Chickpeas turn soft as butter with cold water and a pinch of baking soda, not hours of boiling. With seasonal spinach, tomatoes and red paprika, they make a meat-free stew that fills you up and costs little. Soak the chickpeas overnight. The next day, they need about an hour of boiling and some 20 minutes for the stew itself.

1 hr 50 minprep 25 min · cooking 1 hr 25 min
4 servingsLunch
Easydifficulty
390 kcalper serving

Ingredients

  • 250 gdried chickpeas
  • 1/2 tspbaking soda, for soaking
  • 1.5 litrescold water, for soaking
  • 1 litrewater, for boiling
  • 4 tbspoil
  • 2 (about 300 g)red onions
  • 1 (about 100 g)carrot
  • 3 clovesgarlic
  • 1 tbsptomato purée
  • 1 tbspsweet red paprika
  • 400 gcanned chopped tomatoes
  • 300 mlchickpea cooking water
  • 1 tspsalt
  • 1/2 tspcrushed black pepper
  • 500 gfresh spinach
  • 2 tbspchopped fresh dill
  • 1/2lemon

Method

  1. Soak the chickpeas

    In the evening, cover the chickpeas with 1.5 litres of cold water and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Leave them for 8–12 hours, then drain and rinse well.

    Use at least three times as much water as chickpeas, because they swell to almost double their size.

    chickpea stew with spinach — Soak the chickpeas

  2. Boil the chickpeas

    Cover them with 1 litre of fresh cold water and bring to the boil, skimming off the foam. Simmer on low heat for 50–60 minutes, until they mash easily between your fingers. Drain, and keep 300 ml of the water.

    chickpea stew with spinach — Boil the chickpeas

  3. Fry the vegetables

    Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Fry the finely chopped onion and carrot for 8 minutes, until the onion turns translucent. Add the crushed garlic for the last minute.

    chickpea stew with spinach — Fry the vegetables

  4. Add the spices off the heat

    Take the pot off the hob, add the tomato purée and paprika, and stir for 20 seconds. Pour in the tomatoes at once and put the pot back on the heat.

    Paprika turns bitter in seconds, so add it to slightly cooled oil.

    chickpea stew with spinach — Add the spices off the heat

  5. Cook the stew

    Add the chickpeas, the 300 ml of saved water, the salt and the black pepper. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the chickpeas.

    chickpea stew with spinach — Cook the stew

  6. Add the spinach

    Roughly chop the spinach and add it in three batches, stirring. After 3–4 minutes the leaves wilt and turn dark green. Then add the dill.

    chickpea stew with spinach — Add the spinach

  7. Add lemon and rest

    Take the pot off the heat and squeeze half a lemon into the stew. Cover and leave for 5 minutes to settle.

    chickpea stew with spinach — Add lemon and rest

How to serve

Serve with a slice of toasted bread and a lemon wedge on the side.

Per serving (approximate): 390 kcal · protein 17 g · fat 14 g · carbohydrates 48 g