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Ras el Hanout Chickpea and Spinach Stew

Recipe picture

  • Serves: 4
  • Time: 30 min
  • Date added: 2026-03-22

Description

This warming one-pot stew delivers the depth and comfort of a long-simmered meal in a fraction of the time. Chickpeas and spinach braise in a richly spiced tomato base, creating layers of warmth and complexity. Ras el hanout, a fragrant Moroccan spice blend, gives the dish its signature aromatic depth; gently toasted tomato paste intensifies its flavor even further. A splash of soy sauce provides an unexpected but welcome hit of umami, rounding out the dish with a richness that mimics a stew that's been bubbling away for hours. Served with a generous spoonful of yogurt (or a squeeze of lemon) and a drizzle of harissa oil to cut through the richness, it's perfect with crusty bread or spooned over grains like rice, barley, bulgur or quinoa.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to serve
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp ras el hanout (see Tip)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 cup vegetable stock, plus more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • Fine sea salt
  • 3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
  • 10 ounces packed spinach leaves (stemmed and roughly torn if large)
  • .5 cup Greek yogurt or lemon wedges (optional), for serving
  • Crusty bread, couscous, bulgur or rice, for serving

For the Harissa Oil (optional)

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon harissa paste

Directions

  1. Prepare the stew: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add the garlic and ras el hanout and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until the tomato paste darkens slightly in color, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the stock, soy sauce and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce slightly darkens in color and its flavors have melded.
  3. Add the chickpeas and simmer until they are warm and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted and fully incorporated into the stew, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed. If the stew starts getting too thick, feel free to add a few more spoonfuls of stock or water.
  4. If using, make the harissa oil: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and harissa until well incorporated.
  5. Serve the stew warm, with a dollop of Greek yogurt or lemon wedges on the side, and a drizzle of olive oil (or harissa oil), if desired. Enjoy with crusty bread or over grains like couscous, bulgur or rice.

Notes

Ras el hanout is widely available online and in larger grocery stores. If you’d like to make your own, stir together the following ingredients: 1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon each ground aniseed, ground caraway seeds, ground fennel, ground cloves and ground black pepper. (This blend makes about 3 tablespoons ras el hanout.)

Source

NYTimes

Comments

  • 2026-03-22: excellent. following suggestions in comments: increased ras el hanout to 1 Tbsp, stock to 3 cups, spinach to 10 oz (recipe has been updated to reflect this). also replaced ras el hanout with garam masala. used frozen spinach, served over couscous