Smoky Chickpea and Lentil Stew

This smoky chickpea and lentil stew is packed with veggies and protein and it makes the perfect nutritious weeknight dinner. Ready in just 45 minutes, this easy chickpea stew is infused with warm smoked paprika flavours and it tastes even better the next day.

Few things are better in life than a cozy bowl of veggie stew simmered with herbs and spices. This smoky chickpea and lentil stew has warming flavours from the smoked paprika and earthy tones from the fresh thyme and oregano for a plant-based dinner the entire family will love.

This chickpea and lentil recipe is simple, but so easy to customize. You can bulk it up with extra veggies such as squash or sweet potato or add some bell peppers too.

The stew is also great for meal prepping because leftovers taste great. That's because the flavours have more time to settle as the soup sits in the fridge.

Ingredients and substitutions

Olive oil - To add flavor to the vegetables, sauté them in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. If you don't want to use oil, you can sauté the vegetables in a bit of water or stock instead.

Onion, carrot and celery - For this lentil and chickpea stew, I like to dice the vegetables finely. You may dice them any size you like, but make sure they're all about the same size so they cook evenly.

Garlic -Fresh garlic is always best if you want to infuse the stew with lots of flavour. Add as much as you like - I prefer a lot of garlic in soups like this, but if you're not a fan, you can reduce the quantity.

Herbs and spices - I use a mix of fresh thyme, oregano and smoked paprika for this lentil chickpea soup. The beauty of this soup is that you can truly make it your own by playing with the spices - ground turmeric and cinnamon are great additions.

Tomato paste - I find that a single tablespoon of tomato paste is enough for this stew, but feel free to add more if you'd like things to be more tomatoey.

Chickpeas - Canned chickpeas are perfect for this stew because of convenience. You can use dried chickpeas, too, but you'll have to soak them overnight and cook them separately before adding them to this stew.

Lentils - Both green and brown lentils are good options for this smoky chickpea and lentil stew.

Baby spinach - You can substitute baby spinach with other greens such as kale or collard greens but keep in mind that they may need a bit more time to wilt.

How do you make smoky chickpea and lentil stew?

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot and saute the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes over medium heat until the veggies soften a bit.

Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and smoked paprika and stir to combine. Continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.

Stir in the tomato paste, then add the chickpeas, green lentils, chopped tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked to your likening.

Add the baby spinach and continue to simmer with a lid on for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts.

Season to taste and serve as is or with your favourite crusty bread.

Recipe notes and tips

• Don't substitute green or brown lentils with red or yellow lentils because they will turn into mush in this stew.
• You can use dried chickpeas for this recipe, but you'll need to cook them separately before adding them to the stew.
• This is a highly versatile recipe, which means that you can use it as a canvas to create your perfect vegan stew. For example, you could substitute the chickpeas with canned white beans or kidney beans and add some extra spices such as ground cumin, ground coriander or cinnamon.
• Smoked paprika does a lot of heavy lifting in this one. It does the same in my Spanish lentil soup with vegetables, where it stands in for chorizo entirely.
• The stew will keep well for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and you can reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.

If you liked this smoky chickpea and lentil stew, you might also like some of my other easy vegan stew recipes:

• Ciambotta (Italian Vegetable Stew)
• Vegan Jamaican Gungo Peas Stew
• Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea Stew
• Easy Vegan Pea and Potato Stew
• Vegan Spanish White Bean Stew

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