This spicy Moroccan chickpea stew is made with a creamy base of pumpkin and coconut milk, and served atop a bed of tender couscous.

So, it's the holidays. I must be a little bit beat, because I'm definitely off my game with the last couple of recipes. Last week it was the crooked quiche. This week, the stew that I ruined. Oh, it was delicious, but then totally I ruined it before dinner. Let me explain.
I made the recipe, loved it, then broke it. I did get to eat a little bit for lunch, so it's not that bad. My husband and I split that bowl of stew you see in the photos - we usually do that after I've cooked and photographed a blog meal on a weekend afternoon, planning to save the rest for dinner. Typical me, I also left most of the kitchen cleanup for dinner time, so as I had the stew reheating on the stove, I began shoving spice jars into my overstuffed cabinet. One busted free, fell, and smashed into a drinking glass I had perched on the counter. Gah!
Glass went everywhere, and I mean everywhere. For a minute I didn't even realize I'd had a drinking glass sitting on the counter (did I mention that the kitchen was messy?), and was completely baffled at the volume of glass pieces that littered my kitchen. I probably would've been pretty impressed had it not destroyed my dinner.
For a few minutes I just stared at my stew. I couldn't see any glass in it, but I could see glass everywhere else. You know the feeling? I know this isn't the first time this has happened in my kitchen. Finally I caved and ditched the whole pot of stew. It hurt. We settled on some quick veggie wraps in it's place.
This was easy enough to make that I almost made an entirely new batch, even at 7:30 at night, being as hungry as I was. Unfortunately, I'd totally used up all the chickpeas in the house when making batch number 1, which is crazy, because I usually have an endless supply of chickpeas.
So yeah. That's my story. I'll probably make this again at some point over the winter. It was easy and the little bit that I got to lunch on was delicious.
Moroccan Spiced Pumpkin & Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1-14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- cooked couscous
- 2 scallions chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a medium saucepan with oil and place over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute more.
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Add chickpeas, broth, pumpkin, coconut milk, maple syrup, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, coriander, cloves and allspice to pot. Stir a few times to incorporate and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook, uncovered, until peppers are soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
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Divide couscous into bowls and top with stew. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include couscous or toppings.
Ummm, ,this looks delicious, but, ummm, excuse me, where are the chick peas? The title is Pumpkin & chickpea, I do see them in the beautiful picture and all, but umm, nowhere in the recipe? Or am I not seeing something? sorry, and thanks, dave.
Sorry about that! I guess I really am off my game! I just updated the recipe to include the chickpeas. Thanks Dave!
Hello, quick question! I love to make your stuff, but this soup has me stumped. You call it a chickpea stew, but there are no chickpeas listed in the ingredients or anywhere in the recipe. Should there be chickpeas in this recipe? I see chickpeas in the photos!
My bad! Apologies! I just added the chickpeas into the recipe. Thank you for catching that!
Oh no!! Yes I know that feeling... This looks wonderful and totally up my alley! When you get round to making your next batch can you send some my way?!
You just can't go wrong with a good stew! Winner.
Nourishing Amelia | Food, Health and Lifestyle Blogger
Hello Alissa,
I found your site about one week ago, and am so happy with the recipe I made this afternoon. I have made Moroccan chickpea stew in the past, but prefer your recipe with the pumpkin and coconut milk minus the tomatoes. I did increase the cumin and coriander, and added peas and cauliflower that needed to be used up. Look forward to making more of your recipes. Thank you so much for this masterpiece !!
Hi Yvonne! I'm glad you enjoyed this! It's definitely customizable, and all of your modifications sound excellent. :)