Do you cook beans and legumes from scratch? Don’t toss the cooking liquid when you make chickpeas! Drizzle in olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt when you simmer them*, then use the cooking broth to make a summer-y soup. Read on to find out how.
I made a bag of chickpeas a couple of weeks ago. As I scooped out some warm chickpeas to use to make hummus, I realized there was quite a bit of good broth left in the pot. When it cooled enough, I poured it into a Ziplock bag and stored it in the freezer until I was ready to use it.
The following week, I had some farmers market vegetables. They were so bright and cheerful. I had thawed my chickpea broth from the previous week, so I sauteed some onion and garlic, added the chopped vegetables, and followed with some spices, herbs and the broth. I finished it with some lemon juice.
The soup was bright and lively with colors that made me happy. On this particular day, I ate the soup with buttered toast and cheese. You could also top the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Or make it more filling by topping with a fried egg.
Thrifty Chickpea Broth Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried chickpeas This makes 6 cups of chickpeas, but you only need 1 cup for the recipe. If you just want to make enough for the recipe, measure out 1/2 cup dried chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons additional olive oil
- 3-4 cups vegetables Use an assortment of summer squash, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, etc.
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh herbs Basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, sage, and dill are all great options
- 1 teaspoon additional sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Soak: The night before you plan to make the soup, soak one pound of dried chickpeas with enough filtered water to cover by 6 inches. Add the apple cider vinegar. (If you only want to make enough chickpeas for this recipe, just use 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas).
- Cook: The next day, add sea salt, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil to chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 45 minutes, or until chickpeas are soft. This will make about 6 cups of chickpeas. Reserve 1 cup for the soup, and you can freeze or refrigerate the rest. Reserve the liquid to use for broth.
- Sauté: In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and remaining vegetables and sauté an additional 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, herbs, chickpea, and 2-3 cups of chickpea broth. Heat through.
- Garnish: Stir in lemon juice. Garnish each bowl of soup with extra olive oil and pepper, and/or fried eggs or cheese.
