Moroccan Chickpea Stew Is the Perfect Fireside Recipe

Lisa Scolaro’s prepared foods are a hit at HoneyBee Seasonal Kitchen & Market in Trolley Square, known for its plentiful plant-based offerings. As head chef at HoneyBee, Scolaro has dedicated her life to making food that nourishes people and makes them happy, much like this fireside Moroccan chickpea stew. 

Chef Scolaro’s chickpea stew features plenty of veggies, antioxidants from ingredients like turmeric and Moroccan spices and superfoods like dates and chickpeas. Not only is this recipe hearty, warming and healthy, but it’s also completely vegan!

After a day of fishing, hiking, kayaking and other outdoor activities, nothing hits the spot like a hearty campfire meal. If your idea of camping food is limited to s’mores and roasted hotdogs on skewers, this flavorful Moroccan chickpea stew is sure to change your mind. When the sun goes down and the weather cools, a hot stew filled with warming Moroccan spices like cumin, ginger and turmeric will provide both the warmth and the nourishment to refuel after a great camping day. 

This fragrant stew is vegan and heart-healthy, Scolaro says. Serve with pita bread toasted over the fire or flatbread.

Fireside Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Course: DinnerCuisine: Moroccan

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 large onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

• 2 tablespoons ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice blend) or garam masala

• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon of turmeric

• 1 tablespoon of curry powder

• 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, strained and liquid reserved

• 1 large sweet potato, skin on, diced

• 1 25-ounce can diced tomatoes

• 1 large cauliflower, broken into florets

• 1 large zucchini, diced into large pieces

• 1 large red bell pepper, diced into large pieces

• 1 cup each of raisins and chopped dates

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a cast-iron soup pot over the fire.
• Add onions, garlic and ginger. Stir, cooking until the onions are translucent. Add spices and brown slightly.
• Stir in chickpeas, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
• Add cauliflower, zucchini and bell pepper. Simmer until tender.
• If the stew becomes thick, pour in some of the reserved chickpea liquid. Finally, stir in the raisins and dates and simmer for 5 minutes more.
• Taste, then shake in salt and pepper as needed.

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