Mediterranean Chickpea Stew with Spinach & Feta – all made in one pan in under 20 minutes! Sautéed red onion and garlic with Mediterranean spices stewed with crushed tomatoes, chickpeas and spinach. | Gluten Free + Vegetarian
Coming at ya with another Meatless Monday in the form of this Mediterranean Chickpea Stew with Spinach & Feta.
It’s
✔️An easy, one-pot dinner
✔️Ready in about 20 minutes
✔️Packed full of protein, fibre and healthy carbs
✔️Totally delicious!
I suppose ‘stew’ might not technically be the correct term here since this dish cooks up in such a small amount of time though the depth of flavour wouldn’t give it away.
At any rate, let’s get to it!
How to Make: Mediterranean Chickpea Stew with Spinach & Feta
Start out by sautéing the diced red onion in a little olive oil. Cook until soft, about five-ish minutes and then add the garlic and seasonings and the balsamic vinegar.
You don’t need too much to season here, just a little oregano, cayenne powder and ground cloves. Despite the addition of cayenne powder this dish isn’t spicy at all. It adds a very faint punch that’s not overly detectable. Feel free to kick up the spice a bit if you prefer things a little spicier or even omit it altogether if you’re extra sensitive to spice.
Cook that mixture for a minute or so and then add in the vegetable stock and the crushed tomatoes. Let that simmer and cook for about 5-10 minutes. In this time the tomato mixture will thicken and reduce down slightly. You can taste and season adding a little salt and pepper as needed.
Finally, just stir in the chickpeas, spinach and feta, cover and let cook another couple of minutes to heat the chickpeas through and wilt the spinach. Taste and season as needed one more time and that’s it!
This makes for a really quick and easy weeknight dinner that doesn’t require too many ingredients. It also makes for great leftovers that you can easily store and reheat as needed.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this with a side of some gluten free French Bread to soak up the tomato juices (egg free version here) and enjoy!
A few more ideas to enjoy:
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes or Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
- Mashed Potato Biscuits
- Gluten Free Flatbread
- Gluten Free Focaccia
- Socca: A Chickpea Flatbread
- Easy Roasted Root Vegetables
Mediterranean Chickpea Stew with Spinach & Feta
Mediterranean Chickpea Stew with Spinach & Feta - all made in one pan in under 20 minutes! Sautéed red onion and garlic with Mediterranean spices stewed with chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and spinach. | Gluten Free + Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium red onions, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 (15oz/400 g) can chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock, aim for a low sodium stock
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 (15 oz/400 g) cans chickpeas, drained
- 3 cups spinach packed
- 1/2 cup (75 g) crumbled feta
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- red chili flakes, optional
- fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over a medium heat in a large skillet or sauce pot. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic, oregano, cayenne and cloves and cook another minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes, stock and vinegar. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat down to a simmer. Let cook 7-10 minutes to thicken the sauce - stir every so often.
- Stir in the chickpeas, spinach and feta. Cover and cook another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt as needed and garnish with red chili flakes and parsley and serve.
Notes
Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Shani says
I found this recipe when I asked Google what I could make with a surplus of feta and chickpeas and it did not disappoint. I used this as a base recipe, adding some more vegetables I needed to use or lose (red pepper, carrot, kale) and I added an extra tin of tomatoes and more stock to balance it out. My partner and I really enjoyed the seasoning and I think this recipe will soon be a regular in my kitchen.
Sarah Nevins says
So happy to hear that! I love that you use this as a base for getting in more veggies/flavour! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!
Gigi says
In the written instructions you said crushed tomatoes and in the written recipe you said 1can chopped tomatoes. To me those are two different types of tomatoes. Which do you use? I’m making this for dinner for meatless Monday. 😋
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Gigi! My mistake! That should say chopped in the recipe intro – thanks for pointing that out to me!
Tracy Peters says
This recipe was a big hit in my household. i made it just as the recipe stated, with maybe a bit more spinach. I love the way the feta melted into the tomato juices and made a delicious creamy sauce. I’ll be making it again and again.
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it so much! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review – I very much appreciate you taking the time!
Cynny says
Delicious!! I wanted to make this last as long as possible, so I added cauliflower rice, zucchini, and mushroom. The only adjustment needed was some extra broth. Delicious! My husband even said “This was better than I expected!”
Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Cynny! I’m SO glad to hear that you guys enjoyed it so much! Love all the added veg – sounds delicious! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know what you thought!
Tammy says
Not a fan of cloves. Any suggestions for substitutes?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Tammy – you can just leave them out altogether here if you’re not a fan
Lynnie says
This might be my new favorite chickpea go to recipe…so yummy and super easy to make. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Lynnie! So glad to hear it 🙂
Karen says
Can this be frozen?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Karen! Yes it can! Wait till the stew cools down completely and then store it in an air tight container or freezer safe bag. Chickpeas can be kept frozen for up to a year. Just hold off on the feta until just before serving as dairy is not as freezer friendly.
Mary Smith says
I wasn’t sure of the size of the purple onions. When I chopped up a medium size one, it looked like a lot of onion. What type of onion are you referring to? Thank you. I am making this for supper.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Mary! Sorry – I should have made that more clear in the recipe! Ideally you’re going to want about 1 1/2 cups diced onion. Hope you enjoy!
Eileen says
Loved it. So simple. Never put clove in a stew before , the warmth is so nice and really complements the chick peas.
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Eileen!
Rhonda says
I topped with grated Parmesan, delicious & easy!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Rhonda!
Tiffany says
Turned out very flavorful! Next time I would double the broth, tomatoes and spinach. We don’t eat dairy so we omitted the feta, and it turned out great.
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Tiffany!