Slow Cooker Moroccan Chickpea Stew
on Jan 06, 2022, Updated Jul 08, 2022
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With sweet potatoes, carrots, red peppers and green lentils, this vegan slow cooker Moroccan chickpea stew has a warm mix of ground spices along with spicy harissa paste.
To set myself up for a productive start to the year, I spent last weekend doing a full kitchen cleanout. This involved reorganizing my cabinets. It made me think of my seasonal closet switch for my wardrobe when I found a prime spot for my crock pot that had previously been in a bedroom closet. We are city dwellers with limited space!
It’s not like I haven’t been using my slow cooker at all lately. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. I have had vegetable soups on repeat. So it only makes sense to store this small appliance in a more convenient location.
My strategy for all these soups is to include something hearty and filling, like chickpeas and lentils, which I always have in my pantry. Then I go all-in on veggies. It’s the easiest way to clear out what’s in the vegetable bowl on my counter.
And the most important addition is a blend of dried spices. That’s what gives this slow cooker stew its distinct character, personality and heat for the sweet potatoes, red peppers, tomatoes and carrots.
Moroccan Spices & Harissa
Anytime I make a Moroccan-inspired recipe, I am always opening my spice drawer. For this soup, I include cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon and ginger.
To give the soup heat, I add harissa. This hot red chili paste is made from chile peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices such as cumin and coriander. I keep a jar of it in my fridge for when I want to turn whatever I am cooking into something spicy.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Don’t be overwhelmed by the length of the ingredient list. The goal of this plant-based stew is to incorporate lots of vegetables, plus lentils and chickpeas, in a spiced tomato-ish broth that has a definite kick.
And after a short amount of sauteing, you can throw everything into the slow cooker and take care of your to-do list while the soup bubbles away.
For this recipe you will need:
- Onions: Diced onions are the starting point of the stew. Once they are sautéed to the point of being soft, then they are ready to take on all the dried spices and the fresh garlic and ginger. This mix becomes the flavorful foundation of the recipe.
- Spices: Cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon and ginger are the dried seasonings in the soup.
- Garlic: To go with the spices, I mince two garlic cloves. This recipe is all about layering different flavors.
- Ginger: In addition to dried ginger, I also add minced fresh ginger.
- Chickpeas: A staple in Moroccan soups and in couscous, there is a can of chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) in the soup.
- Lentils: Besides chickpeas, green lentils make the stew filling enough to be a meal.
- Sweet Potatoes: As part of the collection of veggies, I peel and dice a sweet potato. You can substitute the sweet potatoes and use 1-1/2 cups of diced butternut squash instead.
- Carrots: I also peel and dice a couple carrots.
- Red Peppers: I include a red pepper that’s, once again, diced like the other vegetables.
- Tomatoes: I pour a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes into the slow cooker.
- Harissa: Most groceries stock this North African chile paste in the Middle Eastern section in the international foods aisle.
- Vegetable Broth: Make sure to use low sodium vegetable broth, so you can control the seasonings.
- Salt & Pepper: Along with the dried spices, I add kosher salt and black pepper.
How To Make Moroccan Chickpea Stew
- Sauté the onions in a skillet. Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté them giving them time to turn soft and translucent. If your slow cooker has a stovetop safe pot, you can do all the sautéing in it.
- Add the ginger, garlic and spices. Continue cooking for a minute until fragrant.
- Spoon the onion mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, red peppers, lentils, harissa and vegetable broth.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours until the vegetables and lentils are tender.
- Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.
Serving
As I mentioned, this stew is hearty, which is everything you want from a slow-cooker meal. If you are looking for a little something on the side, you can serve the soup with pita bread or couscous.
Storing & Freezing
The soup will stay good in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. If you want to store it longer, you can freeze it up to 1 month.
I love stashing soups in my freezer especially for lunches and dinners on busy workdays. I recommend trying to freeze them in portions. It makes thawing much easier and then you can have some variety with your leftovers and not have to eat the same thing on consecutive days. I love these super-sized ice cube trays for freezing soup.
More Lentil & Chickpea Soup Recipes
Slow Cooker Lentil Tortilla Soup
Lentil Wild Rice Soup
Tomato Carrot Lentil Soup
Chickpea Harissa Vegetable Soup
Chickpea Soup
Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Stew
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1-14.5 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1-14.5 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 medium sweet potato diced
- 2 carrots trimmed and diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 cup green lentils
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- Chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- In a skillet or stove-top safe slow cooker pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, dried spices (cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon & ginger), salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the onions to the slow cooker. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, red peppers, lentils, harissa and vegetable broth.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours until the vegetables and lentils are tender.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
