Quick and Easy Garbanzo Soup
Fall is in full swing, which means one thing — soup season! Caldo de pollo, caldo de res are a few of my favorites, but I also like to I like to beef up my soups using beans, lentils, quinoa or garbanzo beans. I keep my pantry stocked with garbanzo beans to add to my salads, soups, purees or to stuff my chiles with. This quick and easy garbanzo soup features garbanzo beans as the main protein, but they also add texture and help to thicken the broth.
Pasta adds another layer of texture while adding a boost of comfort to this soup. Mexican style diced tomatoes with green chiles add a burst of freshness with a hint of spice. This is a pantry friendly soup that I often make when my morning has slipped by and it’s suddenly dinner time. Some days I might add a few chopped carrots or a few stalks of celery to the mix, but I always, always make a double batch. The family is content and I am set for lunch the next day.
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 teaspoons Mexican Oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 15- ounce can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 15- ounce can Mexican style diced tomatoes with green chiles
- ½ cup dry elbow pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
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Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, oregano and cumin and cook, stirring until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 additional minute. Stir in the chickpeas and cook until heated through.
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With the back of the spoon lightly mash half of the chickpeas to help thicken soup. Add the broth and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil.
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When soup reaches boil add the pasta, salt, pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pasta is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning, add cilantro and serve warm.
As one of my kids said (after refusing to eat it, but finally testing it), “This soup is weirdly good!” How true, we all LOVED it. It was delicious and easy to make.