A simple, healthy Tunisian Chickpea Stew with Carrots and their tops, kale and a “Quick Harissa” sauce-  hearty and delicious, perfect for cozy nights. Vegan adaptable. With a video!

Tunisian Chickpea Stew with Carrot and tops, turmeric, kale and "quick Harissa". | www.feastingathome.com

This flavorful hearty Tunisian Chickpea Soup incorporates both carrots and their tops. It’s delicious and fun to make and is perfect for Sunday meal prep, nourishing you and your family all week long. Smoky Harissa adds a little depth and heat, brining it to the next level.

Tunisian Chickpea Carrot Soup | 60-second Video


There is something deeply gratifying about making a meal out of simple, real ingredients, isn’t there?  I’m part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and receive a box of beautiful, locally grown produce each week, but the challenge is always how to get through the box before the next box arrives. The fridge ends up getting jam-packed and sometimes it becomes overwhelming with just two of us.

How to cook with CSA Box:

  1. Sort the produce into 3 groups. Soup, Salads and Buddha Bowls. For example, the group (seen below) is for soup or stew. Make another group for salads and the third group for healthy lunch or grain “bowls”.  Keep it simple. At this point you could, if feeling inclined, chop and prep all your veggies and have them ready to go. I don’t always go this far, but I do step 2.
  2. Separate the tops from the veggies, chop them up, place in a ziplock and divide among the groups. I mainly use the tops for soups and stews, or sautéed for a grain bowl.
  3. Comb through your fridge and add anything that needs to be used up immediately, to each group.
  4. Pick out one pantry item for each group – 3 things total. Beans, grains, nuts, seeds… etc.  Here I picked chickpeas.
  5. Seasonings/ Sauces. Finally, the fun part,  think about how to flavor these 3 groups, with the use of spices, herbs and ethnic influences.  For example, this week I turned to North Africa for inspiration for the stew because I knew I already had this Quick Harissa Paste in the fridge. Or make Pesto or Gremolata.  Using what you have, pair an herb or spice or ethnic profile with each group. Go to my sauce/condiment category page for inspiration.
  6. Write down your groups/meals/ ideas on a piece of paper. This is key and will help you follow through.

How to sort through your CSA Box- a simple 4 step MEAL PLAN - a good way to use up all your produce. www.feastingathome.com

So a simple vegetable stew turns into something memorable and exotic.

Think of it like painting a painting, but with food- using color, flavor, texture, temperature, etc. It feels like art. Or perhaps the closest many of us will come to it in our daily life, but you know what? It feels incredibly creative and invigorating.

To turn simple ingredients like this…

How to sort through your CSA Box- a simple 4 step MEAL PLAN - a good way to use up all your produce. www.feastingathome.com

Into this.

Tunisian Chickpea Stew with Carrot and tops, turmeric, kale and "quick Harissa". | www.feastingathome.com

It feels like you’ve created a masterpiece.

Do you know what else feels incredible? Eating a meal that is made with the freshest ingredients possible- literally pulled out of the ground days before. Not only does the food taste better (the carrots sweeter, the tomatoes more tomato-y)  our bodies feel better.

Even my meat-loving husband has to agree that eating a bowl of this “real food” with homemade bread, is so much more deeply satisfying than what he usually craves – and when I told him that everything he was eating, was grown in our area, even the chickpeas and the flour for the bread, I think he finally got it- this idea of real food.

Tunisian Chickpea Stew with Carrot and tops, turmeric, kale and "quick Harissa". | www.feastingathome.com

Another satisfying thing about this stew was that nothing was wasted. Even the carrot tops went into the pot – not only adding another lovely dimension of flavor, but even more nutrients.

Keep the soup vegan with a drizzle of olive oil–  or swirl a little yogurt, labneh or sour cream into it for extra richness.  Add harissa paste to taste, which really boosts the flavor.

I’ve included a quick and easy recipe for Quick Harissa Paste made with ingredients you already have- to keep and store in a jar in the fridge – for uses just like this. It’s a godsend. But if you are looking to make a more authentic Harissa Paste- please try this recipe…it takes longer but is really delicious.

Tunisian Chickpea Stew with Carrot and tops, turmeric, kale and "quick Harissa". | www.feastingathome.comServe over couscous, quinoa, or with crusty bread to mop up all the flavorful broth.

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Tunisian Chickpea Stew with Harissa

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 41 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
  • Prep Time: 35 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 50 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Main, soup, stew
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: North African Stew
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This North African Chickpea and Carrot Stew is hearty and flavorful – perfect for fall and winter. Serve with crusty bread or serve over cous cous. Vegan adaptable.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 tablepoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick half moons (and their tops, chopped -tops are optional)
  • 6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or sage (or sub a couple bay leaves)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric ( or use freshly grated )
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 medium tomatoes- diced
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 cups veggie broth or chicken stock
  • 4 cups cooked chickpeas ( pre-cook 1 1/5 cups dried- or 3 cans,drained)
  • 1 bunch lacinato kale, chopped into 12 inch ribbons.
  • 1 cup carrot tops, optional, chopped
  • Garnish with- a drizzle of olive oil, or a swirl of plain greek yogurt ( or sour cream, or labneh ) and a drizzle of Harissa Paste.

Quick harissa paste


Instructions

  1. In a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the onion, and saute 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Lower heat to medium, add the carrots and garlic, thyme and salt and pepper and sauté 6-7 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Add the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, fennel seeds and tomato paste, and saute until the paste darkens about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the tomatoes and wine. Bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits. Reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the broth or stock.
  6. Add the chickpeas, kale and carrot tops, bring to a simmer, and simmer on med-low heat 10-15 minutes.
  7. Taste for salt, adjust and add more if necessary.
  8. Swirl a teaspoon of harissa paste at a time for added flavor ( Alternatively, you could add it to individual bowls)
  9. To serve, divide among bowls and either drizzle with olive oil, or swirl in yogurt, and a little more harissa to taste. Serve with crusty bread.
  10. To make the Quick Harissa Paste- Place oil and vinegar in a blender, then gradually add spices, salt and garlic until all is blended well. Store in a jar in the fridge- up to 2 weeks. Makes ¾ cup.

Notes

  1. This smoky spicy earthy North African Harissa pasta has a multitude of uses! Use it as a flavorful marinade for meat and fish OR spoon into soups for an instant boost of flavor. Swirl a little Harissa Sauce into plain yogurt to make a “smoky yogurt sauce” that can be drizzled over your next grain bowl, pita sandwich or soup. Swirl it into sour cream for tacos or enchiladas. Add it to mayo and create a Harissa Aioli- a flavorful boost for sandwiches, burgers and fish. Also delicious tossed with baked sweet potato wedges and yummy drizzled over poached eggs…..endless possibilities!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1.5 cups- without the yogurt or harissa paste
  • Calories: 196
  • Sugar: 4.1 g
  • Sodium: 507.5 mg
  • Fat: 8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25.4 g
  • Fiber: 7.8 g
  • Protein: 7.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

 

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Comments

  1. Thank you for this recipe and your food artistry. I’m also a CSA member and often am clueless as to how to prepare each week’s abundance. Looking forward to checking out your recipes this season.

  2. This was really good! I went a little heavy on the harissa paste at the end so it was very spicy, but so flavorful. What a lovely soup for a cold, winter day. Thanks for all the great recipes!






  3. I was ready for a new chickpea recipe and this was wonderful. Full of flavour and versatile. 5 stars.






  4. The flavours of this stew are fantastic. Will definitely make again. The quick harissa paste was great too. The only change I made was to reduce the amount of stock to make a more of a stew than soup.






  5. All members of family, meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans loved this!!! I added sweet potatoes and used cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. It has been requested for this weekend!!! It will be in my regular recipe rotation!!! Thanks for sharing!!!






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