Chickpea Spinach Soup
Sopa de grão com espinafres (chickpea and spinach soup) is one of my favourite Portuguese soups. Full-bodied and satisfying I make it often once the weather turns colder.
When I make this soup I always make a large quantity because it freezes so well. When the weather is cold and you come home after a long day at work, it is nice to just take a portion out of the freezer, nuke it in the microwave for 5 to 6 minutes depending on the quantity, and presto! A wonderfully satisfying bowl of hot soup that will warm your body and soul. Many times, this soup a melted cheese sandwich and some fruit is all I will need for supper.
In this recipe I used potatoes. When I was following Atkins I made this soup without them and actually I prefer it that way. The chickpea flavour is much more pronounced. So, in the recipe below, feel free to leave the potatoes out.
Chickpea and Spinach Soup
1 lb dried chickpeas (about 420 gr.)
2 medium potatoes, quartered (optional)
2 large cloves garlic
2 medium onions, quartered
10 oz. spinach, fresh or frozen
2 cubes chicken buillon (optional)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Soak the dried chickpeas in three times their volume of water for about 8 to 10 hours.
Drain the chickpeas, rinse with fresh water and put them in the soup pot. Add the quartered potatoes, quartered onion, and whole garlic cloves. Add water to cover or, if you prefer, chicken broth. If you use broth, leave out the buillon. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender. Remove from the heat.
Remove about 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas and set aside. Now using a hand blender, blend your soup until you have a creamy puré. Add more liquid if necessary. Bring the soup into a boil again and add the spinach and the olive oil. Let cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until the spinach cooks through.
Correct the seasoning, add the reserved chickpeas and serve.
posted by Ana @ 11:08 AM
24 Comments:
That seems delicious
Can't beat simplicity. This sound delicious, Ana.
Yup, as a funny delicious look, but can you imagine, ever since I was a kid, that soup made me couf (don't know if that's the right way to say it), until my parents discover that the chickpeas skin was the reason for it! ;)
It's delicious indeed.. i just have to bare the side effect hehehe
Papilles et pupilles: Merci!
Nic: Thanks!
Pecus: What a drag! I never tried skinning the chickpeas after soaking and before cooking but I believe it would not be an easy task.
yMy husband was just asking for a chickpea soup the other day, I bought some chick peas but have not made the soup yet. I did make a different one last night though. I will have to try your recipe. Sounds hearty.
Damn Sexy picture .. Your photography is stellar..
Looks sooooo good. I'm going to make it today. It is cold and rainy out.
Adoro esta sopinha à portuguesa!
The Portuguese really know how to do a good soup. One of my favourites is potato and kale, but this one looks lovely, too. Plus, it has chickpeas, and I do love the chickpeas...
Adoro sopa de grão, tenho que experimentar esta receita. Fico cheia de fome só de olhar para as fotos!
I love soups ,and this one looks very Good ! Thanks :-)
hi ana, chickpeas and spinach are a match made in heaven...that soup looks simply divine!
Looks like a wonderful recipe. I'll be sure to try it out soon, since I've been in a very wintery-soups mood recently with winter coming on :)
It looks lovely--and good to know it freezes well.
The soup looks wonderful - full of my favorite things chickpeas and spinach.
Thanks for sharing, I can't wait to try it out.
I asked my mom about this soup--she lived in Portugal for 3 years and remembers the food fondly. She was very excited when I told her I'd make this recipe for her. Can't wait to try it!
I am nursing a cold right now and trolling for "feel better" soup recipes. I think I found the one. Just wish I had some dried chickpeas to soak overnight!
This looks so delicious and comforting. Winter is all about soups for me - I'm going to try this because I love chickpeas & spinach.
I've got this soup on the stove right now! It's a late lunch for me and it smells so delicious. I can't wait to have my first spoonful. Thanks!
this seems so tasty. Added to my "to-be-tried-list". Thank you.
Tempting recipe, just bookmarked it!!
Sounds good. I have got a recipe of my own. Here it is: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and stir in garlic and onion. Cook until tender. Season with cumin and coriander. Mix 1/3 quarts of vegetable stock and some potatoes into the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in one can of garbanzo beans, and continue to cook until potatoes are tender.
In a small bowl, blend 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of tahini, and 2 tablespoons of corn meal. Mix into the soup.
Stir 1/2 pound spinach into the soup. Season with cayenne pepper and salt. Continue to cook until spinach is heated through. Yummy!
Ana,
WHat a lovely winter soup. I am loving it. How thick, too... maybe with a piece of buttered bread for dinner?
I love soups in winter, warming nourishing and usually make my own. This one looks little thick and my kids like thick too. But they don't happily have spinach.
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