Garlic Chickpea Spinach Soup with Lemon and Pecorino

This healthy soup recipe is the one I return to when I need an easy, healthy, low-stress meal.

Key Ingredients 

I love how this soup begins all North African with warm notes of things like coriander and cumin and ends Italian style, with a pour of extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff) and a shower of grated Pecorino Romano cheese. This is one recipe where I feel the cheese is essential, as it rounds out the flavor in the best way possible.

• Chickpeas: I love to cook a big pot of dry chickpeas, but canned chickpeas are the heroes here! They make this into a super quick dinner. Mashing some into the broth helps give the soup a creamy texture without adding cream. I add a little of the liquid from the beans because I like the body it gives the soup. 
• Spinach: Baby spinach wilts instantly, adding color and freshness. You can also use kale or Swiss chard, but they may need a little longer to soften. 
• Garlic: Four to five cloves may sound like too much, but simmering in lots of garlic gives the soup a mellow, aromatic base. Feel free to use less, though, if you like. 
• Pecorino Romano: Salty, sharp, and essential—it adds richness and umami you won’t get otherwise. To make this vegan, feel free to substitute, omit, or replace it.
  

How to Make Chickpea and Spinach Soup

The key to this soup is layering flavor. Take your time sautéing the onion and garlic until fragrant, then bloom the spices briefly so they release their oils. Here it is step-by-step:

• Sauté the vegetables. Drain 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped, and 4 to 5 minced garlic cloves, and season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. 
• Season with spices. Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper and cook, stirring regularly for about 30 seconds.
• Incorporate the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat with the spices. Using a potato masher, roughly mash the chickpeas to break some up.
• Simmer the soup. Add 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock and the reserved chickpea liquid. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and partly cover the pot with the lid. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
• Add the greens. Stir in 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach (2 to 3 ounces) and 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, and let the soup sit for 1 minute, until the spinach wilts. Squeeze in half a lemon, stir, and taste, adding more lemon juice if you like.
• Finish and serve. Transfer the soup to bowls and top each with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of grated pecorino Romano cheese.

Perfect Pairings

For me, this soup definitely needs some crusty bread to accompany it. Buy a nice loaf at your favorite bakery or try your hand at this gorgeous fougasse! It’s a French flatbread shaped to resemble a head of wheat. 

This soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen. I like to warm up a bowl for lunch and have it with a crunchy salad, like this radicchio salad with orange or a colorful citrus salad for dessert. 

How to Store

• To Store: It will keep in a covered airtight container for up to a week in the fridge.
• To Freeze: Portion the soup into individual servings and freeze it for up to 3 months. Use it for ready-to-go desk lunches on the fly. Just transfer it to the refrigerator the night before to thaw.

5 from 10 votes

Garlicky Chickpea Spinach Soup

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Suzy Karadsheh

A pantry-friendly, healthy, vegetarian soup recipe made with canned chickpeas, baby spinach, and lots of garlic.

Prep – 5 minutes mins

Cook – 40 minutes mins

Cuisine:

American/Mediterranean

Serves – 4

Course:

Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• ▢ 4 or 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
• ▢ 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach (2 to 3 ounces)
• ▢ 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ▢ 1 large lemon, halved
• ▢ 1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
• ▢ Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

Instructions

 

• Get ready. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of their liquid.
• Sauté the vegetables. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and season with a big pinch of salt (about 1/2 teaspoon). Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Season with spices. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook, stirring regularly for about 30 seconds.
• Incorporate the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat with the spices. Using a potato masher or the back of a sturdy fork, roughly mash the chickpeas (you’re just looking to break some of the chickpeas).
• Add the liquids. Add the stock and the reserved chickpea liquid. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and partly cover the pot with the lid. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
• Add the greens. Stir in the spinach and parsley, and let the soup sit for 1 minute, until the spinach wilts. Squeeze half a lemon over the soup, stir, and taste, adding more lemon juice if you like.
• Finish and serve. Transfer the soup to serving bowls and top each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of grated pecorino Romano cheese. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes

• Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 194.6kcalCarbohydrates: 12.9gProtein: 6gFat: 14.4gSaturated Fat: 3.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8.8gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 1114.5mgPotassium: 274.1mgFiber: 2.5gSugar: 4.2gVitamin A: 2864.6IUVitamin C: 32.8mgCalcium: 195.1mgIron: 1.9mg

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