Rustic Chickpea Stew with Apricots & Turnip {slow-cooker recipe} (2024)

It’s not in my nature to switch tracks on the eve of a new year, jumping from the long, sugar-coated holiday cookie train over to the one piled with beans and greens like so many do. I’m not a maker of quickly-broken resolutions, choosing instead to jot down my intentional food-related goals for the year and work them in as part of our lifestyle.

My transition from sweets to stew for this post was not for health reasons (although I am not oblivious to the wisdom of this change in diet) but more of a practical step. We first took a look at the monthly budget, then I stood in front of my well-stocked pantry, eying up the jars of staples.

Couscous, chickpeas, canned tomatoes, dried fruit, spices, a carton of apple juice. Dinner, however disguised, was almost fully contained here; it just needed a little coaxing, a hit of garlic, and six or so hours in the slow cooker.

Jessica over at Good Cheap Eats is running a series this month called ‘Eat Down the Pantry‘, pretty practical for those of us who are feeling the scourge of the holiday spending, do keep a stocked pantry — and detest going out in -22C weather to shop for food. (I suspect I am not alone in the latter point.)

Of course it’s not just pantry items that we are using to build our menu plans; now is the best time to benefit from your stock of vegetables in the freezer, and raid the preserves pantry for chutney.

Today’s vegetarian stew has encouraged me to delve deeper into my pantry and see what creations I can come up with. I often run through the selling points of a dish when I am pulling it together in my kitchen, and this slow-cooker supper has a lot going for it, according to my notes.

Let’s see:

• it clears out pantry staples that perhaps are in need of refreshing
• it uses ingredients on hand, so there’s no need to venture out to shop
• offers a hot bowl of comfort food for a cold January day
• it’s vegetarian, yet hearty enough for a main meal
• it’s baby/kid friendly – 9 month-old Clara ate an entire bowl. Loved it.
• it is cheap to make (most meatless mains are)
• putting it together was easy as pie

I’ll admit it, I tested two chocolate-coconut cookie recipes just yesterday, and enjoyed a sliver of dark chocolate with my afternoon coffee. The baking isn’t going to stop and we’re not going to nibble salads all month, even though just about every food magazine cover boasts greenery. But we are going to practice common sense seasonal eating, starting with this rustic chickpea stew.

This stew comes together easilyandthe leisurely simmering in the slow-cooker transforms it into something quite nice indeed. The apple juice and dried apricots lend a sweetness to the sauce that balances out the acidity of the tomatoes, and cubes of turnip turn into buttery morsels alongside the tender chickpeas.

Serve over whole wheat couscous or a baked brown rice pilaf, and garnish with your choice of chopped parsley or cilantro.

What is your favorite rustic meal for a cold winter day?