North African Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

• •1 tablespoon canola oil
• •3 cloves garlic
• •1 small onion
• •1 stalk celery leek
• •14 ounces chickpeas
• •3 tablespoons tomato paste
• •2 tablespoons harissa
• •4 cups water
• •1 package rice noodles
• •½ package spinach leaves
• •1 tablespoon lemon juice

We may earn a commission on Instacart orders, at no extra cost to you.

Method

From foodista.com — read the original

1. 1In a large soup pot add the oil, onions and celery. Cook over medium low heat until translucent.
2. 2Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
3. 3Add the tomato paste and harissa. Cook a minute then add the water or stock slowly while stirring to combine the flavor paste in the pot with the liquids. Throw in the chickpeas and bring to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
4. 4Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. My suggestion is that if you are using fresh pasta, give it a rinse under tap water to remove the starch before adding it to the soup.
5. 5It might make the broth cloudy. If using rice noodles add them right before serving to prevent overcooked mushy noodles.
6. 6To cook rice noodles place them in a shallow dish and cover with hot water for 10-15 minutes to soften.
7. 7Just before serving taste for seasoning, adjust to your taste.
8. 8Adding too much salt earlier on could make things too salty because some of the ingredients can bring a lot of salt to the pot.
9. 9Then add the spinach, it will only take a minute to shrink into nearly nothing, but it is sure a powerhouse vegetable that amps up the nutrition in this meal quickly and without fuss.
10. 10A squeeze of fresh lemon juice after it has been taken off the heat will add a nice bright flavor to perk up those dreary dark days of winter. Enjoy with some crusty bread. A meal you can feel good about, filling yet light.