Tuscan Garbanzo Bean Soup Recipe
With a couple of cans of chickpeas in the pantry, this soup is never far away. Onion, garlic, dried oregano and red pepper flakes start things off in olive oil, then tomato paste, chickpeas and vegetable broth go in and simmer until the chickpeas are soft and the broth tastes rich.
The trick to a creamy texture
Once it has simmered, blend about half of the soup with an immersion blender or in a regular blender. The blended chickpeas thicken the broth so it feels creamy, while the rest stay whole for texture. After that, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, coconut milk and fresh spinach go in for a final short simmer.
- Full-fat coconut milk keeps the soup plant-based. Heavy cream works too if that suits you better.
- Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil; they are softer and more flavorful than the dry kind.
- Start with 3 cups of broth and add more if you like it thinner.
- Stop cooking once the spinach wilts so it stays green.
Season with salt and pepper at the end, especially since the broth is low sodium. Ladle it into bowls, tear some fresh basil over the top and serve it with toasted bread for dunking.
There are more of these, sorted so you can actually find them, in the cold-weather dinner round-up.
PrintTuscan Garbanzo Bean Soup
Chickpeas simmered with tomato paste, oregano and red pepper flakes in vegetable broth, partly blended for creaminess, then finished with sun-dried tomatoes, coconut milk and spinach.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 15 oz canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 3 - 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes in oil* (chopped)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk from a can* (OR 1/2 cup heavy cream (there are non-dairy options available too) )
- 2 - 3 cups fresh spinach
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the pot. Pour in the vegetable broth. Give it a good stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, carefully blend about half of the soup until it's smooth and creamy. This will help thicken the soup while leaving some chickpeas intact for texture.
- Stir in the chopped sundried tomatoes, lemon juice, cup of coconut milk, and spinach. Simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together and the spinach to wilt. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Ladle the Tuscan Chickpea Soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve with toasted bread.
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