hype it gets. Tried it with chard (which I don’t think I’ve ever tried before so yay to new vegetables!) and served it with some nice crusty bread. The standard recipe makes multiple servings and is pretty quick. Definitely a new staple 🙂
This dish is amazing. I didn’t think I’d like it up until I actually ate it (because I don’t like the smell of cumin). I’m going to be adding this dish into my rotation.
As a vegetarian, I’m always looking for new recipes. My whole family loves this recipe and requests it weekly. So easy and so delicious!
This dish was so easy to make and soo delicious!! 11/10
I accidentally made these with coriander instead of cumin (my mistake for not reading the label properly) but they were delicious regardless! I look forward to making them with the correct spice next time 🙂
One of my favorite go-to’s! I love to make this up to go with rice bowls at the end of the week when I’m roasting up any veggies left in my fridge.
Such an EASY and DELICOUS meal. Definitely will be making this more often!
10/10 so good. The most labour required was washing and chopping the Swiss chard and even that wasn’t too bad as you don’t have to worry about drying it since it goes in the stew.
Made this for dinner tonight. Such a great meal!! Well done. I topped with cilantro and avocado!
Amazing weekday lunch/dinner. Its super easy to make and customize. I used vegetable stock instead of water and it was delicious!
I’m neither vegetarian nor vegan. I just like chickpeas. This was fantastic. Didn’t even bother with a starch. Although I think I have a scallion pancake. Still, PERFECT for the season. Great use of spices.
Sooooooo good, I tripled and it was barely enough for my family of 6, will quadruple next time. I thought it was going to be way too oily but it turned out great and I have no complaints, love that it’s naturally vegan!
My new go to meal!! It’s so easy and inexpensive to make with pantry staples, and is super quick too. I love being able to make a quick but still tasty dinner on busy school nights and this is exactly that!!
I literally make this every week now, it’s absolutely delicious. Peak winter comfort food but still healthy, makes for excellent leftovers and everything about it is just *chefs kiss*
(coming from a south asian punjabi) absolutely delicious !!! it definitely reminds me of indian flavors but it’s still completely different but in a good way. I feel like it’s more refreshing and healthy than something my mom would have made (though both are delicious). This is a super easy recipe for a college student imo – It comes together easily and I feel like there’s a lot of different ways to alter it to your liking. It also lasted in the fridge for about 6 days.
made it for the first time for lunch today, absolutely AMAZING!! gonna be a staple now!! i used kale instead of chard because that’s what i had, and turned out perfect!
Loved making this! Super easy and delicious. Would highly recommend for beginner cooks (or anyone) looking for a quick and easy dinner.
I added garam masala and garlic salt and served it with roasted sweet potato and rice. Don’t skip the lemon juice on top! It was delicious 🙂
SO EASY AND SO CHEAP TO MAKE. Probably < $5 for two dinners.
I made this recipe for the first time a few weeks ago, and I’ve already made it 3 more times since then. It is seriously so easy and delicious. It’s also a great way to use greens that might be going bad soon. Adding some lemon juice on top is a MUST!
when he said this would change your life, he wasn’t lying!! this recipe is sooo so good and i always end up wanting seconds.
I added a bit of turmeric the second time I made this simply because I am obsessed with the spice. Highly recommend the addition! Jeremy’s recipes are always so flavorful and he has a balance of challenging recipes and easy-to-make. This one is easy! Highly recommend!
I’m a vegan college student and this is one of the best things I’ve made!! Also super budget friendly. A million out of 10, so so good
One of my new favorite recipes and I make it at least once a week now! Some of my favorite toppings: lemon, cilantro, chili paste, chili flakes, olive oil, and (gives it a different vibe) plain greek yogurt. I also swapped out onions for shallots last week because it was just what I had and it still was amazing- this is a very versatile, delicious, and affordable dish!
literally so good and easy. topped with some pickled onions and it was ~chef’s kiss~ the lemon really is a game changer don’t skip!
I made this recipe twice already and it was so good, simple and comforting! I added brocolinis 😍 and shared it to my friends ❤️🤠
This is my favorite easy go-to recipe that tastes amazing. It’s perfect for weeknight dinners and leftovers for lunch the next day. Love to add extra red pepper and lime. Thanks Jeremy!
This is without a doubt my absolute favourite recipe on the internet. I make it at least once every two weeks – I have chickpeas soaking as I speak. I’m a huge Swiss chard, cumin & chickpea fan so I am biased, but it continually surprises me just how much flavour is there from such few ingredients. I top with extra paprika & lemon to taste, alongside some crusty bread. Absolutely 10 out of 10, would recommend.
I love this recipe! I make this at least twice a month it is a cheap, flavorful, filling meal and never gets old. I add a fried egg or some feta cheese if I am feeling adventurous
I love this recipe so much. It is convenient and filling, like all the recipes from this blog.
As a Syrian university student, I really enjoy Scheck’s Mediterranean plant-based approach to food.
This has become my go to recipe for when my fridge is looking pretty sparse, because at any given time I am guaranteed to have chickpeas, onion, garlic, and some leafy green on hand. Such a satisfying and well seasoned meal! I serve it with a LOT of fresh lemon juice which really amps up the flavor imo.
Ive made this a few times now with a couple variations in the greens and its been amazing every time! Ive adjusted and added more spice and tried a few variations and its been amazing every time! Im a fan of serving it with crusty bread. It is gorgeous when made with rainbow chard.
So I tried this recipe because it looked really good and simple enough for me. I always manage to mess recipes up, but I loved this! I used spinach because that’s what I had on hand and served over rice. Definitely adding this to my meal prep rotation. Thank you for making this easy to follow for people like me. You’re the best, Jeremy!
This is one of my favorite recipes. Perfect weeknight meal. So flavorful!
Great recipe!! I use onions instead of shallots when I don’t have them, and spinach rather than chard but so so good and filling but light on the stomach.
LOVED THESE!! So easy to make and they always make my roommates say “wow it smells so good” so filling too!
I love this recipe! I do not enjoy cooking, so I appreciate how easy, fast, and delicious this is. I make it over rice and top with Greek yogurt!
I love love love this recipe!!
This recipe is a staple for me I’ve made it for all of my friends and family and it has gotten my thru a rly awful junior year thank u Millie and Jeremy love u
I made this with half a red onion (instead of shallots), some spinach I had in the fridge, and frozen peas, and it turned out great! I also added some smoked paprika, and I highly recommend.
Made this last night and it was amazing!! Served over 2 cups of brown rice and it was the perfect amount for 4 people.
I didnt have any leafy greens so i threw in a head of broccoli and orange bell pepper, it was amazing! Also did a splash of soy milk for some creaminess and loved it. Highly recommend because its so easy to customize
I love these kinds of recipes because they provide a technique from which you can alter ingredients pretty liberally and the final products still turn out great!
I cannot explain how delicious this is. I was so hesitant to try this but oh my god I’m so glad i did. It’s incredible. Didn’t have any greens so i added bell peppers to the stew and it was amaaaaazing. Cannot wait to make this again, will make this 100 times in the fall/winter.
Perfect college meal prep typa meal! Add some feta cheese at the end for a well rounded mediterrean flavor. If you use frozen spinach, go ahead and add it when the recipe says to add the stems, and that way you don’t have to thaw it
Just made this recipe and of course got distracted with a mess I made spilling rice and burnt my shallots! But ignoring my burnt shallots the flavor profile of this dish is great! Love that all the ingredients are shelf stable and can be made fairly quickly.
– A College Kid Who Just Burns Everything
I’ve made this dish so many times. It is a tasty, time effective meal perfect for college students.
This is such a delicious and easy weeknight dinner! You can really customize with whatever veggies you have on hand too. One of our favorites!
This recipe is absolutely magnificent 🙂 filling and delicious!
I made it and it was delicious. I had it for breakfast and dinner again.
I’ve made this recipe a million times and everyone loves it! It was the first thing I made when I started introducing spices into meals and it’s one of my go-to’s whenever there’s chickpeas at home. One change I’ve made is serving the chickpeas with black rice, the flavours go really well together.
So good. I use white wine instead of water. : )
Use white wine instead of water!
OBSESSED with this recipe. Stumbled upon it last winter and it became one of my favorite easy and cheap meals to make. Perfect with crusty bread and lots of olive oil
Honest to god I’ve made this through the best of times and worst of crimes and I would like to say thank you not only to god but to Jesus and miss millie
This is one of my all-time favorite dishes. I can’t say enough about how delicious it is!
I made this twice exactly as written and it’s really delicious. But the beauty of it is how flexible it is. I add a second can of chick peas to extend it, or black eyed peas, whatever you have. A bit of cabbage to use up? Cook it with the shallots and garlic. The cumin is the magic that pulls it together. This is a keeper, thank you
One of my favorites, I keep coming back here for this recipe, and really all your recipes Jeremy! This is one I think I’ll be making for my children and grandchildren!
Here I am, another fall another pot of this stew. I have been making this for 4 years now and it is easily one of my comfort foods!! I add turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties, plus the flavor is a great addition. Highly recommend this recipe!