Hearty Chick Pea and Greens Soup
Share
- ✉
-
Author Notes: After gorgeous weather here in Michigan last week, I'm now looking at gray skies and feeling chilly winds...Time for soup season! This one uses some collards, tomatoes, parsley and basil from my garden, probably the last remnants of the season. Full of chick peas and a little sausage it'll stick to your ribs and fill your belly.... - inpatskitchen
Makes about 5 quarts
- 2 cups dried chick peas, soaked in water overnight and then cooked for about an hour (alternatively use 2 14 to 15 ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
- 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 Italian sausages (hot or mild) casings removed ( about 12 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 5 cups baby spinach leaves
- 5 cups chopped collard greens which have been braised in water for 8 to 10 minutes
- 10 large fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
- 3/4 cups chopped flat leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper for reseasoning if necessary
- Place the carrots, celery, onion,garlic and Italian sausage in the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 15 to 20 times until the mixture resembles a coarse paste.
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the processed mixture, the fennel seed, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the sausage loses its pink color and you can see the onions softening. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomato seems to disintegrate into the mixture and then add the chicken broth and chick peas, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes Stir in the collards and spinach and continue to cook until the spinach wilts. Stir in the basil and parsley and re season with salt and pepper if necessary.
More Great Recipes
Share a Recipe
Enter one of our contests, or share that great thing you made for dinner last night.
Add a Recipe
over 1 year ago BocaCindi
Terrific soup, Pat. Canned chick peas. Kale. Canned tomatoes. Really, really enjoyed it. What's so great about it is you can use any bean and any green and it would still be a hit. Thanks.
over 1 year ago inpatskitchen
I'm so glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for the thumbs up!
over 1 year ago wssmom
A rainy, windy day here in New York and the perfect time to make this!! Thanks for posting!!
over 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thank you!!!
over 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thanks sdebrango! I know...all types of beans will work...and other greens too!
over 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Thanks Niknud...I've tried to reply but it's not going through...I agree.. this paste method is one I've been using quite a bit lately...it really does add a new dimension!
over 1 year ago Niknud
I love the method of food-processing until you get a paste. I discovered something similar when experimenting with Ethiopian food (a lentil dish). It really can integrate flavors in a whole new way. Yum.
over 1 year ago inpatskitchen
I know.. I've been doing this with a lot of soups lately........It really does add a new dimension! Thanks!
over 1 year ago inpatskitchen
I agree...have been using this method a lot lately...I apologize if you get 2 replies to this...I keep getting error messages....and Thanks!
over 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Hi! It's 1:50 pm on 10/18/11...I'm trying to get this whole recipe up but am having problems. Trust me - there are more steps to it. I'll keep on trying!
over 1 year ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Wonderful soup Pat, I could eat this every day. I could add any type of bean and it would be delicious too!