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 teaspoon 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
Ingredients
- 1 white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 26 ounce crushed tomatoes
- 3 ¾ 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
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 ¼ 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
Nutrition
Jacqueline Marchand Black says
Just got this in my email. Looks good...but what can I substitute for chickpeas as no one in my family likes them no matter what they are in.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Jacqueline, you could try making this with lentils. We haven't tried it, but I'm sure it would work out just fine.
Mary Pat Allen says
I made this tonight! It was delicious and very easy. I also made falafel and cashew tzatziki sauce to go with it. Kind of a double chickpea dinner, but we enjoyed it!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Mary Pat! We're so happy you liked it, and we love that you made falafel to go with it. Sounds like the perfect dinner!
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
This sounds perfect, I am such a fan of spicy Indian dishes and can't wait to try. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, I really hope you try it. If you like spicy, use the hot harissa.
dreenaburton says
I so often focus on legumes with curry dishes - why?? This looks so comforting and rich with the rice!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! We do the same, Dreena. I'm so happy you like this, let us know if you try it.
sproutingzenjen says
You had me at 'one pot'. I love cooking but I hateeee washing dishes 😛 This is perfect for a busy weeknight. Thanks and congrats on the new cook book!
Linda Meyer says
Yay! Anything to make life easier and more delicious. 🙂 Thank you!
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter says
Hi Linda. What a great recipe! I'm definitely a curry girl (so much so that Curry should become my second name haha), so I'm in love with this easy nourishing recipe. Can't wait to make it for my curry-loving family!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Tania! Thank you! We're curry lovers too, and even though there isn't curry in this recipe, curry lovers will love this!
Anjali Lalani says
I love the unique twist and ingredients! I'll have to try this soon!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Anjali! I hope you try it. 🙂
Gina Marie says
this looks incredibly delicious and very comforting I cannot wait to try it!!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Gina! I hope you'll let us know what you think.
Jennifer Bliss says
Yeah! TOTALLY up my alley! I sooo want a HUGE bowl of this RIGHT NOW!!!! YummerS!
Linda Meyer says
Yay!! Thank you so much, Jennifer! We'd send you a big bowl if we could, good thing it's so easy to make. 🙂