I worked from 9 am to 9 pm on Sunday. No matter how much you like your job (I’m still on the fence about mine), working that long always sucks. By the end of the day you feel like your body is running on fumes and your brain stopped running a good 5 hours ago. It’s horrible. For those of you who have never pulled a 12+ hour day before…don’t. As soon as my last client left, I sped home delirious with hunger, and had no clue what to make for dinner. But low-and-behold, my mom made me something! I was surprised since my folks don’t cook that often, however she was inspired by her latest Andrew Lessman purchase. What’s even more surprising is that the recipe was really good! Thanks mom.
So yeah. I figured it would be fun to pass along Andrew Lessman’s spinach and chickpea soup with lemon recipe (with a few tweaks of course). In the original recipe, he uses chicken stock, we used veggie. And a few more whole chickpeas. And I love finishing everything off with a splash of hot sauce. But other than that, the recipe is the same…and for good reason, since the flavors are really well balanced. This soup is definitely on the lighter side, but the chopped beans give it a lot of body so it will totally hit the spot. You can never go wrong with greens either…and spinach is always on hand in my house, so having it in a soup is a great way include more into my diet.
My mom said she plans to make a few more things from that book, so who knows, you might be seeing more of Lessman’s recipes in the future (I guess it depends on how late I work every day haha).
**For a spicy kick, add a small dash of hot sauce to your bowl.**
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 can chickpeas (15 oz, drained/rinsed)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 package baby spinach (roughly chopped)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt/pepper, to taste
In a large pot over over heat, add oil, onion, and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add chickpeas, broth, cumin. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 16 minutes.
Carefully transfer coup to a food processor. Add spinach. Pulse 3-5 times, or until everything is in small pieces. Do not puree!
Return soup to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes more.
Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt/pepper.
Serve and enjoy!
