Tuscan Chickpea Soup with Swiss Chard

I know it’s spring, but it’s not too hot for one more soup recipe! This was a really simple soup to make, and very delicious! Even my 1 year old loved it! It is full of veggies, has a lot of protein from the chickpeas, and has tons of flavor. I will be adding this to my arsenal of soup recipes because it is slightly different from my usual approach. You puree some of the chickpeas to give the soup a nice smooth texture. One warning, if you cook the pasta in the soup, it will soak up the juice and your leftovers will be more like pasta than soup…which is fine. But if you want it to remain “soupy” I’d recommend cooking the pasta separate and adding it into your bowls when you serve it.

This is perfect for your next Meatless Monday!

Tuscan Chickpea Soup with Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

• 3 19 oz. cans canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups chicken stock, up to 2 cups more if needed
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 leek, sliced and cleaned
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup ditalini or other small macaroni
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch dried red-pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

Puree half of the chickpeas with 1 1/2 cups of the stock in a food processor. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of stock, the pureed chickpeas, whole chickpeas, bay leaf, tomatoes, pasta, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes. Add the Swiss chard to the pot and simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is done, about 5 minutes longer. (Please see the directions on your pasta for exact cooking time.) Add additional stock or water if needed. Remove the bay leaf. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Enjoy!