Chickpea and Paneer Stew

This stew is delicious. Comforting, warm, packed with flavor and healthy ingredients…oh, and did I mention it is delicious?

Chris and I enjoyed this for dinner one night and I hid the leftovers. I wanted them all to myself so I shoved the container in the back of the fridge behind tofu (the husband won’t touch that!) so it was “out of sight, out of mind”. Thank goodness I did too because this dish was even more flavorful the day after!

There was no real inspiration for this meal; I was in the mood for chickpeas and I needed to use up the last of paneer cheese I had in the fridge. I added in some vegetables for variety of color and texture along with garlic and spices and I was set! The paneer cheese lends a nice subtle cheese flavor to the dish that I really, really enjoyed but you could substitute tofu for vegan if needed and possibly add some nutritional yeast to mimic the cheese flavor.

I enjoyed this dish both served alone and served over cooked millet, though any cooked grain would be work here (rice, quinoa, sorghum) for an even heartier meal.

Chickpea and Paneer Stew 

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, butter, ghee, or other oil (use oil for vegan)
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, thinly sliced or or small diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp garam masala (Indian spice mix)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 to 1 tsp paprika, smoked or regular
1 cup of paneer cheese (could sub cubed firm tofu for vegan and different flavor)
3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, rinsed and drained)
1 15-oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 cups of vegetable broth (you can add more if you like more liquid, I prefer mine really thick)
5 cups of fresh baby spinach or other leafy green
1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium soup pot, heat oil/butter over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, saute for 7-8 minutes until cooked through and onions are slightly golden brown (this helps deepen the flavor), stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in garlic cloves and spices (garam masala through paprika) and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly.
3.  Add paneer cheese and saute for 1 minute then add chickpeas, tomato and broth and let simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add remaining ingredients and cook until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

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