This recipe for simple stewed chickpeas with fennel is topped with fresh mozzarella and loaded with peppers and pearl couscous for a hearty, filling dinner. You’re going to love these aromatic, stewy chickpeas!
I absolutely love stewy chickpeas. They’re so easy to prepare and go with pretty much any ingredient combination you can think of.
For this simple stewed chickpeas with fennel, I opted for peppers, tomatoes, onions, and pearl couscous. The couscous helps it go a bit further, but you can omit it if you can’t find it.
How to make this Simple Stewed Chickpeas with Fennel:
This recipe is ridiculously easy to make. You’ll start by sweating your aromatics – onion, garlic, peppers, and fennel. You can use green bell peppers or red bell or mini sweet peppers. It’s really up to you.
Once the aromatics have softened, you’ll add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. From there, it’s just adding chickpeas, whole-peeled tomatoes, and spices. In this recipe, I used thyme and crushed red pepper, but feel free to throw in Italian seasoning blend or rosemary or even smoked paprika!
Finally, add half a cup of pearl couscous. If you can’t find pearl couscous, you can omit it or you can use orzo or Acini de Pepe! Let it boil until it’s almost al dente. Add cheese slices (provolone, mozzarella, or even scoops of strained ricotta) and bake until the cheese is melted and the pasta is cooked through.
You can broil the cheese for 2-3 minutes to brown it in spots, if you like. From there, you just garnish and serve! It’s total comfort food that won’t make a huge dent in your diet goals!
Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Check my archives!
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Simple Stewed Chickpeas with Fennel
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 bell peppers trimmed, deseeded, and diced
- 1 fennel bulb cored and sliced; fronds reserved
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup pearl couscous or small pasta like Acini de Pepe or orzo
- 28 ounces whole-peeled tomatoes tomatoes only, reserve liquid for another use
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella or provolone sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving:
- ¼ cup fresh parsley minced
- Red pepper flakes such as Aleppo pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Sauté Aromatics:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil and butter to a wide pot and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, peppers, and fennel and cook for 5-6 minutes or until they begin to soften slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds until fragrant.
Prepare the Broth:
- Pour the vegetable stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Season with thyme and crushed red pepper.
- Add the chickpeas, couscous, and whole peeled tomatoes and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bake the Stewed Chickpeas:
- Arrange the cheese on top and transfer to the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the couscous is al dente. Turn the broiler on and broil for 3 minutes until the cheese begins to turn golden brown in spots.
To Serve:
- Ladle the stewed chickpeas and cheese into bowls. Garnish with minced parsley and reserved fennel fronds. Drizzle each bowl with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired. Enjoy!
This is a very satisfying and tasty meal. I had to use some fennel in my fridge and was lucky enough to find this flavorful dish. I used vegan mozzarella to make it vegan.