Indian Spiced Tomato & Rice Stew

This one pan, delicious, healthy, warm, hearty, and oh so flavorful meal is perfect for a busy weeknight! Just add the ingredients to the pan and let the rice simmer until it's ready to eat. 

This warm and incredibly flavorful one pot rice dish is life.

Okay, maybe that’s going a bit far, but it seriously makes life a little happier. Take one bite of this easy and healthy stew with all of its spiced up flavor and you'd think it took hours to make, but it’s brilliantly easy. And it’s so healthy, because it's filled with protein from the chickpeas and green peas and tons of antioxidants from the vegetables and tomato, which makes it even more of a dinner score.

And did I mention that it's easy to make?

As much as we love to spend time in the kitchen, there are days that we crave something easy and healthy that doesn’t require using multiple pots and pans. I know you can relate.

After a long President’s Day weekend, and lots of cooking and dishes, I’m absolutely all about our spiced tomato and rice chickpea stew. So let’s start cooking.

HOW TO MAKE A ONE PAN TOMATO, RICE AND CHICKPEA STEW WITH INDIAN SPICES

First – Caramelize the onions until they’re a light golden brown. This will take approximately fifteen minutes of cooking on medium to medium-low heat (depending on your stove). For best results you’ll want to use 1 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil or a vegetable oil of your choice. If you don’t cook with oil you can use vegetable broth, but you’ll need to add more as the onions begin to stick.

Caramelizing the onion will give the dish a much richer flavor, so don’t skip this part.

Second – Once the onions are caramelized you can add the garlic and cook for two to three minutes, or until it becomes fragrant.

Third – Add the tomatoes, broth, Harissa, tarragon, chickpeas, rice, and peas and stir until they’re well combined and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, or until the rice is chewy and tender, but still has a bite. You don’t want it to be mushy.

Fourth – Stir in the lime juice, Garam Masala, cinnamon, and fresh basil until completely combined and cook for five minutes.

Sprinkle with basil leaves to make it even prettier before serving.

This delicious chickpea stew has become a favorite in our house and I know it will become a favorite in your house too. It’s so full of warm spices and tangy tomatoes, and it’s filling and healthy. All of the ingredients are good for you. If you noticed, I didn’t add a bit of sugar to this recipe. Most tomato-based recipes call for a little bit of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, but because the onions are caramelized, they add just enough sweetness. No need for sugar.

Another hack for you to take notice of is toasting the Garam Masala and cinnamon and adding it at the end of the cooking process. Toasting the spices releases the oils and makes them so much more fragrant and flavorful. Don’t skip this process. If you toast them and add them just before serving your stew will taste amazing!

Make our spiced Indian tomato and rice stew with chickpeas and peas and let us know what you think. We love hearing from you! And don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creating and tag us @veganosity on Instagram so we can see it.

HAVE YOU PRE-ORDERED OUR COOKBOOK?

One more thing! We're getting closer and closer to March 20th, the day our cookbook will be released! We are so excited and nervous, and we can't wait for you to get your hands on it and start making some BBQ and all the Southern-style side dishes that go with it. Don't forget to pre-order it so you can get 3 free vegan Southern dessert recipes that are only available to those who pre-order the book. Click this link to learn more.

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Indian Spiced Tomato & Rice Stew

Fragrant Garam Masala and cinnamon combined with tomatoes, rice, chickpeas, green peas, and fresh tarragon and basil come together in one delicious and healthy one pan stew. 

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Linda Meyer

Ingredients

• 1 white onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 26 ounce crushed tomatoes
• 3 3/4 cups vegetable broth divided
• 2 tablespoon Harissa mild or hot
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
• 15 ounce chickpeas
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 2 cups peas
• Juice from ½ lime
• 1 tablespoon Garam Masala toasted
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon toasted
• ¼ cup chopped basil plus more for garnishing
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

• In a small pan on medium heat, toast the Garam Masala and cinnamon until they release their oils and become fragrant. Stir often for approximately 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable broth on medium-high heat. When the broth is bubbling, add the onions and turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir frequently and cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until they’re a light golden brown.  To prevent sticking, add more broth as needed. 
• Caramelizing the onion will give the dish a much richer flavor, so don’t skip this part.
• Once the onions are caramelized you can add the garlic and cook for two to three minutes, or until it becomes fragrant.
• Add the tomatoes, broth, Harissa, tarragon, chickpeas, rice, and peas and stir until they’re well combined and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, or until the rice is chewy and tender, but still has a bite. You don’t want it to be mushy. Stir often to avoid sticking. If the liquid begins to evaporate too quickly, add more broth and reduce the temperature. This should be thick like a stew, not soupy.
• Stir in the lime juice, Garam Masala, cinnamon, and fresh basil until completely combined and cook for five minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with basil leaves to make it even prettier before serving.

Notes

The Nutrition Facts are an estimate only. 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 826mg | Potassium: 779mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1065IU | Vitamin C: 34.5mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 4.8mg