Ras el Hanout Chickpea and Spinach Stew

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Updated Sept. 12, 2025

Ras el Hanout Chickpea and Spinach Stew
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(193)
Comments
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This warming one-pot stew delivers the depth and comfort of a long-simmered meal in a fraction of the time. Chickpeas and spinach braise in a richly spiced tomato base, creating layers of warmth and complexity. Ras el hanout, a fragrant Moroccan spice blend, gives the dish its signature aromatic depth; gently toasted tomato paste intensifies its flavor even further. A splash of soy sauce provides an unexpected but welcome hit of umami, rounding out the dish with a richness that mimics a stew that's been bubbling away for hours. Served with a generous spoonful of yogurt (or a squeeze of lemon) and a drizzle of harissa oil to cut through the richness, it's perfect with crusty bread or spooned over grains like rice, barley, bulgur or quinoa.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Stew

    • 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more to serve
    • 3garlic cloves, minced
    • 1¼teaspoons ras el hanout (see Tip)
    • 3tablespoons tomato paste
    • 1cup vegetable stock, plus more if needed
    • 1tablespoon soy sauce
    • Fine sea salt
    • 3(15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
    • 5cups/5 ounces packed spinach leaves (stemmed and roughly torn if large)
    • ½cup Greek yogurt or lemon wedges (optional), for serving
    • Crusty bread, couscous, bulgur or rice, for serving

    For the Harissa Oil (optional)

    • 3tablespoons olive oil
    • 1tablespoon harissa paste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

461 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 817 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the stew: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add the garlic and ras el hanout and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until the tomato paste darkens slightly in color, about 2 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the stock, soy sauce and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce slightly darkens in color and its flavors have melded.

  3. Step 3

    Add the chickpeas and simmer until they are warm and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted and fully incorporated into the stew, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed. If the stew starts getting too thick, feel free to add a few more spoonfuls of stock or water.

  4. Step 4

    If using, make the harissa oil: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and harissa until well incorporated.

  5. Step 5

    Serve the stew warm, with a dollop of Greek yogurt or lemon wedges on the side, and a drizzle of olive oil (or harissa oil), if desired. Enjoy with crusty bread or over grains like couscous, bulgur or rice.

Tip
  •  Ras el hanout is widely available online and in larger grocery stores. If you’d like to make your own, stir together the following ingredients: 1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon each ground aniseed, ground caraway seeds, ground fennel, ground cloves and ground black pepper. (This blend makes about 3 tablespoons ras el hanout.)

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Ratings

5 out of 5
193 user ratings
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Comments

Tim

@Breece Hall vegetarian good, carnivore less so, but cannibalism not really acceptable.

John R

Pretty easy and quick. Pretty tasty too. It needed more than a cup of stock, and it needed a larger dose of ras el hanout. I added some shredded leftover rotisserie chicken to my pot, which helped it considerably.

A real Park Ranger

Doubled the stock and Ras El Hanout but will triple when making again. Easy recipe with layers of flavor. This will be a regular vegetarian comfort dish in our household.

Jill Donaty

Made this last night and doubled the Ras and the stock. I added some plant based chicken shreds as well. I had smoked paprika oil leftover from another recipe and used that. Served it with fluffy pita, salad and some spreads from a Mediterranean market - tzatziki, toum and beet hummus. Was a hit with the vegetarians and carnivores alike! Will definitely make again.

Edie

Very delicious. Added sauteed garlic, onion, fresh chopped tomatoes instead of paste. Increased liquid & threw in some quinoa & roasted eggplant I made earlier. Will make again

MH

This was really good, served over rice with lemon, yogurt, and olive oil. I didn't have harissa. The only thing it needed was to bump up the spices. Next time I'll try double the ras el hanout, and see how that goes. The flavor was great, it just needed a little more.

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