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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 made this and had to improv a little bit because we lacked the fresh herbs, and I also made my own broth. My fiance was blown away and loved the flavor he said let’s make this again and again, and that it did remind him of Persian cooking that he has had in the past. I also enjoyed and plan to make it again. Thanks 🙂
Thank you so much Cherie I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing! We used leftover rice and it was fantastic. My husband thought the texture of the chickpeas and greens cooked up a little like pozole. It has a light creaminess from the spinach, but isn’t overly filling. Great way to get your greens and herbs in while having something warm and comforting. Highly recommend. Will definitely remake 🙂
Thank you so much D! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
I’ve made this recipe twice! I’ve added chicken so my husband would like it. We love it!!! My husband thinks it should be part of a weekly menu. The lemon in the sauce makes it almost taste like butter. Thank you!!
Ps where are your bowls from? They are so pretty.
Thank you so much Kim! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
A friend posted this recipe on Facebook and I made this last night. It was so, so good! So much flavor. My whole family liked it and I will be keeping it. Stuck at home for this pandemice so nice to get a culinary adventure. Thanks!
I am really glad you decided to try this and it turned out so well for you Emily! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This recipe was fantastic. I didn’t have parsley or fill on hand but had cilantro and basil. I also ate it with safron rice and added some safron to the recipe. Thank you!!!
Yum! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Very nice, Tieghan! We had this tonight and all agree, recipe is a keeper! Only had fresh cilantro so used dried herbs for rest. Looking forward to trying recipe when we have the dill & parsley fresh as well. It was delicious.
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Julie! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
“We all want this recipe”, they said at a Purim party I was recently a part of. What a perfect recipe to take along as I learned about the Persian celebration of Purim (book of Ruth). This is a winner!
Wow so great! Thank you so much for trying this Michelle! xTieghan
This is the best vegan recipe I have made to date, enjoyed by carnivores as well. Thank you so much for sharing your skills and talents. The rest of us are most grateful…sending hugs!
I am so glad you enjoyed this Melissa! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I have been craving this all week, but since all the stores around us are completely out of canned goods, I couldnt get any chickpeas! I decided to quadruple the spinach (that was available at that store luckily!) and it still turned out amazing!
Thank you so much Caitlin! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!! xTieghan
It was Persian night…”bring your favorite Persian dish” as we celebrated Purim and the reading of the book of Esther. (It’s that time of year) WOW..this was a hit! The flavors so rich and fresh, the recipe so nice and simple. I just finished sending out the recipe to all who attended….the best compliment of all.
Wow that is so amazing! I am so glad you all enjoyed this recipe, Michelle! xTieghan
So delicious! The whole family loved it!
Thank you so much Nicole! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
This totally exceeded my expectations. So easy and so delicious! Perfect amount of acid and heat. Will definitely make again!
Hi Meg! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is unique and delicious… and super easy! I ended up only using one can of garbanzo beans and replacing the other with already cooked chicken. I make a lot of chickpea stews, including Alison Roman’s and – one of my favorites – one from the internet called a “Spanish chickpea and spinach stew.” It’s really irritating to see some commenters suggesting that you may have ripped this recipe off from Alison Roman. Did they miss the coconut milk in her recipe and lack of cilantro, parsley and dill (kind of a big part of the flavor!). OK… rant over. But, really, thanks for a different take on a healthy and comforting dish.
Hi Molly! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Sunshine in a bowl. I seldom leave comments but needed you to know how delish this was. Just after the spinach wilted I took it out of the sauce and added Halibut filets. Added spinach back in at the end. Absolutely divine! I’ll be trying many more of your recipes and I’ll be sure to let you know my thoughts… thanks
Hi De! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe! I hope you continue to love other recipes you try of mine! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This looks delicious! Am I able to use dried herbs or will it not taste as good? Thanks!
Hey Erin! Since herbs are such a huge part of this recipe, I would recommend using fresh if you can! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan