First things first – thank you very much to everyone who responded to my cookbook cover announcement with such kind messages! It was overwhelming and so, so sweet. I don’t have a physical copy yet but I’ll share more closer to the release date.
Let’s talk about this stew! With just five main ingredients plus spices and optional greens, this is a real bare fridge kind of meal. I almost always have canned tomatoes and carrots, plus frozen chickpeas (canned works too – see substitutions).
If you have frozen greens or some over-wintering in the garden, they’re a very nice addition, but not mandatory. The original recipe didn’t include them and that’s the one change I’ve made here. It makes for a slightly more balanced meal but is just as good without.
Plenty of spice adds interest to what would otherwise be a very boring meal – cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and more. You can switch this up based on your preference, but all pair wonderfully with both carrots and tomatoes. So if you’re staring into a mostly empty refrigerator at five o’clock, I’ve got you covered!

Scroll to the bottom of the post or click “skip to recipe” above to see the recipe card with full ingredient measurements and instructions.
Ingredients

Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent and fragrant. Add the carrots and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper, coating the carrots in the spices. Cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and water to the pot. Stir in the chickpeas, cover, and increase the heat to bring to a rolling boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are knife-soft. Taste and season as needed.
Remove the stew from the heat and stir in the greens, if using. Serve hot with brown rice or naan, topped with pomegranate, preserved lemon, and/or raisins.

Tips and Notes
Serve with brown rice or vegan naan for an even more filling meal. While this stew is very good on its own, some whole grains never hurt.
If they’re canned, soaking your chickpeas for a few minutes after rinsing them will help pull out some of the salt. Just rinse them again after soaking. (I cook big batches of beans a couple times a month and freeze in jars, which is why I usually call for cooked rather than canned – much cheaper.)
This freezes very well and keeps for at least a month when frozen. If you like to cook ahead, you can easily double the amount and freeze for later. The card says this serves four but it makes three Graham-sized servings in my house, and then I usually freeze the extra one.

Substitutions
Try sweet potato or pumpkin for the carrots, if that’s what you have on hand. You can also add extra root vegetables, like parsnips, celeriac, and even potatoes.
Switch up the spices based on your preference. You may want to reduce the cayenne pepper if you don’t like heat – but you can also change the flavours. Try adding cardamom or ground ginger, or add a little fresh ginger along with the garlic.
Other legumes can be used in place of chickpeas, with white beans being the easy favourite. You could use red lentils in a pinch (use half the amount compared to chickpeas, and double the water).
I like to top with pomegranate, and preserved lemon is a nice addition if you have them. Just be sure not to add too much salt to the stew in that case as the lemon will provide it. Raisins are delicious if you still want a pop of sweetness and don’t have pomegranate.
More Easy Dinners
Chickpea Pumpkin Curry
Rice, Lentil, and Butternut Squash Soup
Lentil and Potato Stew
Moroccan Quinoa Carrot Salad
Easy Baked Yam with Cashew Cream

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Moroccan Spiced Carrot Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 medium carrots sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
- 400 ml diced tomatoes
- 175 ml water or vegetable broth
- 300 grams cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained*
- 50 grams hardy greens (spinach, kale, rucola, etc.), optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent and fragrant. Add the carrots and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper, coating the carrots in the spices. Cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and water to the pot. Stir in the chickpeas, cover, and increase the heat to bring to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are knife-soft. Taste and season as needed.
- Remove the stew from the heat and stir in the greens, if using. Serve hot with brown rice or naan, topped with pomegranate, preserved lemon, and/or raisins.
- Leftovers freeze very well and can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Newsletter
This post was originally published in December 2014. It has been updated most recently as of January 2020, with new images, text, and some minor recipe tweaks.
John says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was quite good! I didn’t have pomegranate seeds so I topped with golden raisins and served over brown rice. Very flavorful and satisfying.
Kathy Root says
My sister emailed me this recipe and I had all ingredients in stock so decided to make it. Seriously, the easiest dinner I have ever made. It came together in minutes.i loved all the flavors and it was simply delicious.
Dave Murphy says
That was amazing! I topped it with some pan-toasted almonds and caramelized shallots. This dish didn’t stand a chance of leaving any leftovers so I’m making it again today! Thanks for the super easy and flavorful recipe.
Alexandra Daum says
Delicious additions!
Barbara says
Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Anna says
This was so delicious! I used sweet potato and celery instead of carrots, and had some ras el hanout on hand so I used that along with a lesser amount of the other spices. I’ll definitely be trying this again with carrots and maybe some raisins 🙂
Alexandra Daum says
So glad you liked it, thanks Anna!
Ben says
I made this stew last night with a date and it was super good! My date told me later she had a 5 out of 5 star experience and no doubt the stew helped! In fact, you may see this highlighted on my IG post … cause it is too good not to share! Hoping others come here and make it! Thanks for a wonderful blog and recipes!
-Ben (aka. Plant based food guru)
Alexandra Daum says
Thanks so much, Ben, glad you liked it!
Peter D says
I need to watch my sodium intake, so made a few adjustments for that. It is a good dish. The sodium numbers need revisiting as yours are showing lower than reality, as in 1 t salt would be approx 550 mgs sodium per serving on its own.
Alexandra says
Hi Peter, glad you liked it. As stated under the nutritional info, it’s a rough estimate, as I don’t calculate those numbers myself (it’s a calculator included in the recipe card, provided by Mediavine).
Debra Rodriguez says
This stew is absolutely delicious! I have made it twice for my vegetarian husband. The spice blend is balanced, the carrots sweet and crunchy. The chick peas add protein and the sauce is rich and flavorful. This recipe is easy to make and pretty on a plate. Thank you it’s always good to find satisfying vegetarian recipes.
Cassie says
This was so easy to make and delicious!!I will absolutely be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe 😀