This potato and chickpea stew, made with potatoes, canned chickpeas, tomatoes, bell peppers, and spinach, is a hearty and healthy and vegetarian weeknight dinner that's both easy to make and pretty darn satisfying, too.
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4servings
Calories: 338
Ingredients
1poundfingerling or medium round potatoes, such as Yellow Finn
2tablespoonsolive oil
1largeonion, finely diced
2generous pinchessaffron or 1 rounded teaspoon
smoked paprika (2 g)
2largered bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
1largeyellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips a scant 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide
2large clovesgarlic, thinly sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1heaping teaspoonsweet or hot (unsmoked) paprika
3tablespoonschopped parsley
1/2cupdry sherry
1 1/2cupsfresh or canned diced tomatoes, juices drained and reserved
1 1/2cupscooked chickpeas or other beans
1 to 2cupsliquid (use a combination of chickpea or bean broth plus tomato juice or water)
If you’re using fingerling potatoes, scrub them and then halve them lengthwise. If you’re using round potatoes, scrub them and quarter them.
In a large skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the oil. When it’s hot, toss in the onion, saffron threads (if you're using smoked paprika instead of saffron, wait and add it later), diced and sliced peppers, and potatoes. Cover the skillet or Dutch oven and cook, turning or stirring the vegetables every now and then, until the potatoes are almost but not quite tender, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on their size. Stir in the garlic and season with 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper.
Add the sweet or hot paprika (plus the smoked paprika, if you're using it), parsley, and sherry. Cook, uncovered, until the juices in the pan have reduced and are thick and syrupy, 2 to 5 minutes.
Dump in the drained tomatoes (but reserve the juices), chickpeas or beans, and enough of the reserved tomato juice plus to cover the ingredients. If necessary, add water so the ingredients are submerged. Cover and cook over low heat until the potatoes are completely tender, 5 to 20 minutes more, depending on the size of the potatoes. Taste for salt and pepper and add more, if needed. The stew will be rather soupy.
Stir the spinach into the stew and gently cook until it wilts, about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, if you prefer, you can gently sauté the spinach in a little olive oil over medium heat until it wilts and then stir it into the stew.)
Divide the stew among bowls and drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately with a dollop of romesco sauce, if using.