One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is re-purpose leftovers. I absolutely hate throwing food out and always try to plan our meals around what’s left in our fridge to keep waste at a minimum. This dish was the result of some recent experimenting and Tom and I were so impressed with it that I wanted to share.

We had some leftover spiral ham and adding some basic pantry staples turned it into a super flavorful stew. Smoked paprika and ham give it great flavor and chickpeas and brown rice make it super hearty. This tasted like something your Grandma might make, and it was super comforting on a cold Winter night.

Smoky Ham & Chickpea Stew

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. dried Italian herbs
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 cups leftover shredded ham
• 6 cups low or no sodium chicken stock
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup uncooked rice (I used brown jasmine)

Instructions:

Put the oil, onion and celery in a large pot on the stove top over medium heat. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the garlic, herbs, paprika and ham, cooking for a couple minutes more.

Add the stock and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the rice and cover, turning the heat down to low. Simmer until the rice is cooked. Mine took about 30 minutes but yours may differ depending on the rice you use. Taste and add salt if desired (my ham was really salty so I didn’t need any). Serve!