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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
I never leave comments, but I came across this recipe on Pinterest…and it is amazing!!!! This will definitley become one of my staple recipes to make over and over and over again 🙂
I am so glad you did! Thank you so much Sarah! xTieghan
I made this, along with Moroccan carrots, and omg, this dish is just fabulous. It will be a weekly meal.
Thanks for sharing this delicious gem.
Thank you so much Jen! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this! So amazing! xTieghan
Hi
My first comment is actually a question! Not sure if I read wrong but can’t see in the recipe when you cook the rice. Should I cook it separately? Any kind of rice can work you think?
It’ s more than a question ??
Thanks
A
Hi Annamaria! Yes, you should cook the rice separately. I like to use basmati rice, but whatever you have/love will be great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Excellent recipe!! I substituted one of the cans of chickpeas with one large russet potato and it was comfort food at its best! Will become a staple in our house now! Thank you!
I am really glad you enjoyed this Priya! Thank you! xTieghan
Any suggestions on vegan alternatives to the yogurt? I don’t like yogurt or the vegan yogurts. Maybe some kind of a cashew cream would be good?
Hi Jessica! I am sure cashew cream OR tahini would both be delicious on top of this stew. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
My boyfriend and I loved this recipe so much! The flavor of the dill in combination with the lemon was just delicious. We are definitely making this again soon!
Hey Kristen! Happy to hear you both enjoyed it! Thank you so much!
Lovely….but not sure why you are calling it “Persian”…..
Hi! That is where it was inspired from! Could I answer any questions for you? xTieghan
Soooo good. I went a bit extra and added chicken and brown mushrooms (upped the broth) and DAMN was it good. Second time making it and won’t be the last. Thanks, Teighan!! XX
That is so great to hear! Thank you so much for trying this one, I hope you continue to love it! xTieghan
This is amazing. I make it at least once a week. My good friend is Persian and would make this for me and ever since I am addicted. My first time I followed the recipe and loved it but my hubby is a meat eater and my friend made hers with red meet and red beans so I subbed these in and it turned out wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
Thant is so amazing! So glad you both loved this recipe, Kesley! xTieghan
this was great – i can’t eat meat lately (autoimmune) – but thought i’d check you for veggie recipes – wow! This one fed me about five meals – i fed it to the fam the first night (yummy!) – then used the leftovers so i could have a meat free alternative to what they ate for a few days – kept really nicely in the fridge… I spooned some of it into a corn chowder, and it was delicious, too 🙂
Yum! Thank you for trying this Stephanie! Also, so amazing it lasted for so many meals! YES! xTieghan
Delicious and healthy! Don’t skip the yogurt and mint on top. Super easy recipe to follow along, thanks for a great one Tieghan!
Thank you for trying this one Masha! So glad it turned out amazing for you! xTieghan
OH. MY GOSH. This is delicious. I didn’t have chives or cilantro or parsley but this dish turned out spectacular either way, it’s so flavorful and hearty. I will definitely be making this a lot during the winter, thank you so much! 🙂
Thank you Carmaya! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it’s phenomenal! I was hesitant because I’m not a fan of lemon in a savory application but it didn’t seem like a lot of lemon so I gave it a try. I’m so glad I did because it’s really amazing.
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Tori! xTieghan
Made this last night exactly as written. What a delight. The fresh herbs and lemon made for a light, fresh and delicious meal. I am a fan of your site and love the recipes and photos. Thanks!
That is so great to hear Barb! I hope you continue to love my recipes and blog! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This looks soo yummy. I wonder if I can substitute bok chit for the spinach?
Just because I have a beautiful bag of those in the fridge.
Hi Nicole! I am sure bok choy will be so delicious! What a fund idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan