Last week I got mired in other work and neglected to post the now weekly Wednesday crockpot lunch recipe.
The title of a "chickpea soup" initially dissuaded me from using this, but I gave it a second glance (plus I really wanted something quick and cheap), and it turned out pretty tasty.
I used dried rosemary instead of fresh, because I had picked extra the week before (but it was fresh dried, so I’ve decided that counts) and I used a bunch of it, crumbling it into the soup. I also added an extra clove of garlic because everything tastes better with more garlic. I also used canned garbanzo beans because I had a heckuva time finding dried when I was stocking up my cupboard with dried beans.
Here’s the original recipe from crockpotrecipes101.com :
Crockpot Chickpea Soup
2 1/2 cups dried garbanzo beans or 3 (15 ounces) cans
chickpeas
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
8 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water or additional vegetable stock
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper (freshly ground is always better)
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (undrained)
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 ounces grated fresh parmesan cheese (6 Tbs)
Soak dried garbanzo beans in water to cover overnight. Rinse and inspect the beans and set aside. In a skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic and onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Put the onion mixture, garbanzo beans, and next 5 ingredients in your crockpot. Simmer in the crockpot for 2 to 4 hours. (I will start this on low in the morning, and turn up the heat when I come home for lunch). To make the soup thicker, blend 4 cups of the soup in a blender, 1 cup at a time (very carefully, this is hot soup!) then place all 4 cups back into the soup. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and let the soup simmer another 15 minutes. (this is the perfect time to throw together a salad). Place the soup in bowls (1 1/2 cups for 6 servings) and sprinkle with parmesan (1 Tbs).
Next up is this week’s soup: Peasant Stew
