Looking for a stew packed with protein but still suitable for vegetarians and vegans? Look no further as this vegan chickpea spinach tomato stew is packed with plant-protein and a ton of flavours. It’s a vegan stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal, perfect to warm you up this fall and ideal for vegans and non-vegans alike!

A few years ago, on a chilly end-of-summer evening, my mother in law prepared this simple chickpea stew for the family. As simple as this dish was, it was far from it in terms of flavour and texture. A few scoops of this hearty vegan stew warmed me up instantly and comforted me the way those more traditional stick-to-your-ribs kind of meals do. I’m talking beef stew, mac n’ cheese, and every other comfort food – that also happen to not be vegan-friendly. This chickpea stew has quickly become one of my favourite vegan dishes to prepare for the family. The simplicity of this dish makes it so delicious – the tangy tomatoes, nutty chickpeas, the addition of healthy greens, and not to mention the earthy spices. This is not a swanky dish by any means, but it’s perfect for the cold weather and so flavourful and satisfying. The best part is it’s relatively cheap to prepare and can feed the family or dinner guests without breaking the bank.

There’s a few ways you can go about preparing this meal – either boiling dried chickpeas beforehand then adding to cooked sauce (homemade or not) heating through for 5-10 minutes before serving. Or you can grab a jar of canned and drained chickpeas and add directly to your sauce. The result is the same – a chunky, hearty stew however, I can vouch for the fact that dried cooked chickpeas are so much more flavourful and have such a better texture than the canned variety. On that note, the flexibility of this dish means that when you are pressed for time you can still whip up this healthy recipe in under 30 minutes on a busy weeknight, or you can prepare a large batch on the weekend and store portions in the freezer for quick evening meals.