The story of this Moroccan spiced chickpea stew: once upon a time, I lived in the West Village in New York City. I absolutely loved living there. It was such a cute little neighborhood, with tree-lined streets and brownstones and such amazing restaurants!

One of my favorite meals to eat out is brunch. For me, there’s not much I would rather do on a weekend than get together with girlfriends at lunchtime to eat breakfast food and drink mimosas, especially on a patio on a nice day.

I went to brunch at Joseph Leonard, one of my favorite brunch spots, one weekend and their special was a Moroccan chickpea stew topped with a poached egg. I was intrigued, so I had to try it. It was the absolute best brunch I’ve ever had!

The spices in the stew created a flavor bomb, and I am always in love with a perfectly poached egg on anything. I wanted to bathe in the meal in front of me, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

In my quest to recreate that magical meal, I ended up with what has turned out to be my go-to batch recipe for busy weeks. This Moroccan spiced chickpea stew is so flavorful – you get complex Moroccan-inspired flavor with just a little spiciness, then there’s a little pop of sweetness from golden raisins. Yum! It also happens to be really easy to make in a slow cooker or InstantPot.

What You’ll Need

The most important part of this recipe is the spice mixture. Do inventory of your spice cabinet to make sure you have the common spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. The final spice is a blend common to Moroccan cooking, called ras el hanout. If you don’t have ras el hanout at your local store, garam masala is very similar and makes a good substitute.

You’ll need a few fresh veggies: onion, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, and potato. The rest of the ingredients, however, can be canned or frozen to make your life easier.

Opt for low sodium versions of the chickpeas, tomato sauce, whole tomatoes, and vegetable broth. These canned products can be unnecessarily high in sodium. Add salt to taste and your finished product will be just as good, if not better.

To cook, you will need either a slow cooker (4 quart or larger) or an Instant Pot.

How to Make

This might be one of the easiest dinners you will make.

Start by chopping your produce: mince your garlic (I actually use a jar of minced garlic in oil that I keep in my fridge). Dice your onion and bell pepper. Cut your potato into 1/2 inch cubes, and chop your carrot. Then, drain the chickpeas and rinse well.

If you’re using a slow cooker, you will need to heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the olive oil, onion, and spice mixture and cook for about a minute. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, or until the spices are fragrant. Then add to slow cooker along with all of the other ingredients. Stir to combine, then set slow cooker to 4 hours on high.

If you’re using an Instant Pot, set it to Saute and add olive oil, onion, and spice mixture and cook for about a minute. Then, add garlic and cook for another minute. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, then close lid on Instant Pot. Close steam valve on top and set to Pressure Cook on high for 20 minutes. When cooking is done, open vent to release steam and allow to fully release before removing lid carefully.

Storage

You can store this in airtight storage containers in the fridge for up to a week.

This is also a great dish to meal prep. Just separate out into single serve containers and place in freezer until ready to eat. To reheat, place contents in saucepan over stove and heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired temperature.

Serving Ideas

Not only is this great for breakfast or brunch with a poached egg and toast, but it also makes a perfect lunch paired with a tomato & cucumber salad, tsatziki and pita bread, or for dinner it goes well over basmati rice or couscous with a dollop of Greek yogurt. You could also use it as a base for baked eggs. It’s so versatile, the options are endless!