Catalan-Style Chickpea Stew! Green olives add tang, and a hint of saffron ties everything together, creating a symphony of Spanish-Catalan flavors that simmer to perfection.

This Catalan-Style Chickpea Stew is a loving nod to the classic dishes of Catalonia, Spain, captured in a comforting bowl that feels like a warm hug. Light on fuss and deeply savory, the dish lets simple ingredients shine: hearty chickpeas meet a kiss of tomato broth, while pimento-stuffed olives burst with briny, peppery notes. The result is a nourishing, pantry-friendly stew that feels both rustic and refined—perfect for cozy dinners, meal prep, or a weekend dinner party with friends.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

Sooo good! If you love the bright, olive-kissed tang of pimento-stuffed green olives, this dish is absolutely for you. The chickpeas bathe in tomatoy, savory goodness, turning each bite into a comforting chorus of flavors. This is one you’ll want to bookmark and ladle over crusty bread for dipping, or spoon over a bed of warm quinoa for a cozy, protein-packed supper.

You gotta give this one a try—trust me, your taste buds will thank you, and your kitchen will smell like a Mediterranean afternoon, inviting everyone to the table.

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This Catalan-Style Chickpea Stew is a nod to the classic dishes from Catalonia, Spain. The dish is simple, lightly flavored, yet savory and delicious. Hearty chickpeas and pimento-stuffed green olives bathe in a tasty tomatoey broth. Savory Spanish-Catalan flavors blend perfectly with chickpeas and pimento-stuffed green olives, simmered to perfection.
• Stew Broth: The stew-broth is initially thin but will thicken as it cooks which also intensifies the flavors.
• Saffron Threads: While the saffron threads are optional, you may need to ramp up spices or add herbs to compensate for not including them. They add delicious savoriness to the stew broth.
• Finely Diced Onions: make sure the onions are finely diced and tender before moving to Step 3.
• Almond Butter: The almond butter is used to lightly balances the flavors by adding a little fat to the dish. You can leave it out if you wish, but you may need to add other ingredients to compensate.
• Chickpea Substitutions: Feel free to substitute the chickpeas with your favorite white beans, however, keep in mind that you may need to adjust the cooking temperature to avoid the beans from disintegrating.
• Pimento Stuffed Spanish Green Olives: The pimento stuffed Spanish green olives adds a burst of delicious tangy flavor. While it is optional, we believe they are delicious in this stew.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
• Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator.

This dish freezes well.

Pantry Products:

• Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.  Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
• Almond Butter: We used Artisana Organics Raw Vegan Almond Butter.  Feel free to use your favorite raw almond butter in this recipe.  Read the label, make sure the only ingredient is raw almonds.  Do not use a salted or sweetened almond butter.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Equipment:

• Large skillet

If you try this flavorful stew, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Catalan-Style Chickpea Stew

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 30 Minutes
• Total Time: 45 Minutes (+Rest Time)
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x
• Category: Stew, Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Catalan-Style Chickpea Stew is a loving nod to the classic dishes of Catalonia, Spain, captured in a comforting bowl that feels like a warm hug.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon saffron threads (optional) *
• ¼ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-) 

Other Ingredients:

• 2 – [ 15.5 oz. cans ] chickpeas, drained and rinsed *

Optional Ingredients:

• ¼ to ½ cup chopped pimento stuffed Spanish green olives *

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped fresh parsley

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Instructions

1. Place all the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. In a large skillet, add the diced onions, sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes to soften, add a splash of water, if needed to avoid burning.
3. Then lower the heat to medium, add the minced garlic, sauté, stir constantly for one minute.
4. Next add all the remaining Base Ingredients and the Spice/Herb Mix, stir well. Increase the heat, bring the mixture to a low-simmering boil, stir well to incorporate and to make sure that the almond butter is completely dissolved into the broth. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Then add the chickpeas and chopped pimento stuffed Spanish green olives, stir well to incorporate, continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Taste test and adjust spices as desired.
7. Remove from the stove and allow to sit for 7 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. After 7 minutes, serve topped with freshly chopped parsley, and eat with crusty bread, flatbread, or with a simple salad.

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Notes

Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Servings:  4

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