Tuscan Chickpea Stew
With simple ingredients and vibrant flavors, this Tuscan Chickpea Stew is a healthy and delicious meatless meal you can make in about 30 minutes. Perfect with some crusty bread and a sprinkling of Parmesan!
We’re constantly on the hunt for new vegetarian recipes that are easy to make and heavy on protein and plants. I’ve also noticed that most everyone enjoys Tuscan flavors. Broadly speaking, this means a combination of spinach, tomatoes, and Italian herbs. No surprise that’s a popular mix!
This simple, hearty chickpea stew is adapted from my Tuscan white bean skillet, which has grown to be one of the most consistently popular recipes on Nourish and Fete. Both are quick and easy, healthy and filling, vibrant and packed with your favorite Italian flavors.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Cookware. Use a deep skillet to ensure you have plenty of room for all the veggies and liquid. I adore this Staub braiser, but it can be a little hard to find. This cast-iron skillet is another excellent and more affordable option.
- Broth. I do like the flavor of this stew made with chicken broth, but of course you should use vegetable broth if it’s important to keep it vegetarian.
- Tomatoes. I usually make this with a can of standard diced tomatoes, but if you want to add some extra kick, fire-roasted tomatoes would be a terrific option.
Optional Add-Ins
This recipe is a flexible base–take it and add in anything else that sounds good and that you have in the pantry! Artichoke hearts, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes would all be delicious, and I’d suggest adding those in along with the chickpeas and broth. You could also add chopped celery or bell peppers; add those earlier, along with the onions and carrots, so they have time to sauté and soften.
What To Serve With Tuscan Chickpea Stew
This has tons of flavor and is a very nutritious and complete meal on its own, so you can keep the rest very simple. In fact, I’ve been serving it with only with a sprinkle of fresh-grated Parmesan and some crusty bread. Perfection!
If you enjoy this meal, you’ll also love my simple and tasty Tuscan white bean skillet and this brothy chickpea soup with Italian flavors.
And if you really love these flavors, you can try my creamy Tuscan chicken and Tuscan tortellini, as well.
More Chickpea Recipes
Still have chickpeas in the pantry? Here are some more ideas!
- Chopped Greek Chickpea Salad
- Instant Pot Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala)
- Crispy Chickpea Tacos with Sunset Slaw
- Smooth and Creamy Homemade Hummus
If you try this Tuscan Chickpea Stew, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.
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Tuscan Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12-15 cranks fresh-ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2-3 large handfuls baby spinach or kale roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Warm oil in a Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion. Cook 4-5 minutes, until they just begin to soften. Add garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Cook another 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the kale or spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes more, just until the greens are tender and wilted. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with a bit of fresh-grated Parmesan and/or crusty bread if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Optional Add-Ins: This is a flexible base–take it and add in anything else that sounds good and that you have in the pantry! Artichoke hearts, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes would all be delicious, and I’d suggest adding those in along with the chickpeas and broth. You could also add chopped celery or bell peppers; add those earlier, along with the onions and carrots, so they have time to sauté and soften.
Just wondering if I could add some ground chicken and if so, when would I do this? Thanks.
That’s a good idea to add protein! I would add it after sauteeing the garlic and before adding the broth, and cook until it’s mostly browned. Enjoy!
This turned out exactly how I was hoping! I used an equivalent amount of dried chickpeas, but otherwise followed the recipe religiously, and served it AS IS. I always have to re-season recipes, even if they come highly-rated, but this one was perfect first-try. Next time I’m going to serve with charred lemons and crusty bread. Thank you for sharing!
This is so good! Excellent – the two of us ate the whole thing!
Good Star from me!
This is such an easy, delicious, and oh so healthy recipe! This is now in my regular recipe rotation! Thank you sooooo much!!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to leave this note!
Made this for the 2nd time and love it even more with our own add-ins. We tossed in a package of spinach & cheese tortellini and an addition 1.5C of broth = Delicious!!
Great recipe and so simple to make.
I love garlic so I added more cloves along with celery and baby Bella musrioms. I also did not have rosemary or thyme So I played with the spices A bit. The lemon juice really brightens up the flavor of this dish. It came out great. It was so good I ate it for both lunch and dinner yesterday and today I will be. making this again real soon.
Delicious and easy to make! I added a green pepper as suggested and used 1 large chopped tomato instead of a can.
Great recipe, I am very glad to have found this at the start of the Australian winter. This will be in regular rotation at my place. Thank you!
I loved the recipe! Sooo flavorful and easy to cook, the lemon added special flavor, my family loved it! Definitely a five star recipe!
The kids and adults loved this one. A quick and delicious meal. I thought the lemon added a bright and lovely finish! Another 5 star recipe!
This was delicious. I only used two cans of chick peas and that was plenty. I also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Next time I will add zucchini and squash, yum!
I am in love with chickpeas – def need to add this to my meatless Monday rotation!