Batch cooking is a great way to save time and money – plus you can relax knowing there is another delicious homemade meal in the freezer for a day when you don’t feel like cooking. This warming chickpea stew with budget-friendly mince is packed full of flavour and perfect for those days.
This recipe makes a large quantity but is a great batch meal – eat half and freeze the rest so you have a filling meal ready for another day.
This chickpea stew is also very adaptable. I used beef mince for mine, but turkey or chicken would also work well.
Warming Chickpea Stew Recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb of minced meat (I used beef)
- 1/2 tsp ground dried paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 400g tinned tomatoes (or 350g passata)
- 400g tinned chickpeas, strained (works out at about 300g chickpea weight)
- 250g frozen sweetcorn
Method:
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- Take a large heavy bottomed saucepan or deep frying pan and heat on high until smoking. Fry off the minced beef with no oil (if you’re using chicken or turkey mince use a small amount of sunflower oil). Make sure you get the chunks of minced beef golden brown and crispy.
- When all the meat has coloured, add the dried spices and coat the meat in the frying pan. Stir well for 3 minutes so that the aromas are released.
- Pour in the tin of tomatoes and the chickpeas, finally add the sweetcorn.
- Turn down the heat and bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Cover pan and cook for 30 minutes before serving.
- I used bread, but steamed rice or boiled potatoes works just as well.
Note: I’ve not added salt to this dish, so you may like to season your meal before eating.
This recipe, and more, is available on Wholesome Ireland
About the Author: Caitriona Redmond
Caitriona is a food writer, blogger and author, as well as a mother to 2 boys and a teen stepdaughter.
After Caitriona was laid off during the recession, with her family budget getting smaller she found herself facing a shrinking amount of money on a weekly basis to spend on food. She could feed the family on convenience food for the same amount that she had to spend but she chose to cook the best food she could within their tight budget. Her blog is about her, how she manages and the rollercoaster that parenting and living on a tight budget brings.
