This Chorizo and Chickpea Stew is a deeply comforting one-pot meal, packed with smoky paprika warmth from the chorizo and creamy chickpeas. It’s hearty, flavor-packed, and perfect for a busy weeknight or lazy weekend. You’ll find yourself making this satisfying chorizo and chickpea stew again and again.
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Why You’ll Love This Chorizo and Chickpea Stew
- One-pot wonder: Everything cooks together for maximum flavor and minimal cleanup.
- Satisfying texture: Creamy chickpeas, juicy chorizo, and tender vegetables in every bite.
- Wonderfully adaptable: Easily swap greens or adjust heat to your preference.
- Better next day: Flavors meld and deepen overnight for fantastic leftovers.
Ingredients & Tools
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g cooking chorizo, sliced into 1cm rounds
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- 2 x 400 g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 100 g fresh spinach
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- To serve: crusty bread and fresh parsley
Tools: A large, heavy-based pot or Dutch oven.
Notes: The quality of your chorizo really makes a difference here—it’s the flavor engine of the whole dish. And don’t skip rinsing the chickpeas; it washes away that canning liquid and lets them soak up the beautiful stewing juices instead.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories: | 485 kcal |
| Protein: | 24 g |
| Fat: | 25 g |
| Carbs: | 42 g |
| Fiber: | 12 g |
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes
Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes
- Chorizo choice is key. For this recipe, you want the semi-cured, cooking chorizo, not the hard, fully cured slicing kind. The cooking chorizo will render out its beautiful red, spicy oil, which forms the base of your sauce.
- Don’t rush the soffritto. The onion, carrot, and celery mix (your soffritto) is the flavor foundation. Taking the time to cook them until they’re soft and sweet, not just translucent, will add a incredible depth to the final stew.
- Get your stock right. Since the chorizo brings a lot of salt and seasoning, taste your stock before adding it. If it’s very salty, you might want to use a low-sodium version to avoid an overly salty final dish.
- Embrace the wilt. The spinach will look like a mountain when you first add it, but it wilts down remarkably fast. Just keep stirring it through the hot stew until it’s perfectly incorporated.
How to Make Chorizo and Chickpea Stew
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in your large pot over a medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s browned and has released its vibrant red oil. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chorizo and set it aside on a plate, leaving all that gorgeous flavored oil in the pot.
Step 2: To the same pot, add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is turning translucent. You’ll notice the kitchen starting to smell amazing—that’s the holy trinity of aromatics working its magic.
Step 3: Stir in the minced garlic, tomato paste, and smoked paprika. Cook for just one minute until fragrant. This quick cook wakes up the spices and tomato paste, deepening their flavor and ensuring they don’t taste raw in the final dish. The mixture should look dark and pasty.
Step 4: Pour in the chopped tomatoes, along with the drained chickpeas and the stock. Return the cooked chorizo to the pot. Give everything a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any tasty browned bits. Bring the stew to a lively simmer.
Step 5: Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it bubble gently for 20 minutes. This is where the magic happens—the flavors meld, the chickpeas absorb the sauce, and everything becomes wonderfully tender.
Step 6: After 20 minutes, remove the lid. The stew should have thickened slightly. Stir in the fresh spinach by the handful—it will wilt dramatically in the heat. Season with salt and a good grind of black pepper to your taste. Remember the chorizo is salty, so taste first!
Step 7: Your stew is ready! Ladle it into deep bowls, garnish with some fresh parsley, and serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread on the side for dunking into that rich, smoky sauce.
Storage & Freshness Guide
- Fridge: Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in airtight containers or bags for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge.
- Reviving: Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of water or stock if thickened.
Serving Suggestions
Complementary Dishes
- Crusty sourdough bread — It’s non-negotiable for mopping up every last bit of the delicious, smoky sauce from the bottom of the bowl.
- A simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette — The peppery, acidic bite of the salad provides a bright, refreshing contrast to the rich and hearty stew.
- Buttery mashed potatoes — For the ultimate comfort meal, serve a generous scoop of creamy mash underneath the stew, creating a wonderful mix of textures.
Drinks
- A Spanish Rioja — The tempranillo grape’s cherry and earthy notes are a classic pairing with chorizo, complementing its smokiness without overpowering it.
- A crisp lager or pilsner — The carbonation and clean, bitter finish of a cold beer cuts through the stew’s richness beautifully, cleansing the palate between bites.
- Sparkling water with lemon — A simple, non-alcoholic option that offers bubbles and citrus to refresh your taste buds and balance the hearty flavors.
Something Sweet
- Orange and almond cake — The citrusy, moist cake is a lovely, not-too-heavy finish that echoes some of the warm, Spanish-inspired flavors from the stew.
- Dark chocolate and sea salt — Just a few squares of high-quality dark chocolate with a sprinkle of salt provides a sophisticated, bittersweet end to the meal.
- Vanilla bean panna cotta — Its cool, creamy, and delicate texture is the perfect light and soothing contrast after the robust and savory main course.
Top Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the wrong chorizo. The hard, cured salami-style chorizo won’t render fat and will become unpleasantly chewy. You need the softer, raw cooking chorizo for the right texture and flavor base.
- Adding the garlic too early. If you add it with the onions, it can burn and turn bitter by the time the vegetables are soft. Adding it later for just a minute of cooking preserves its aromatic quality.
- Not deglazing the pot
Chorizo And Chickpea Stew
Make this easy Chorizo and Chickpea Stew for a smoky, satisfying one-pot meal. Ready in under an hour! Get the simple recipe and enjoy tonight.
Ingredients
For the Ingredients
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1 tbsp olive oil
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200 g cooking chorizo (sliced into 1cm rounds)
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1 large onion (finely chopped)
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2 carrots (diced)
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2 celery stalks (diced)
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3 cloves garlic (minced)
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1 tbsp tomato paste
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1 tsp smoked paprika
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400 g can chopped tomatoes
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2 x 400 g cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
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500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
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100 g fresh spinach
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Salt and black pepper (to taste)
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crusty bread and fresh parsley (To serve)
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in your large pot over a medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s browned and has released its vibrant red oil. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chorizo and set it aside on a plate, leaving all that gorgeous flavored oil in the pot.01
-
To the same pot, add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is turning translucent. You’ll notice the kitchen starting to smell amazing—that’s the holy trinity of aromatics working its magic.02
-
Stir in the minced garlic, tomato paste, and smoked paprika. Cook for just one minute until fragrant. This quick cook wakes up the spices and tomato paste, deepening their flavor and ensuring they don’t taste raw in the final dish. The mixture should look dark and pasty.03
-
Pour in the chopped tomatoes, along with the drained chickpeas and the stock. Return the cooked chorizo to the pot. Give everything a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any tasty browned bits. Bring the stew to a lively simmer.04
-
Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it bubble gently for 20 minutes. This is where the magic happens—the flavors meld, the chickpeas absorb the sauce, and everything becomes wonderfully tender.05
-
After 20 minutes, remove the lid. The stew should have thickened slightly. Stir in the fresh spinach by the handful—it will wilt dramatically in the heat. Season with salt and a good grind of black pepper to your taste. Remember the chorizo is salty, so taste first!06
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Your stew is ready! Ladle it into deep bowls, garnish with some fresh parsley, and serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread on the side for dunking into that rich, smoky sauce.07
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