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.
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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
How versatile chickpeas are! Thank you for another gorgeous recipe! We eat less meat thanks to your ideas & recipes. The broth in a recipe like this is what makes it so comforting! The smell of spices makes everyone hungry!
Thanks so much and happy you liked!
Every person I have made this for loves it! Tastes restaurant quality and is a great comfort food. Next time I will sub white beans for chickpeas, just because I want experiment with the texture.
Glad you are enjoying this one RP!
Nice recipe. I made it tonight. All I would do differently next time is to give the chickpeas more or a sear/fry before adding in the liquids. Otherwise the chickpeas essentially get boiled in the sauce.
Great!
Fabulous stew. Full of flavor. A definite keeper.
I served it over bulgar. Perfect mid week meal. The flavors get better as you munch your way through. What to cook next!
Perfect Fiona- thanks and happy you liked it!
I made this for the first time, and it is sooo good and warming. I had leftovers the next day, and even better tasting as the flavors settled in beautifully. I was out of coriander and paprika (we just moved to our new house), so I just omitted them. It still came out perfectly. Thanks for another great recipe!
Congrats on the new house! Glad the recipe turned out well for you!
Thanks for another fantastic recipe!!! While we liked the stew a lot, I LOVE the harissa paste! I now use it instead of South Asian pickled tomatoes as a schmear
on my eggwhite and veggie frittata and in other soups to add another flavor dimension.
Many thanks!
Great to hear!
can this recipe be made the evening before i want to serve it?
Absolutely Emma!
Hi Sylvia! My sweetheart and I are big fans of your cooking style 😊 He is the chef of the family and he consistently takes point on cooking during mealtimes; however, I have felt more and more comfortable trying your recipes on my own. They come out perfect each time! Thank you for sharing your tips and steps to make truly flavorful meals. For someone like me who is intimidated by cooking, you have helped me overcome that hurdle and begin to have fun with the process of it all. I really appreciate you!
With this recipe, is there a certain way you would recommend adding a meat protein? This stew seems perfect without already, but my boyfriend loves chicken thighs so much. I wanted to ask your opinion on if you think this could be a good add-in. If so, would you mind sharing how you would go about incorporating it into this particular meal? Thank you very much and sorry if this is a silly question. I am quite new to the cooking for pleasure at home experience.
Hi Megan- you are so sweet- thanks for this! I appreciate it so much.
I would add boneless, skinless chicken thighs whole, when you add the broth. Simmer covered, 20 mintues or so, until they pull apart easily with two forks, and shred a bit. Then continue on with the recipe. 🙂
My husband and I love this dish! It’s super flavorful and we like that the Harissa paste can be added at the end to fit everyone’s preference of heat. The only thing that we’ve substituted out was the kale. We just prefer spinach. This quickly became a favorite in our household and we are excited to share it with the in-laws this weekend. Thank you for this recipe!
Perfect Alaina!
This turned out amazing and was really simple to make! Very hearty, tons of flavor. I wasn’t sure what to think of using carrot tops but they tasted delicious and added nice texture, plus I like not wasting food 🙂
Awesome Nicole- glad you gave them a try here!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My family loves it & it’s easy for a home cook like me.
Awesome Donna- glad you enjoyed!
I absolutely love your recipes! I can follow them to the letter and they are always spot on! No need to adjust anything. This was so easy to make and really hearty and flavorfull. Thank you for bringing so much delicious vegetarian dishes!
Thanks Ina!
This soup turned out surprisingly well. All of the flavours came together very nicely.
Great to hear Carmen- glad you enjoyed!
Hi. I have never posted a response or review about a recipe before, but this one I couldn’t ignore. This recipe is amazing! I always make a new recipe, following the recipe to a T then find I have to modify it. Not this time! I even did the Harissa paste from scratch and love the flavor. I could go on and on. Thank you, Sylvia. What an amazing and guilt free dish 🤗
Awesome Julie!
I’ve never made dried chickpeas before. Should I boil them separately before adding to this recipe? Thank you.
Yes Donna, I would soak them first in cold water 8-24 hours, then boil them in salted water until tender ( 20-30 minutes). Then make the soup. 🙂
Delicious, hearty, and filling. I’ve made this multiple times and usually on weekdays because it’s very easy to make.
thanks Julia!
This recipe is absolutely superb!! Awesome flavours, def a new favorite!
This recipe is SENSATIONAL! I was a little worried that it might be too much on the flavor scale but, it was incredible. My taste buds and tummy are overjoyed with how it turned out. I put it over quinoa and topped it with the Harissa paste and a Tbsp of Greek yogurt. Thank you so much for giving me something new and wonderful to try. I am going to add it to my meal prep recipes as well. Doing the same thing over and over can get tedious so this will definitely help me!
Glad you liked it!
This was delicious! Thank you!
Surprised how good this came out, delicious!
Surprised how good this came out, delicious!
We LOVED this recipe. We used a jarred Harissa that is awesome (les moulins mahjoub). Also used Swiss chard b/c no Tuscan kale at the store. I’m so glad to have found this recipe. My new favorite!
Totally delish winter stew! Loved it.
This is a keeper! I didn’t have Kale so I used baby spinach instead. I found the Harissa sauce at the grocery store. I loved the flavors in this soup. Will be making this again soon!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I am snowed in today and very low on produce. I have carrots, stock and chick peas so this is going to be dinner. Can’t wait to make it
Thanks for this really tasty recipe. I had a small Savoy cabbage that needed using but had no idea what to do with it, so used it instead of kale. Your recipe was just right!
Thank you for sharing some delicious and inspiring recipes …. going to do the butternut squash and leek gratin at Christmas 🙂