Nutritious Spinach and Chickpea Stew

This quick-to-make stew is deeply satisfying. The mashed chickpeas lend richness to the broth while the tomato paste introduces a savory touch, all without overloading on sodium in this nutritious, weight-loss-friendly recipe."

Preparing Vegetables for a Flavorful Stew

Creating a delicious, hearty stew begins with thorough ingredient preparation, particularly in chopping and dicing the vegetables. Here are some helpful tips on dicing onions and mincing garlic. To make prep easier, consider purchasing pre-chopped onions, shredded carrots, or a ready-to-use soup starter mix from the produce section.

Enhancing Stew Thickness

Chickpeas are naturally rich in starches, which, when broken down, act as an effective thickening agent. When incorporated into a stew, mashed chickpeas cook down, yielding a smooth, creamy texture. To achieve this, mash a can of chickpeas with a potato masher or fork and add it to the stew. For additional tips on thickening soups, explore our test kitchen's suggestions.

Storing the Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

This hearty stew can be preserved by refrigerating it in an airtight container for up to three days. When reheating, simply microwave the stew on High until it reaches a warm, enjoyable temperature.

Ingredients

• Two 15-ounce cans of low-sodium chickpeas, divided and rinsed.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 12 ounces 93%-lean ground turkey

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

• 2 medium carrots, diced (3/4 cup)

• Four cloves of minced garlic or half a teaspoon of garlic powder.

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• One carton of low-sodium chicken broth, containing 32 ounces.

• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

• ⅛ teaspoon salt

• 3 cups IQF (individually quick-frozen) spinach (8 oz.)

• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Optional)

Directions

01. Begin by mashing a can of chickpeas using a potato masher or fork, then set it aside.

02. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat some oil. Add the turkey, along with oregano, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper. Cook and crumble the turkey with a wooden spoon until it's no longer pink, usually 2 to 3 minutes. Incorporate the onion, carrots, and garlic (or garlic powder), stirring occasionally until softened and aromatic, usually around 3 to 4 minutes. Incorporate the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring well.

03. Into the pot, pour in the broth, both the mashed and whole chickpeas, along with pepper and salt. Place the lid on the pot and allow it to reach a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, covered, at a brisk simmer for approximately 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender, and the flavors have melded.

04. Next, add the spinach to the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir and cook until the spinach is warmed through, typically 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the soup in bowls, optionally garnishing each serving with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan.

Tip

IQF spinach simplifies this recipe remarkably. If it's unavailable, substitute with a 10-ounce frozen block of spinach. Cook as per the package instructions, then incorporate it into the soup in Step 4.