Harissa Chickpea Stew

Why This Works

Harissa is a red chili paste from North Africa. It’s made from dried chiles, garlic, olive oil, and usually cumin and coriander. So when I add cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika to the pot, I’m not fighting the paste. I’m stacking on top of what’s already in it.

Tomato paste gives the stew body, and its sweetness takes the sharp edge off the harissa. That’s why I fry them together with the chickpeas before adding the broth. Raw tomato paste tastes like it came out of the can. Fried tomato paste tastes as if it simmered for hours.

The cinnamon stick is the move people don’t expect. It’s not sweet here. It’s warm. Moroccan cooks drop cinnamon into savory tagines with lamb and chickpeas all the time, and it works the same way in this pot. The bay leaf rounds it out so the cinnamon doesn’t stick out.

Chickpeas do the thickening. As they simmer, they shed starch into the broth and the stew goes from soupy to spoonable. Pulling the lid for the last five minutes finishes that job. Add the kale last so it stays green and keeps some bite instead of turning to mush.

How I Found Harissa

The first time I had harissa was here in the States, out of a jar. I treated it like hot sauce. Spicy, fine, moved on.

Then I went to Morocco, and it clicked. There it wasn’t a condiment on the side. They stirred it into the food from the start. Spooned onto bread. They mixed it into stews with chickpeas and whatever vegetables were around. The heat was still there, but it sat behind the smoke and garlic instead of in front. Same paste, completely different experience.

I came home and started doing what I saw them do. Stir it in early. Let it cook with the aromatics. The first time I dropped a cinnamon stick into a pot of chickpeas, I stood over it thinking I’d ruined dinner. I hadn’t. It smelled like a tagine, and that’s when this recipe became a regular.

Now this is my fix for a stale fridge. When my prep goes flat, I don’t need new recipes. I need one thing I don’t normally eat, and the international aisle is full of them.

Harissa Chickpea Stew

Makes 4 hearty servings

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 whole yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp Land herb and garlic blend
  
• 2 cans chickpeas (30 oz total), drained
• 3 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 3 cups vegan chicken broth
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 large leaves lacinato (dino) kale, stemmed and chopped

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium. Add the onion (and bell pepper, if using) and sauté until soft.
2. Add the Land blend, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and coriander. Stir until fragrant.
3. Add the drained chickpeas and sauté everything together.
4. Add the tomato paste and harissa. Stir to bloom the spices with the chickpeas.
5. Pour in the broth. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
6. Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes.
7. For the last 5 minutes, uncover and keep at a gentle simmer so it thickens.
8. Stir in the chopped kale at the very end. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Serve.

Meal Prep Breakdown

This makes 4 servings and it gets better on day two. The chickpeas keep drinking the broth. Here’s how I run it through a week.

• Over a grain. Rice, couscous, or quinoa. A cup of stew over a cup of grain is a full lunch.
• With eggs. Reheat a serving in a skillet, crack two eggs on top, cover until set. That’s breakfast.
• Add meat if you want more protein. Stir in leftover grilled chicken or a chopped chicken sausage when you reheat. Takes it past 30g.
• Over roasted potatoes. Sweet or white. The harissa soaks in.
• With bread. Warm pita or a crusty roll. This is how I ate it in Morocco.

Storage: Fridge up to 5 days in airtight containers. Freezer up to 3 months. It thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water when you reheat.

FMC Tips

• Harissa heat is all over the map. Some jars are mild, some will take your head off. Start with 1 tbsp if you’re unsure, taste after it simmers, add more.
• Don’t skip the uncovered 5 minutes. That’s where it goes from soup to stew.
• Kale last. Always. If you stir it in early, it goes army green and limp.
• Pull the cinnamon stick before you store it. Leave it in overnight and the whole batch tastes like a candle.
• Make it on Sunday. It’s the recipe I reach for when my other prep looks tired by Wednesday.

Substitutions

• No harissa: 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo plus an extra tsp of smoked paprika. Or 1 tbsp sambal plus smoked paprika. Different, but it works.
• Chickpeas: White beans or cooked lentils. Lentils will thicken it faster, so cut the simmer time.
• Dino kale: Curly kale, Swiss chard, or spinach. Spinach wilts in a minute, so stir it in off the heat.
• Vegan chicken broth: Any vegetable broth. Or regular chicken broth if you’re not keeping it meatless.
• Cinnamon stick: Stir in 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon with the spices. Go light.
• Bell pepper: Skip it, or use red for a little more sweetness.

And if you want the smoked paprika, cumin, and the rest of the pantry I cook with, get my spices here.