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Warm and nourishing, this anti-inflammatory chickpea stew is made with turmeric and ginger for a cozy meal. Packed with plant-based protein, spices that are helpful for immunity and inflammation, and tender vegetables, it’s an easy 40 minute, one-pot recipe that feels like a warm hug.
A Quick Look: Anti-Inflammatory Stew
- Prep time: Only 10 minutes to prep and cooks for 25 minutes. Roughly 40 minutes total!
- Servings – Makes 4 full servings.
- Main ingredients: Canned chickpeas, carrots, sweet potato, ginger, turmeric, broth, and coconut milk.
- When to serve: For a simple weeknight dinner that’s packed with vegetables and fiber, or to freeze and keep on hand for sick days or migraine attack days.
- Dietary information: This recipe fits a Mediterranean diet and HYH diet. It is gluten free, dairy free, as well as vegetarian and vegan.
- Why you’ll love it: This one-pot, anti-inflammatory soup is hearty and delicious – cozy enough for chilly days, but I also love to freeze it and keep it on hand for when I don’t feel well. It’s not only packed with flavor, but also filling with plant-based fiber and protein.
This anti-inflammatory stew is also naturally high in magnesium, similar to my creamy white bean soup, which I also call “magnesium soup”. Prep and freeze it to keep on hand for those days you need it most.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Below are some details about the main ingredients that will help with shopping. Please see the full recipe card below for amounts.
- Chickpeas – Canned chickpeas that are rinsed and drained are the easiest to use here. You could also use dried chickpeas if you want to go through the effort of soaking and preparing them. If you have any leftover, you can use them in this high magnesium spinach salad with chickpeas.
- Carrots – Large whole carrots are recommended, but for a short cut for time-purposes you can chop baby carrots, which are already peeled for you, or get pre-chopped carrots.
- Sweet Potato – Peeled and diced fresh sweet potato is best here and pairs nicely with the ginger and turmeric. You can also buy this pre-chopped from Trader Joe’s if desired.
- Ginger – Helpful for inflammation and pain relief, ground ginger or fresh would work here. For a shortcut, we use ground.
- Turmeric – Not only does turmeric pair well with sweet potato and carrots, but it also provides anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Spinach – Fresh spinach adds some greens and also provides a higher magnesium content. You can substitute this with chopped kale.
- Coconut Milk – Canned lite coconut milk works well for this recipe. I used Native Forest. You can also use full fat coconut milk for a richer, more-creamy texture. But when everything is blended together, it’s not super noticeable.
- Broth – Vegetable broth or chicken broth is recommended. You can use my homemade rotisserie chicken broth. For onion free, try Fody vegetable soup base.
- Hemp seeds – Hemp seeds seem like an odd addition, but they add some texture and a delicious nutty flavor, while also increasing the magnesium content!
Variations & Substitutions
- Chickpeas – Can be substituted with white beans, like cannellini beans.
- Vegetables – Sweet potato can be substituted with regular potato, although this will change the color and be a little less sweet. You can also typically leave out one of these vegetables or replace it with more of another.
- Protein – Add in some shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Coconut milk – This adds great flavor, but can be subbed for regular milk or another type of milk you prefer.
How to Make Turmeric Chickpea Stew
Step 1: In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium and add in shallots, carrots, sweet potato, and kosher salt. Cook for 7-8 minutes.
Step 2: Stir in the ground ginger and turmeric with pepper and cook another minute.
Step 3: Add in vegetable broth, coconut milk and drained chickpeas. Bring everything to a boil and simmer 15 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender.
Step 4: Use an immersion blender to pulse everything 10-15 seconds or if you don’t have one, transfer half the soup to a blender and blend till smooth. Then pour back into the pot. You want the creaminess of the blended soup, plus a few whole vegetables for texture.
Step 5: Stir in the fresh spinach and cook until wilted. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Step 6: Serve the chickpea stew in soup bowls and top with hemp seeds, if desired.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator – This anti-inflammatory stew stores well in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors also get stronger with time!
- Freezer – Use freezer bags to freeze the soup flat and you can use smaller bags to portion out individual servings. Defrost overnight in the fridge or place the bag into warm water to thaw faster.
- Reheating – Best reheated on the stovetop, pour the defrosted soup leftovers into a small pot and heat over medium low till warmed through. For a faster option, add the soup to a microwave-safe bowl and reheat in 30 second increments.
Slow Cooker Method
Place all the ingredients except the coconut milk and spinach into a slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Use the immersion blender to quickly blend all the ingredients, leaving a few larger vegetable pieces. Then stir in spinach and coconut milk. Heating through for an additional 15-30 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
How to Serve
This anti-inflammatory soup is really a full meal in one pot. But if you’re looking for great sides, it is best served with simple ones like a warmed baguette or bread and a simple salad like this bibb lettuce salad or apple fennel salad. These will compliment the recipe without overpowering. You could also serve this soup over white or brown rice!
Recipe FAQ
This stew includes several ingredients commonly used in an anti-inflammatory diet, including turmeric, ginger, olive oil, and leafy greens. Turmeric contains curcumin, a compound studied for its anti-inflammatory properties, while ginger has long been used to support digestion and reduce inflammation. Combined with chickpeas and vegetables that are rich in fiber, this stew is a great option when you want a comforting meal that supports overall wellness. It’s also great for those who have migraine attacks.
If you’re looking to increase magnesium intake, this stew already contains several magnesium-rich ingredients including chickpeas, spinach, sweet potatoes, and hemp seeds. You can increase the magnesium even more by serving it with quinoa, topping it with pumpkin seeds, or adding extra leafy greens like kale.
This soup has a bit of plant-based protein, but to add more, you can use rotisserie chicken or cooked, leftover chicken, extra beans, or serve this over quinoa.
More Anti-Inflammatory Soup Recipes
For more recipes like this that contain ginger and turmeric you’ll love this anti-inflammatory green smoothie, turmeric ginger wellness shots, homemade ginger juice, and ginger smoothie.
Or try my vegetable tortilla soup, chicken and brown rice, or sweet potato stew which has similar spices and can be made in the slow cooker.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Anti-Inflammatory Chickpea Stew with Turmeric & Ginger
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 can (13.5oz) light coconut milk
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 5 oz. baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds, optional, but delicious
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced shallots, carrots, sweet potato, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the ground ginger, turmeric, and pepper and cook for 1 more minute. Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, and drained chickpeas. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until the sweet potato is tender.
- Use an immersion blender and pulse for 8-10 seconds until the soup is partially blended. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.) Stir in the spinach and cook until it’s wilted. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve soup in bowls with hemp seeds on top, if desired.
Notes
- Slow cooker instructions –
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Definitely trying it. Thank you 😊