Gluten-Free Recipe: Ethiopian Chickpea Stew

The art and act of cooking of one of my favorite pastimes. I have a list of recipes I want to test out which is growing every day. I will never tackle them all! But sometimes I get into ruts and patterns eating foods I'm craving, so over the weekend I was seeking a recipe to end my food funk. This Ethiopian Chickpea Stew certainly did the trick! Healthy, hearty, earthy and spicy (not to mention inherently gluten-free and vegan) it was a delicious, easy and inexpensive addition to my culinary canon. I hope you'll add it to yours as well!

Ethiopian Chickpea Stew

1 teaspoon paprika 


1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

1/2 teaspoon allspice  

1/2 teaspoon cardamom 


1/2 teaspoon cloves 


1/2 teaspoon coriander 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne 


1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 


2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained 


3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced


1 medium red onion, chopped 

1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce 


3 cups low-sodium broth or stock (I used chicken stock because it's what I had on hand but you can easily use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian and vegan)


1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks 


4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 

Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir together paprika, salt, pepper, allspice, cardamom, cloves, coriander, cayenne and ground ginger in a small bowl; set aside.



Toss chickpeas with a tablespoon of olive oil on a large rimmed foiled baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Roast chickpeas, stirring occasionally, until somewhat dried out and just golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes; set aside. 



Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and fresh ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in spice mixture and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until spices are very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and cook additional 2 minutes. 



Stir in stock, potatoes, carrots and roasted chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are just tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover pot and simmer until stew is thickened and potatoes and carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes more. Ladle into bowls and enjoy hot. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.