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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
The food is amazing but the website is utterly ridiculous! There are so many ads and videos and boxes that the website has to reload every five seconds and slows down my tablet and then the reloading causes me to lose my place in the recipe every time!I can’t eat even fathom trying to search for other recipes on here.
Hey Christina,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I see all the 5 star reviews and I wanted to add a different perspective. I made this dish last night and found that it was missing a certain depth of flavor. I decided to add more spice and herbs than the recipe required but still found something was missing. I thought maybe it was missing some heat or warmth? I added a splash of maple syrup to cut through the acidity of the lemon. I am still looking for a certain spice or addition to bring what feels like a 2 dimensional dish to 3D. Perhaps it just needs a longer stewing time? Cumin? Bay leaf? Would love some tips.
Hey Rae,
Thanks for trying the recipe, I am sorry you felt it was missing something. I enjoy the recipe as is, but you can certainly add more spices to your liking. xTieghan
Try adding a little extra turmeric, and make sure to really load up on the fresh herbs. Do not skip the dill or the mint – I find that some chopped mint at the very end definitely adds a certain oompf.
Wasn’t sure if I’d be into this but we wanted to use up our garbanzo beans so we gave it a shot. WOW! So so tasty. I loved how the flavors came together. Didn’t have spinach so we used kale, and I didn’t have chives either so skipped that. This is worth a try and you will not be disappointed! The dollop of Greek yogurt on top really adds a nice flavor as well.
I am so happy you tried this and loved it!! Thank you so much Karia! xTieghan
This was excellent. My husband said it was one of the top five meals of the year, and my teenagers lapped it up. I served it with a tumeric/saffron basmati rice and homemade naan. I boiled a bit of the excess liquid off to make it heartier. Perfect meal for a fall evening.
Amazing! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Shalini! I hope you continue to enjoy this and others of mine! xTieghan
This is legit one of my FAVORITE recipes of yours. The flavors are really strong and unique and delicious. And served with some greek yogurt…. mmmmm. It is also pretty easy to throw together! It is hard for me to make this less than once a week lol.
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for trying this one! It is one of my favorites as well! xTieghan
I tried this recipe tonight and loved it! The herbs give it a lovely, unusual flavor profile.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Susan! xTieghan
This was awesome! We mixed in some leftover lemon pepper chicken and it was delish! Super easy and a great way to expand our typical go-to menu! Thank you!!
Thank you Jess! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this last night and was so impressed with the perfect balance of flavors and earthiness from the herbs and richness and overall depth. I will definitely be making this again! Will try adding cauliflower next time as another user mentioned.
Thanks for such wonderful recipes time and time again!!
Thank you, Vanessa! I am really glad you have been loving my recipes! xTieghan
Easy and very delicious!!!
Thank you so much Kathleen! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Fantastic!!!!!!!
Thank you Sharon! xTieghan
This was very refreshing and delish. My family enjoyed it. Thanks for posting this recipe. I will definitely make it again!
Thank you so much Tilly! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
This is so good. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I am so glad you like this! Thank you Tammy! xTieghqn
This is absolutely delicious! I have been telling everyone about it! Served it to guests and they loved it, too! Thank you, Tieghan!
Thank you Laura! I am so glad you enjoyed this and I hope your friends love it too! xTieghan
This is absolutely delicious! The blend of the herbs with the lemon is out of this world! We are trying new recipes during the quarantine. This will be a family favorite! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Laura! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
AMAZING! I left out the cilantro because I’m one of those people who don’t like it and I left the dill just because I wasn’t in the mood for the flavour but I love this recipe !
Hi Natasha! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan