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!
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Comb through your fridge and add anything that needs to be used up immediately, to each group.
- Pick out one pantry item for each group – 3 things total. Beans, grains, nuts, seeds… etc. Here I picked chickpeas.
- 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.
- Write down your groups/meals/ ideas on a piece of paper. This is key and will help you follow through.
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…
Into this.
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.
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.
Serve over couscous, quinoa, or with crusty bread to mop up all the flavorful broth.
You may also like:
- Lemony Chickpea Soup with Fennel and Sumac
- African Peanut Soup Recipe
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- 25 Delicious Vegetarian & Vegan Soup Recipes
Tunisian Chickpea Stew with Harissa
- 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
- 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 1–2 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
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vinegar (apple cider, red or white wine)
- 2 tablespoons plus two teaspoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons plus two teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 3/4 teaspoons cayenne or chipotle powder
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 12 garlic cloves
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- 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.
- Add the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, fennel seeds and tomato paste, and saute until the paste darkens about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and wine. Bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits. Reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the broth or stock.
- Add the chickpeas, kale and carrot tops, bring to a simmer, and simmer on med-low heat 10-15 minutes.
- Taste for salt, adjust and add more if necessary.
- Swirl a teaspoon of harissa paste at a time for added flavor ( Alternatively, you could add it to individual bowls)
- 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.
- 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
- 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
Wow! This a winner….absolutely delicious!
Thank you Feasting at Home.
Is it ok to make this in the Instant Pot? I don’t have a stove right now.
Yes I think that would be fine- just do a quick pressure cook so the carrots don’t get too soft. 5 Minues? Manual release.
Amazing, didn’t change a thing. Harissa, yogurt and crusty bread is a must.
I had really high hopes for this one but it was unfortunately a miss. The harissa and yogurt was great together, but the soup was lacking something. Also, the ingredients list includes thyme, but (unless I’ve gone blind) I don’t see where it’s added into the recipe. I didn’t include it, but did use a couple bay leaves just to be safe.
Sorry about that Janet. This is a really “adjust to taste” kind of soup. Did you make the Harissa Paste? Adding this a little bit at a time, and also adjusting salt, gets this soup where you want it to be flavorwise. Hope that helps. 😉
This soup is absolutely delicious, I’ve made it twice in two weeks now. but it takes a hell of a lot longer than 20 mins to prep, it takes me at least a hour, perhaps more. It’s a lot of washing, chopping, measuring, and tidying up as you go.
This was AMAZING! Thank you so much!
I love this recipe. I used Blackbeans! I can’t wait for the Fall so I can really enjoy this “Hygge” style! Thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was great! Thank you 🙂
Awesome, thanks, great to hear! 🙌
I’m in love with this recipe! I added a teaspoon of spicy chipotle & only used half the stock recommended to make a thicker Stew. Such wonderful flavor.
Thanks so much Gemma!
Delicious soup. Thanks for such a tasty recipe. I used baby spinach because l didn’t have kale, and some tinned tomatoes because l didn’t have fresh. I had some for dinner and have frozen the rest for lunches. Thanks again
Thanks Stacey- Glad you liked it. Perfect substitutions!
My family pitched in with the chopping and this came together quickly, and perfect for a weeknight dinner. It was our first time having harissa and it is a game-changer. The soup would have been good without it but the addition of harissa took it to the next level.
Followed the recipe and it came out delicious!
Thanks Nicole!
Delicious! A wonderful medley of spices and nice warm-up for fall. Love, love, love!
Im so happy you liked it!
i have made this no end of times. i absolutely love it! Its so delicious.
This soup was outstanding! My whole family loved it, which is unusual for them with something healthy. I left out the Greek yogurt, but did make half a batch of the harissa paste and stirred it right into the soup. I didn’t add salt outside of the harissa paste and broth. Thank you for this recipe! Adding it to the repeat list.
Beautiful colors, delicious recipe! We served it over basmati rice. The gravy is so yummy and complex tasting, but everything comes together quickly. Loved the recipe for quick harissa paste. Has quite a bit of garlic in it, I may cut down the amount next time.
So far, I haven’t met a Feasting at Home recipe that I rated lower than 5 stars! Thank you Sylvia! I recently retired and it’s been fun trying your recipes!
Thanks Theresa! Im so happy you liked this recipe and also that you are enjoying the blog! Thanks for the comment and rating- very appreciated!
A truly delicious soup with lovely flavours – I added in some cinnamon powder as well to give it a bit more of a North African vibe. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Excellent recipe… amazing flavor!!! And as a bonus – it took me exactly the amount of time indicated. I think that is probably the first time I have ever made a recipe without it actually taking about twice as much time as it was suppose to take! Cooking and serving this for dinner made me feel like a chef, and my husband enjoyed eating it so much he has specifically requested that it go into regular rotation. (* The only deviation I made from the recipe was to use dried thyme. The fresh thyme I had in the fridge had gone off, so I placed dried thyme in my spice grinder to release the natural oil and mixed it in with the other spices that were sautéed into the vegetables in the 2nd step of the recipe.)
Thanks Nicole, appreciate the feedback!
This looks incredible! I’ve eaten something similar with a poached egg in it, Harissa is one of my favourites. Ang chance you could sub the chickpeas for some meat or different veg? I can’t eat any legumes anymore (sadness) but am definitely keen to try this once steamy Brisbane, Australia cools down!
This looks incredible! How would it freeze? I’m most likely the only one in my house that would eat this.
It would freeze great!
I ended up making it and sharing half with a friend. This recipe is absolutely amazing. Flavorful. Satisfying. Warming.
Sylvia I love this recipe, having now made it several times. I’ve started to add Sumac, Barberries and Tamarind which give it a slight tartness, it is so good to have a rich tasty vegetable ‘stew’.
Thank you from New zealand!
What great additions Sue! Thank you so much for sharing how you’ve adapted this…..all sounds wonderful and very fitting! I love New Zealand, visited there a few years ago- blown away by it’s incredible beauty! xoxo
This looks like such an outstanding meal! So many things I love about this. I’ll be sure to try it.
Thanks and let us know what you think Amber!
You’ve outdone yourself! On my second bowl right now. So delicious. Thanks for introducing Harissa into my life. Can’t wait to roast some veggies with it.
Thanks Susanna! Glad you are enjoying it and that you gave Harissa a try…it’s good on so many things!
Perfectly timed for my Sunday meal planning and “what am I going to do with all these leftovers from last week’s CSA?” ?
Yes, sometimes it can get a little overwhelming!
Wow, Sylvia – you never cease to amaze 😉 . I love the vegetable sorting ideas and I will have to re-read it and attempt to apply this asap. I had just placed some (older) spaghetti squash in the oven not long ago and then, much to my surprise, opened the crisper to discover some rainbow chard I totally forgot about – sigh. Now I wish I had some harissa paste (not exactly even sure what that is – yet – haha). I’ve got a load of veggies currently simmering in some tomato sauce and yet to figure what exactly I am making. I think I just may add a can of (no, not exactly ‘fresh’) chick peas and … voila! I hope it is as yummy as yours’ is looking. Thanks again for the lovely recipes and inspiration. I hope to become a Master chef like you one day! Have a lovely Sunday tomorrow!
Well it sounds like you ARE a master chef! Thanks for your kind words Heather- I really appreciate how supportive you have been of the blog, always so positive and encouraging, I love getting your comments! Thank you. I would love to pick your brain for ideas on “helpful” blog posts- if you are open to that? I will drop you an email. Have a great Sunday!