Lamb and Chickpea Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Kale
This Moroccan-style Lamb Chili is a hearty one-pot meal made with ground lamb, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and kale in a warmly spiced tomato sauce. It’s easy, flavourful, and ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 1,5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, finely diced
- 400 g ground lamb
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon harissa spice mix (or harissa paste)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 x 400 g cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 x 400 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1,5 cm cubes
- 1 1/2 cup beef broth plus more to thin if needed
- 150-200 g Tuscan kale (or curly kale), stems removed and leaves chopped into ribbons
- 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon, or to taste
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
- Greek yogurt, to serve
Method
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Sauté the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 4–5 minutes.
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Brown the lamb: Add the ground lamb and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
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Add the spices: Stir in the garlic, harissa, cumin, and salt. Cook for 30–60 seconds, stirring often, until fragrant.
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Simmer with tomatoes: Add the tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the flavours deepen.
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Add vegetables and finish cooking: Stir in the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Add the kale and cook for another 5–10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and the kale is softened.
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Finish and serve: Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and taste for seasoning. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Enjoy!
Notes
- I recommend using Spicebar’s Harissa spice blend for this recipe. It’s made from high-quality ingredients — chilli flakes, red pepper, Kalahari desert salt, cumin, coriander seeds, garlic, and Piment d’Espelette — for a perfectly balanced, aromatic heat. Unpaid mention!
- Using dried chickpeas: Soak overnight and drain. Transfer to a large pot, cover with twice their volume in water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 1 hour, until tender. Drain and store in the fridge for up to one week.
- Make ahead: This Moroccan lamb chilli tastes even better the next day as the flavours meld beautifully overnight.
- Vegetarian option: Swap the lamb for lentils for a hearty, plant-based version.
For a relaxing atmosphere in the kitchen I recommend my personal Elle Republic: Chilled Out Kitchen Tunes Playlist on Spotify.
Recipe lightly adapted and inspired by Feed Me Phoebe’s Moroccan Lamb Chili