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Greek chickpea stew in tomato salsa (sofrito)

Time
Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 30 min Total Time: 35 mins
Servings 6
Ingredients
  • 1 brown onion (diced)
  • 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 3/4 jars cherry tomatoes pasta sauce (eg. scala)
  • 2 fresh tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 large red capsicum (diced)
  • 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons mint (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons dill (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optiona, but goes well with tomato and mint and adds more flavour)
  • 1-2 cup hot water
  • 2 massel stock cubes
  • 1 can chickpeas (or soak. 1cup dried chickpeas overnight in 3 cups water, drain and boil in 1 litre fresh water until soft, about 45 min)
  • 1/3 cup EV olive oil
  • 1 cup spinach leaves (optional)
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, capsicums. Simmer for 10min on medium heat until onions have softened. Add tomatoes and simmer for 10min.
  2. Add pasta sauce, hot water, stock cubes. Simmer for 10minutes.
  3. Add fresh herbs and cinnamon. Simmer sauce until components look cooked (about 10min).
  4. Stir through cooked chickpeas (and spinach) and simmer for a few minutes until sauce has fully coated chickpeas. Add more water if stew is too thick.
  5. Serve as a main meal with fetta cheese or cottage cheese or boiled eggs or as a side dish with meat or chicken or sardines/fish.

    This salsa can be used will all types of legumes.  You can also add fresh green beans and potatoes to make a traditional Greek bean stew or you can pour salsa over vegetables (chunks of zucchini, eggplant, carrot, capsicum, potatoes) and roast them in oven to make ratatouille.