Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew (Paula’s Moroccan Lentil Stew)

A reader named Paula sent me this recipe for Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew and it’s a wonderful dish that I’ve made many times.

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I’m a huge fan of all kinds of beans and legumes but two of my favorites are lentils and chickpeas, so when I got this recipe for Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew by e-mail from a reader named Paula B., the minute I read the recipe, there was never any doubt I was going to make it. Not only did it sound like a perfect combination of flavors, but I’d just gotten a big bag of red lentils from Whole Foods, so it seemed like an omen when the recipe arrived.

Paula called the dish Moroccan Lentil Stew although I’m not sure if it’s really Moroccan, but it’s aromatic and spicy with a blend of interesting ingredients that come together perfectly. Paula said she eats it with a dollop of sour cream (again, probably not Moroccan, but highly recommend it!) I ate mine over brown rice, and this was one of the best easy dinners I’d had for a long time.

If you’re thinking of using brown lentils for this, please try to find the red lentils. Not only are they beautiful, but they’re much softer than other lentils and dissolve to make a perfectly thickened stew. Lentils are a versatile ingredient, high in protein and fiber and low in fat. They also cook quickly and don’t need to be soaked.

How to Make Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew:

(Scroll down for complete recipe including nutritional information.)

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot, then gently saute the onions, garlic, ginger, and ground turmeric for about 7 minutes. Then add chopped celery, garam masala, ground cardamom, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin and cook 3-4 minutes more, or until spices become very aromatic and celery is just starting to soften. The beautiful red lentils that dissolve into the stock become the base of this stew. They turn more of a yellowish color when they’re cooked. Add chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can chickpeas, and the red lentils, and let the stew start to simmer. Once it starts to bubble, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover pan, and cook 45-60 minutes (or even a bit longer, depending on how fully dissolved you’d like the lentils to be.) I wanted to keep some texture, but cooked mine for about 60 minutes so the lentils were about half-dissolved. Serve Spicy Red Lentil Stew over rice or brown rice if desired. I love this with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt as well.

More Tasty Recipes for Red Lentils:

Bengali Red Dal Curry from Jake from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Spicy Red Lentil and Tomato Soup from Andea Meyers

Curried Rice and Red Lentils from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Red Lentil Soup from Nami Nami

Mexican Red Lentil Stew with Lime and Cilantro from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Print Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew Yield Makes 8 servings Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 1 hour 11 minutes Total Time 1 hour 36 minutes Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew is a wonderful dish to serve to guests who want a plant-based meal. Ingredients 1 large onion, finely chopped

1 T olive oil (or perhaps a little more, depending on your pan)

2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger

1 T finely minced garlic

1 tsp. ground turmeric

3/4 cup celery, finely diced

1 tsp. Garam Masala

1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

6 cups vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups red lentils

one 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed until no more foam appears

one 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

cooked brown rice for serving (optional)

sour cream or plain yogurt for serving (optional) Instructions Heat olive oil in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and turmeric and gently saute, stirring often, for about 7 minutes, or until onions are quite soft but not browned. Add diced celery, Garam Masala, ground cardamom, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin and saute 3-4 minutes more, until celery barely starts to soften. Add the stock, red lentils, canned tomatoes, and rinsed chickpeas and bring mixture to a gentle boil. When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to the barest simmer and cover pan with lid. Let mixture simmer, stirring a few times, until lentils are dissolved enough that mixture has thickened into a chunky stew. The shorter time you cook it, the more chunky it will be. I cooked mine at the barest simmer for about 60 minutes. Serve hot, over brown rice and topped with sour cream or plain yogurt if desired. Paula said this is even better after it’s been in the fridge, and I’d have to agree that like many stews, the flavors were even better the next day. This freezes very well, so I’d recommend making the whole batch, even if you’re only cooking for a small number of people. However, it’s so good it might not make it into the freezer. Notes This recipe adapted very slightly from one sent to me by a reader named Paula B; Paula doesn’t remember where she got it but everyone she has shared the recipe with has loved it! Nutrition Information: Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 196 Total Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 2mg Sodium: 812mg Carbohydrates: 31g Fiber: 8g Sugar: 8g Protein: 10g Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:

If you ate this Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew plain (without rice) this dish would be approved for any phase of the South Beach Diet or other low-glycemic diet plans, even with the sour cream or plain yogurt. I ate mine over brown rice, which would make it phase 2 or 3 for South Beach. This is too high in carbs for a stricter low-carb eating plan.

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Use Stews for more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.