September ushers in a tighter schedule and you may be stressing about what’s for dinner. I love one-dish meals because they’re easy to throw together and minimize cleanup. They also reheat well, so make great leftovers.
Growing up, my mom cooked a lot of Italian food, (pasta, salads, greens, roasts, potatoes and vegetables). We have enjoyed chickpeas and beans in various pasta or vegetable dishes, however I have never had any type of Moroccan flavored dish. Moroccan cooking often uses spices such as cumin, black pepper, ginger and turmeric. Other common spices include saffron, paprika, cayenne, harissa, cinnamon, and sometimes white pepper. I love the flavor that cinnamon adds to this dish, and these spices seem to lend themselves to the fall season.
You have your own way
The beauty of dishes like this is that you can adapt them to your own taste preferences. For example, if you like cumin, but not too much cumin, you can reduce the amount or eliminate it. The final recipe may not be “authentic”, but if it’s how you like it, then cook it that way! However, I encourage you to try adding more spices to your dishes. Sometimes people see “spice” as “hot”, but that’s not the case. In this case, spice means flavor, and using more of it is a great way to reduce the salt in your cooking. You can also swap out the vegetables in this dish based on your food preferences or what you have on hand.
You can replace the chickpeas with white beans or the sweet potato with a regular potato. Use fresh tomatoes or use canned with juices and reduce the stock by about 1/4 cup. This DASH-friendly dish calls for tomato paste – be sure to see my Note on freezing extra. I love using the tomato paste tubes and usually keep one in my fridge.
Moroccan-inspired vegetable stew with chickpeas
This vegetarian dish is inspired by a traditional North African tagine. Using staples like chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) and tomato paste lets you get this flavorful meal on the table quickly. Adding frozen vegetable scraps is an inexpensive way to boost protein. This dish reheats and freezes well.
Components
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups frozen pepper and onion mixture or 1 fresh pepper and half a medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped or chopped
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth divided
- ¼ ch garlic powder or 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 15-oz canned, diced tomatoes or 5 fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 15-oz canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup chopped dried apricots, dates or raisins
- 1 cup dry couscous
Instructions
Cook couscous according to package directions. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or 3-quart pot. Add the onion-pepper mixture and carrots and cook until the onions are translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes (if using minced garlic, add it now and cook for 1 minute, then continue).
Add sweet potatoes, salt, cinnamon, and ½ cup broth to pot. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the garlic powder (unless you added garlic earlier), tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes, until the peppers soften.
Lower the heat and add the beans, additional spices (paprika, turmeric, curry powder) and the remaining ½ cup stock. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 5 to 10 more minutes, until the stock has reduced slightly. The casserole can be simmered until ready to serve.
Divide the couscous evenly into bowls and pour the chickpea-vegetable mixture on top.
Notes
NOTE: When you open a can of tomato paste and only need 1-2 tablespoons, there are a few ways to store it. If you are going to use it this week, place the rest in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator. If you are not going to use it this week, you can freeze it. If you have ice cubes, place a tablespoon in each cube, cover and freeze. Or just heap tablespoons onto a small sheet of waxed paper and carefully place in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze.
