Simple ingredients and texture rich with mouth-watering flavors; Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew comes together in about 45 minutes. Like my Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew, this chickpea stew is a community favorite! With a dollop of coconut cream or yogurt, a sprinkle of cilantro and flatbread, dinner is ready. This recipe is vegetarian or vegan and gluten free. [ watch recipe VIDEO on recipe card below ]
A Simple Moroccan Lentil Stew
As cooler temperatures set in, cozy soups and stews are on the agenda. If they’re simple to pull together, even better for busy weeknights.
Like this Simple French Lentil Soup, including lentils in soup and stew recipes is a no brainer and an essential ingredient in the vegetarian pantry. They’re quick cooking, have a nutty-earthy flavor and toothsome texture which makes them a perfect ingredient in stews.
In this Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew, warming spices bring out the best flavors. A hint of cinnamon gives it a little sweet and savory edge that’s such a nice surprise and the texture of toothsome lentils and creamy chickpeas is pure synergy! This soup is cooked on the stovetop and in one pot making cleanup a snap!
If you love homemade soup recipes, you’re going to love this cozy stew.
Look for French lentils in the bulk bins for best value.
At a Glance: How to Make Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew
Moroccan lentil chickpea stew is texture rich with warm, earthy flavors. It’s simple to pull together, and in one pot to help make cleanup a breeze. Pair this Moroccan stew with a simple salad and flatbread, but it’s hearty enough all on its own.
- First, in a large Dutch oven, saute the onions until softened.
- Second, stir in the aromatic spices, then the garlic. Take a deep inhale of deliciousness.
- Next, pour in the broth, water, tomatoes, carrots, and lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas. You can use home cooked chickpeas or canned.
- Last, remove from heat and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the stew.
The flavors are even better the next day for lunch, or leftovers and chickpea stew can just as easily be frozen if meal prep is on your agenda.
Stew is a most comforting meal during the coldest days. There’s nothing quite like preparing a simple meal, then sharing with family at the end of the day.
Traci’s Tips
- While there seems to be a lot of cinnamon in this Moroccan stew, 1 3/4 teaspoons, it balances out the warming spices and heat of the pepper flakes. It adds just a touch of sweet and savory and a bit interest.
- Make it Creamy: Serve with a dollop of full fat coconut milk, either from an unshaken can with fat skimmed off the top or simply a few tablespoons of coconut milk, or whole milk Greek yogurt.
- Share With: Flatbread or homemade Sourdough Pita Bread makes a sumptuous vehicle for scooping up this rich chickpea stew. Share with couscous to stretch this recipe further.
Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
- 1 cup Yellow Onion medium dice
- 1 3/4 teaspoons Cinnamon ground
- 3/4 teaspoon Cumin ground
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Coriander ground
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes bump it up to 3/4 tsp for extra heat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Cloves microplaned (about 3 medium cloves)
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth + more for a soupier stew
- 2 cups Water
- 28 ounces Crushed Tomatoes from one large can
- 2 cups Carrots Sliced in thin coins
- 1 cup Dry, Uncooked French Lentils
- 1 1/2 cups Cooked Chickpeas drained (one 15oz can) or home cooked chickpeas
- 1 Lemon
- Full Fat Coconut Milk (the canned variety) or Whole Milk Yogurt for Serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onions and saute for 10 minutes on medium-low. A little charring is okay.
- Stir in the cinnamon, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and sea salt. Add the garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the broth, water, tomatoes, carrots, and lentils. Stir. Bring to a boil, then turn to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes. The stew will thicken as it cooks. Add the chickpeas and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender and chickpeas are cooked through. If a thinner stew is desired add more vegetable broth 1/2 C at a time. Remove from heat and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the stew. Stir. Taste for salt adjustment.
- Ladle into soup bowls then garnish with coconut cream, or yogurt and cilantro. For the coconut cream, open and scoop out the soft layer of fat on the top to dollop on the stew. Otherwise, a few scoops of rich coconut milk can be spooned over top. Share With: Flatbread or homemade Sourdough Pita Bread makes a sumptuous vehicle for scooping up this rich chickpea stew. Share with couscous to stretch this recipe further.
So flavorful, the house smelled incredible after cooking this! I made it in the instant pot, and just reduced water + added other veggies I had on hand, like a bell pepper and some herbs. Will definitely be repeating this recipe.
Amazing! Thank you for your note, Eileen and giving the recipe a go!
Made this but added chicken. Browned chicken thighs, removed, cooked the soup as instructed then added the chopped chicken with the chick peas. Also added 1/2 bag of frozen spinach when I added the chicken. I did not add the coconut milk but rather had Greek yogurt as a topping. It was fantastic. The 1/4 teaspoon recommendations made me laugh. I am not that precise with my spices! Anyway, I will make again. Thanks!
Fantastic recipe, so cheap to make with seasonal veg. I didn’t have tinned tomatoes so I used puree and sun-dried, added leftover celery branches and curly kale
Hi Helene! Thank you for giving the soup a go, sharing your tips and five star review! The sun-dried tomatoes, celery and curly kale sound like delicious additions!
We made this early in the day yesterday for a day of healthy snacking. I made it with a combination of red and green lentils just because I had a tiny bag of leftover red lentils in the pantry. Oh my goodness! This is so good! Later in the day, I added more broth and stirred in a scoop of brown rice. This is definitely going to be a soup I make again and again! Thank you so much!
I have Bob’s brown lentils; will they work? I can’t find French lentils.
Hi Mindy! You can use brown lentils in this stew. Note, brown lentils cook quicker, so keep an eye on them after adding them to the cook-pot. I hope you enjoy the stew!
Delicious
Yay! Thank you, Anthony!
Of course no problem very healthy and flavourful
My hubby made this we used fresh tomatoes as we don’t like canned and we held the coconut milk and added a dollop to our bowls. One question though; how much is a serving?
Hi Marcia! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go. Fresh tomatoes sound delicious! I don’t have a measurement to offer per serving, but this stew will serve five adults easily.
I made it with the following additions/changes:
Added turmeric, spinach (close to the end), used cherry tomatoes halved and stewed lightly instead of canned, added tomato paste.
It was delicious on rice.
Thank you for sharing your adaptations, Marguerite!
Made this tonight as it is amazing!!! I added in some chopped spinach and quinoa. 5 stars! Thank you
Yay! So happy to hear Angela! Thank you for your note and spinach and quinoa tips!
Extremely tasty and easy. A staple!
I’m making this now on a cold November afternoon after wild stormy weather. I’ve added a little red wine to the sauce because I am a bad person. The smell of the cooking is v good. I bought Quorn mini sausages today and thought I’d freeze them but it says refrigerate on the pack so I will fry some of them and add at serving for extra protein.
I was worried my family and I might not like this since it looked too healthy. Oh my gosh I was so wrong. I added two diced chicken thighs with the onions but I know this would be so great even without chicken thighs. I only did one can of diced tomatoes instead of two because I wanted a thicker stew. No added water just the broth. I cooked it down so there was very little liquid at the end and served over pita bread taco style with a dollop of sour cream and lots of cilantro. One of my favorite meals I have EVER made. And my picky husband and (not picky) daughter loved it too. I rarely write reviews but had to say something. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Yay! Love hearing this, Camilla! Thank you for your note, adaptations and coming back with a five star review! Day made :D
Delicious! I can’t wait to make it again soon.
Yay! Thank you for your note, Deborah!
This is a great recipe. I am trying a new vegan lifestyle. This is a phenomenal dish
I made this and it was amazing! I used 4C vegetable broth and no water since I hate having leftover broth boxes in the fridge. I substituted the spices for 3 tablespoons homemade Ras el Hanout (a Moroccan spice mixture, food.com version). I did end up adding the red pepper flakes in addition to the Ras el Hanout and it was definitely spicy! We loved it with a spoonful of Fage plain greek yogurt.
Hi Kathryn! Hooray for a tasty stew! Thank you for giving the recipe a go, your note, and star rating! The Ras el Hanout sounds delicious – with a little extra spice :D !
Can’t wait to make this!
Ohhh so excited! Keep us posted!
Hi! The recipe looks fab … but I can’t cook it following cups measurements.Please can you share the recipe in grams I’m not sure the weight of a cup of carrots. Thanks so much
Hi Vee! Thank you for your note. I’m in the process of updating all my recipes to include metric measurements, and have not gotten to this one yet. If you’d like a similar recipe, you can give this one a go: Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew, that has similar ingredients with metric measurements.