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When you’re craving something warming, healthy and fresh, this Herb and Chickpea Stew with Rice is the perfect thing to make. All made in one pan, in just about 30 minutes, and using good for us ingredients like chickpeas, turmeric, lemon, spinach, and plenty of fresh herbs. It’s hearty, springy, and beyond delicious. Finish each bowl off with steamed rice and a dollop of yogurt for a healthy, colorful meal.
I think this is the perfect recipe for today. It’s the day after St. Patrick’s Day, it’s mid March, the weather may or may not be dreary (March rain is the worst, but March sunshine is the best), and it’s Monday. All of this adds up to something very important, we need an easy recipe that’s healthy and cozy too.
Enter this Persian Herb and Chickpea Stew…with rice because Monday also needs some carbs.
Yes, a stew. Maybe my first ever stew here on HBH??
Nope, just looked, I have an Instant Pot Beef Stew from back in 2017 that I forgot about. Not sure how I could have forgotten about it, as so many of you have said how much you love! Anyway, to me stew is a very unappealing word, but I guess it is what it is. This stew is not quite soup, but instead is slightly thicker, and is served over rice. It’s also served steaming hot, and made spring fresh with a very good amount of fresh herbs. So good!
Here’s the story. Even though I normally hesitate to make stews, I trusted my soon to be sister-in-law, Lyndsie, when she told me I must make Persian Herb Stew. The Persian herb part sounded so good, so I decided to put the “stew” part out of my head. She text me all of the ingredients that go into a Persian Herb Stew and I created a recipe based off those ingredients. Lynds doesn’t normally send me a text with a list a of ingredients for a recipe. But she’d just had this stew at one of her favorite Persian restaurants in LA, Shirin. And she insisted that I had to recreate it.
She obviously didn’t have the measurements for anything. But it was kind of fun playing around with the ingredient list she sent. After a few trials, I got the herb amounts to where I felt they were just right. And I now have a Persian Herb Stew to share!
Soo, it’s a good Monday. And we can all thank Lynds for inspiring this recipe and pushing me to share it with you all.
Alright, now this stew is pretty easy. But I will say that you need to have some fresh herbs on hand to make this stew happen. I mean, it is a herb stew, so herbs are obviously important.
It all starts and ends in the very same pan. First up, crisp the chickpeas. I love adding this step, as it really gives the chickpeas some color, and of course additional crunch. To keep things extra flavorful (and healthier) there’s a dash of turmeric. There’s also red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. And lemon for a touch of acidity. Together they create the perfect combo.
The key with the chickpeas is to remove a handful, to be used for topping, before adding in any liquids. You then ensure the chickpeas won’t lose any of their crunch. Once you’ve removed some of the chickpeas, add in a little broth, some spinach, and all of the herbs.
For the herbs, I kept things pretty traditional to a Persian stew, cilantro, parsley, and chives. My only addition was fresh dill. And that’s mainly because I am currently obsessed. Yep, happens ever time spring is about to roll in.
Let everything simmer together on the stove for a bit and that’s it. Well, kind of…
The next step is the rice. I like steamed basmati, but you can use brown too. Either way, the rice is very important. Spoon a good amount into your bowls, spoon the stew overtop, and finish with the reserved chickpeas. Simple, healthy, and every bite is full of good flavors, a little heat, and some crunch too.
Great Monday night dinner that can easily double as lunch the following day! Pretty much as close to perfect as it gets.
One more tip…you should definitely serve this with some Naan. Because everyone needs some fresh naan in their life, at least once a week!
PS. I am adding in this note a little late here this morning. But after reading through some of your comments I realized that there are many of you who wondered about the absence of last Tuesday’s post. I mentioned in Sunday’s post that I’m working on a large project with an end of the month deadline. Therefore, just like last Tuesday, I’ve decided to skip tomorrow’s and next Tuesday’s posts. Once April arrives things will be back to their usual schedule. Thanks so much for your patience and understanding!
If you make this Persian Herb Stew, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how to video:
Herb and Chickpea Stew with Rice.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1441 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cans (14 ounce) chickpeas, drained
- kosher salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3-4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- plain Greek yogurt, for serving
- fresh mint, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until he chickpeas begin to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, crushed red pepper, and lemon zest, cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. 2. Carefully remove 1 cup of chickpeas and reserve for topping, only if desired. 3. To the chickpeas, add 3 cups broth, the lemon juice, and season with salt. Bring the mix to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Stir in the spinach, cilantro, parsley, dill, and chives, and simmer 10-15 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the stew is very fragrant. Taste, adjusting salt and pepper as needed. If you would like a thinner consistency, add the remaining 1 cup broth.4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and ladle the stew overtop. Top with yogurt, the reserved chickpeas, and fresh mint.
This post was originally published on March 18, 2019
Made this tonight and it was amazingly good. My husband ate it exactly as the recipe suggests. I added hot sauce to mine. Both ways are delicious. We agreed this is one of our new favorites. I wonder if it would be good with a poached egg on top.
I am sure it would be! So glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
This is the greatest tasting stew! It fills you with wonderful flavor and gives you a feeling of true nourishment. I have made this recipe numerous times already and passed it along to family and friends and everyone is amazed. Thank you so much for this dish!
Thank you for trying it Constance!! So glad you loved this! xTieghan
Delicious!
Thank you so much Jill! xTieghan
Fabulous!! And I am not a veggie. Love it. Such a nice break from meat.
Thank you so much Aline! xTieghan
Wow! Every dish I have prepared of yours is just phenomenal. I loved every bite of this dinner. My six year old son even asked that I share this recipe with him when he is older – now that is a compliment. This dish is perfection.
Wow that is too sweet! Thank you so much for making this! I am so glad you all loved this! xTieghan
Such a fantastic recipe…..not just for Veggies or Vegans which I am neither. But a break from meat is good occasionally.
I agree! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe, Aline! Thank you! xTieghan
This was delicious, thank you! I messed up and forgot to add the spices before the broth, so I’m sure it will be even better next time.
Yes I hope it is! Thank you for trying this Deborah! xTieghan
This was so delicious and enjoyed by all three kids(even the fussy ones) and husband! Kid had leftovers for school lunch the next day. I did double it so made heaps!
Thank you so much Bec! xTieghan
This has become a regular for me! So healthy and simple everyday ingredients that are easy to find and economical. I made this for 20 people in my city group and it was a huge hit!
Thank you Monica! xTieghan
As much as I love your website and have loved all of your recipes that I’ve tried so far… I can’t get behind this one. It may be an excellent dish, but please please pleeeeeeeeease don’t call this a “Persian” herb stew. The real Persian herb stew (ghormeh sabzi) is SO different from this recipe that they really can’t be compared. It wouldn’t be fair to people who haven’t had the real thing to think that this is comparable. Calling this recipe Persian-“inspired” might be more accurate… Just a thought from a Persian who loves cooking and knows how much goes into perfecting Persian dishes.
Hi Melissa! Thank you so much for letting me know. I will refer to this as inspired from now on. I hope you know that I never meant to offend anyone by calling it what I did. I hope you still love this and other recipes on my blog! xTieghan
Sraight to my dinner staples list! This was so so good. Thank you!
Thank you Britt! xTieghan
Made the quinoa version today and this was perfect to serve my vegetarian, gluten sensitive guest! Easy, flavorful, and I’m looking forward to the leftovers for lunch this week!
Thank you so much Michelle! I am so glad you loved this recipe! And its the best having leftovers haha! xTieghan
This recipe is SO good! I made this a couple weeks ago for my family with a newly declared vegetarian teenager in mind. We all loved it. I’m making this again this week! Thanks, Tieghan! ????
Thank you so much Joona! xTieghan
This is one of the BEST recipes that I’ve made of yours and I’ve tried so many great recipes on your blog. This one is beyond delicious! I’ve never had anything like it. So goood!!! Thanks for sharing Tieghan!
Thank you so much Morgan! xTieghan
This recipe is the show stopper at my house .
My sisters are vegan so I add a little more lemon juice, two extra cups of vegetable broth, and firm tofu at the end. I let it simmer longer . I do not add mint or yogurt. So this has been such a hit my friends husband is obsessed, my cleaning lady is
Is asking me for recipe. I’ve made it three times in two weeks. So healthy on top of it all .
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Feli! xTieghan