Smoky tomato and chickpea stew

If you're looking for something cheap, easy, nutritious and delicious, then this gorgeous spicy stew will be right up your street. This is a perfect one pot dish that you can stick in the middle of the table and let people get stuck in. Keep it simple with a big hunk of crusty bread or make more of a meal of it by serving it alongside some herby couscous. Makes great leftovers the next day too!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 vegetable stock cube

600ml water

2 cans chickpeas (drained)

160g roasted red peppers, sliced into 5mm strips

70g sundried or sun blush tomatoes, chopped into large chunks

1 tsp ancho chilli flakes

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions

Heat a large heavy based pan over a medium heat.

Add the olive oil.

When the oil has warmed, add the onion and fry gently for 6-8 minutes, until softened and starting to turn slightly golden.

Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.

Add the smoked paprika and cumin and cook for a further 1 minute.

Add in the tomato puree, and cook for a further 30 seconds to 1 minute (important as you need to cook out the raw taste of the puree).

Add the tinned tomatoes and the sugar, mix well to combine and cook for a further 4 minutes.

Pour in the water and crumble in the stock cube.

Add the roasted pepper strips, sundried tomato chunks, chickpeas, ancho chilli flakes and vinegar. Stir together and cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve alongside a hunk of fresh bread or some simple couscous.

Yum x