Name: Spanish Chickpea Stew (Cocido de Madrid)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 200 g ofchickpeas (canned to make your life easier, but you can also start with dried chickpeas; in that case, I recommend soaking them overnight); 400 g ofpork loin (The original recipe calls for salted pork, but pork loin still has more meat and less fat); 150 g ofsmoked bacon bits; 1 chorizo (spicy, unless you're worried it might be too strong for the kids); 2 carrots; 2 onions; 2 pods ofgarlic; 100 g oftomato sauce; 2 tbsp oftomato paste; 1 tbsp ofolive oil; 2 leaves ofbay leaf; 10 grains ofpepper; salt, pepper; cast-iron casserole; garlic press

main courses meat prepared in advance slow cooking slow cooking traditional cuisine

Updated on 09 November 2025 by

ratatouille

9 reviews 5 : Delicious

Cuisine

Spain

Level

Easy

Preparation

30 minutes

Cooking

2 hours 10

My friend Pascale cooked us this traditional Spanish chickpea stew, known there as Cocido madrileño. She adapted this recipe from the book Le grand livre des mijotés, Aurélie Briday, Ouest France, 304 pages, which, she told me, is now her favorite cookbook and has never let her down!

Table des matières

A typical Spanish dish

This Cocido de Madrid is made with chickpeas, pork, chorizo, and vegetables in tomato sauce. It’s a rich and hearty dish, full of bold flavors and vibrant colors. I especially loved the chickpeas, which pair perfectly with the vegetable garnish in tomato sauce. In short, we had a feast and everyone went back for seconds 😋

Choice of ingredients

As for the cut of pork, the original recipe calls for salted pork. However, aside from being uncommon, this cut requires soaking and doesn’t have much meat on it. So the cook decided to substitute it. She chose pork loin, which is a meatier cut and well-suited for slow cooking. Upon tasting, it turned out to be a very good choice; once cooked, the pork loin is tender and flavorful, with just a little fat.

As for the chickpeas, you have the option of using dried chickpeas, in which case you’ll need to soak them the day before the meal, for 12 to 16 hours. If you don’t have time, you can also opt for canned chickpeas. These are already pre-cooked, so you can add them to the dish without soaking them first.

Serving the chickpea stew

As you can see in the photo, we enjoyed the stew with rice on the side. But in the Spanish tradition, it is served in three courses (vuelcos), starting with the broth as a starter, served with small noodles (fideos) or rice, followed by the chickpeas and vegetables, and finally the meats.

I hope you’ll feel inspired to cook this Spanish-style chickpea stew yourself. If so, I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you in advance for your comments 🙏

For

people

Add to shopping list

200 g of chickpeas canned to make your life easier, but you can also start with dried chickpeas; in that case, I recommend soaking them overnight
400 g of pork loin The original recipe calls for salted pork, but pork loin still has more meat and less fat
150 g of smoked bacon bits
1 chorizo spicy, unless you're worried it might be too strong for the kids
2 carrots
2 onions
2 pods of garlic
100 g of tomato sauce
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 leaves of bay leaf
10 grains of pepper
salt, pepper

Soaking dried chickpeas
- 1
  If you're using dried chickpeas, place them in the pot and add 2 liters of cold water.
  Cover and let them soak for 12 to 16 hours.
- 2
  Drain the chickpeas and pour out all the water from the pot.
Preparing and cooking the stew
- 3
  Peel and remove the roots from the onions, then chop them coarsely.
  Slice the chorizo into rounds.
  Cut the pork into 2–3 cm cubes.
- 4
  Crush the garlic cloves to peel them, remove the germ if necessary, and press them.
  Scrub the carrots (no need to peel them if they aren't too stringy). Rinse them and cut them into thick rounds.
- 5
  Heat the oil in the Dutch oven.
  Add the bacon bits and pork and brown for 5 minutes.
  Remove the pieces and set them aside, but leave the cooking juices in the Dutch oven.
- 6
  Sauté the onions and garlic in the pork drippings for about 5 minutes.
  Sauté over medium heat, keeping an eye on it. Do not brown the onions, as this creates compounds that are not very good for your health and will give your dish a bad taste.
- 7
  Then add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, browned meat, chorizo, chickpeas, bay leaf, and pepper.
  Stir everything together, cover with water, and simmer, covered, over low heat for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- 8
  Add the sliced carrots and cook for another 20 minutes, until they are tender.
  Adjust the seasoning if needed, and enjoy this cocido piping hot.

A typical Spanish dish

Choice of ingredients

Serving the chickpea stew

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Spanish Chickpea Stew (Cocido de Madrid)

A typical Spanish dish

Choice of ingredients

Serving the chickpea stew