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Chickpea, Spinach, and Rice Soup

Chickpea, Spinach, and Brown Rice Soup

Easy, fast, and super nutritious. Serve with toasted bruschetta with lemon, parsley sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Side Dish, Soup, soup course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chickpea, Spinach, and Brown Rice Soup
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 15-ounce can cooked chickpeas, drained (or 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
Lemon Parsley Sauce
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 1 cup Italian parsley, chopped
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp. salt

Method
 

  1. In a large soup pot, heat the 4 Tbsp. olive oil and add the carrots, celery, and 1 tsp. salt. Stir and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, until vegetables begin to soften.
  2. Add the spinach, stir and cook 2-3 minutes until it just begins to wilt.
  3. Add the broth and the chickpeas and stir well. Partially cover, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, in a small jar, add the parsley, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. Whisk and set aside.
  5. Stir in the cooked rice into the soup, stir and serve. Add a dollop of the lemon parsley sauce and a few hunks of toasted focaccia bread.

Notes

Use cooked rice for this recipe. Why? Because if uncooked rice is added to the broth, the rice will soak up too much of the broth and become soggy. By precooking the rice, it keeps its integrity and flavor. 
A great use for leftover rice.
I like to use brown rice for this soup because of the full-bodied texture. Wild rice is another good option.
Buon appetito!