Chickpea, Pasta & Spinach Soup

Chickpea, Pasta & Spinach Soup

 

Serves 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

 

Soup:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

  • 2 x 425 g (14 oz) cans chickpeas

  • 1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock or water

  • 75 g (3 oz) small pasta shapes

  • 125 g (4 oz) spinach leaves, shredded

  • salt and pepper

Croutons:

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 4 thick slices day-old bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes

To Serve:

  • freshly grated nutmeg

  • freshly grated vegetarian Parmesan cheese

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the garlic, onion and rosemary over a low heat for 5 minutes until softened but not golden.

  2. Add the chickpeas with their liquid and the vegetable stock or water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

  3. Add the pasta, return to the boil and simmer for 6-8 minutes.

  4. Meanwhile, make the croutons heat the olive oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, acid the bread cubes and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until golden on all sides.

  5. Remove from the frying pan with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly on kitchen paper.

  6. Stir the spinach into the soup and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes until both the pasta and spinach are tender.

  7. Season to taste and serve at once, sprinkled with croutons, nutmeg and Parmesan.

More about Simple Vegetable Starters