Chickpea Stew (Spanish Potaje de Garbanzos)
Vegan | One-Pot | Gluten-Free Option
Chickpea stew is known as Potaje de Garbanzos in Spanish and is a vegan and gluten-free stew that’s made all over the Iberian peninsular. It is made using chickpeas, a selection of vegetables (including potatoes, onion, and red pepper), vegetable stock, smoked paprika, and other spices.
It’s a very simple one-pot recipe that requires the vegetables to simmer with the stock and spices for around 40 minutes. While traditional Spanish recipes contain no meat, many households add Spanish chorizo to increase the rich smoky flavors of the stew.
For this recipe, we’ll stick with the vegan recipe as it’s just as tasty and even easier to prepare!
Serving:
Main for 6
Ready in:
Under an hour
Skill level:
Easy
Serve with:
Alone or bread
What you’ll need to make this chickpea stew (Spanish Potaje de Garbanzos)
serves 6
Ingredients
- 30oz (850g) canned chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of vegetable stock (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 large onion, diced fine
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, grated, skin removed
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 large potatoes (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon of fresh)
- 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- Pepper (for seasoning)
- As required – Some old baguette (made into breadcrumbs) or for gluten-free option use almond flour.
Equipment needed
- Large pot with lid
- Sharp knife
- Box grater (to grate the tomatoes)
Watch step-by-step recipe video
If you’re looking for this recipe’s video and many other great recipe ideas, why not check out our Spanish Radish YouTube Channel? We’ve got everything from quick and easy tapas recipes, delicious main meals, and incredible Spanish dessert options too.
What is chickpea stew?
Chickpea stew is known as Potaje de Garbanzos in Spanish and is a vegan and gluten-free stew that’s made all over the Iberian peninsular. It is made using chickpeas, a selection of vegetables (including potatoes, onion, and red pepper), vegetable stock, smoked paprika, and other spices.
It’s a very simple one-pot recipe that requires the vegetables to simmer with the stock and spices for around 40 minutes. While traditional Spanish recipes for this dish contain no meat, many households add chorizo to increase the rich smoky flavors of the stew.
For this recipe, we’ll stick with the vegan option as it’s just as tasty and even easier to prepare!
Where does Chickpea Stew originate?
Chickpea stew is very popular throughout Spain. It likely originated from Jewish cultures, where during the middle ages, the humble chickpea became a staple in many recipes. Nowadays, Chickpea Stew is one of those recipes that seems to have traveled well and you’ll find variations of the recipe all over the world.
Spanish Chickpea Stew – Potaje de Garbanzos
Perhaps, one of the most famous chickpea recipes in Spain is the Spanish chickpea stew, a timeless classic called Potaje de Garbanzos.
It’s a comforting dish that’s made differently in every household, but the basis of the dish is to prepare a delicious souplike stew with chickpeas, vegetables, and a few simple spices.
Cocido madrileño, (Madrilenian stew)
Cocido madrileño, (Madrilenian stew) is one of Madrid’s most well-known recipes and is a staple in Madrid’s culinary scene. Cocido madrileño consists of chickpeas, meats, vegetables, and spices.
The way cocido is served differentiates it from many other styles of stew worldwide. The stock must be separated, to which noodles may be added. Then, the chickpeas and the vegetables are separated out, followed by the meat or chorizo.
Murcian Stew
In the Murcia region, spinach is added to the stew along with the chickpeas, vegetables, and sauce.
Moroccan Chickpea Stew
The Moroccon version is also very popular and varies only slightly from the Spanish version, likely due to the influence of the Moors’ cooking. The main differences are the spices used, with Moroccan chickpea stew containing cumin and turmeric.
How to make chickpea stew
Good news! Our Chickpea Stew recipe is very easy to make!
It requires just one pot and a few other simple kitchen utensils. There are also no tricky ingredients to find and everything is likely in your local supermarket or fresh food grocer.
The beauty of this stew is it can be made in as little as 45 minutes, although, in our opinion, giving the veggies an extra 10 or 15 minutes to simmer really helps bring out the flavor.
Here’s how to make this delicious chickpea stew recipe in 4 easy steps.
Step 1 – Prepare chickpeas
- Note: For this recipe, we used store-bought (prepared) chickpeas in the can. If you’re doing the same, skip to the next step.
- If you are using dried chickpeas, you’ll need to wash and soak them overnight. Then, the next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and simmer them in fresh water for 1-2 hours on medium-low heat. Once done, drain the chickpeas and set them aside.
Step 2 – Prepare vegetables
- In a large pot on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and onions and cook for around 5 minutes until the onions soften and become golden.
- Add the diced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped bell pepper and carrots and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes until the veggies soften.
- Add the grated tomatoes, parsley, rosemary, smoked paprika, and salt and stir through. Cook for around 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
Step 3- Add chickpeas and stock
- Add the chickpeas, bay leaves, and stock, and cover. Reduce heat to medium and allow the stew to simmer for around 25-30 minutes.
- Near the end, check the consistency of your stew and slowly add some breadcrumbs to thicken the stew (as required).
Step 4 – Serve
Season with salt and cracked black pepper to taste and serve!
Best vegetable stock to use
With any stew or soup it’s important to pay attention to the stock you are using as this is really the base flavor component.
We always use our own homemade stock whenever a recipe calls for vegetable stock. Homemade stock is lower in salt and can be flavored to suit any particular recipe. It is super easy to make and can even be made with any leftover scraps of vegetables.
Homemade vegetable stock
Making your own vegetable stock (or broth) is very easy and takes just over an hour with very minimal effort. All you’ll need is some basic vegetables, water, some fresh herbs, salt, and pepper and you’re good to go.
Here’s what veggies we use for our stock:
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 2 onions, halved with skin on (the outer skins are rich in vitamins A, C, E, and antioxidants)
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 garlic bulb, halved
- Handful of fresh parsley
- 1 small bunch of fresh rosemary
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 3 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 6-8 cups fresh water
How to make your own veggie stock (3 simple steps):
- Chop up all your veggies and add them to a big pot with the other ingredients.
- Add the water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove from heat and strain the liquid. Discard veggies and retain veggie stock for use later (it’ll last up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months when frozen).
Cooking tip!
To reduce waste in the kitchen, you can save your carrot ends and onion peels from other meals to make stock. Simply store the ends and offcuts in your freezer in a plastic container or freezer bag until you’re ready to use them.
Health info and benefits:
All of the ingredients in chickpea stew are healthy and found within the Mediterranean diet. The vegetables used are low in fat and a good source of iron, vitamins, and fiber. They’re also a fantastic balance of vegan ingredients that are also gluten-free.
Chickpeas are great. They have a relatively low-calorie count (269kcal per 164 grams), but they also contain a high amount of protein and fiber, leaving you feeling fuller for longer.
They’re also great for digestion, as chickpeas are loaded with soluble fiber that helps increase the number of healthy bacteria in your gut. This reduces your risk of gut irritations and diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and colon cancer. Three cheers for chickpeas!
More healthy chickpea recipes:
Chickpea Stew (Spanish Potaje de Garbanzos)
Equipment
- 1 Large pot with lid
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Box grater (to grate the tomatoes)
Ingredients
- 30 oz 850g canned chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of vegetable stock homemade or store-bought
- 1 large onion diced fine
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes grated, skin removed
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 large potatoes optional
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley or 1 tablespoon of fresh
- 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- Pepper for seasoning
- As required - Some old baguette made into breadcrumbs or for gluten-free option use almond flour.
Instructions
Step 1 - Prepare chickpeas
- Note: For this recipe, we used store-bought (prepared) chickpeas in the can. If you’re doing the same, skip to the next step.If you’re using dried chickpeas, you’ll need to wash and soak them overnight. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and simmer them in fresh water for 1-2 hours on medium-low heat. Once done, drain the chickpeas and set them aside.30 oz 850g canned chickpeas
Step 2 - Prepare vegetables
- In a large pot on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and onions and cook for around 5 minutes until the onions soften and become golden.2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 large onion
- Add the diced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped bell pepper and carrots and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes until the veggies soften.4 cloves garlic, 1 red bell pepper, 2 carrots
- Add the grated tomatoes, parsley, rosemary, smoked paprika, and salt and stir through. Cook for around 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.2 medium tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of sea salt
Step 3- Add chickpeas and stock
- If you’re using potatoes, add them with the stock and bay leaves. Add the chickpeas then cover.30 oz 850g canned chickpeas, 3 large potatoes, 2 bay leaves, 2 cups of vegetable stock
- Reduce heat to medium and allow the stew to simmer for around 25-30 minutes.
- Near the end, check the consistency of your stew and slowly add some breadcrumbs or almond flour to thicken the stew (as required).As required - Some old baguette
Step 4 - Serve
- Season with salt and cracked black pepper to taste and serve.Pepper
Video
Nutrition
Cooking Tips and FAQs
How long does this chickpea stew recipe take to make?
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 40 minutes
- Total time: 50 minutes
Around 50 minutes when using canned chickpeas. Allow at least 10 hours when using dried (dehydrated chickpeas). See the chickpea cooking notes above in the article description for more information.
How long does chickpea stew last?
Up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can you freeze chickpea stew?
Chickpea stew can be frozen and easily thawed. It will last up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container in the freezer.
Do I need to soak my chickpeas overnight?
If you are using store-bought canned chickpeas, they will be already hydrated and prepared/cooked, with no soaking required. If you’re using dried (dehydrated) chickpeas, you’ll need to soak them overnight in fresh water, then cook them.
What goes well with chickpea stew?
Chickpea stew is best served with fresh bread. Alternatively, serve your stew with some cooked white or brown rice.
0 Comments