Sopa De Garbanzos - Chickpea Soup

loof's Note:

When my mom and I were cleaning out one of her kitchen cabinets, we found a box of recipes that she had clipped from newspapers and magazines. This one came from an article in the Houston Post (no longer in circulation), October 1989. The article was about traditional Mexican soup dishes and contained several wonderful and authentic recipes. This filling soup can be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the bacon.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 ½ cups canned chick-peas
• 4 ½ cups chicken stock (or vegetable)
• ½ lb lean bacon
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 onions
• 2 tomatoes
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Chop the onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
2. Put the chickpeas and 1/4 cup broth into a blender and puree until smooth. Add the puree to the remaining broth in a large soup pot and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Fry the bacon in a large skillet; remove and set aside. Saute the garlic and onions in the same pan until soft. Add tomatoes and cook 3 more minutes. Drain off as much fat as possible.
4. Add vegetables and bacon to the simmering soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Simmer until heated through. Serve very hot.

Reviews

[Lalaloula]

This is a nice, basic soup thats quick to make and satisfying as a light lunch. I enjoyed the combination of chickpeas with tomatoes, but would add some more spices next time Im making this. Since Im a vegetarian I used veggie stock and left out the bacon.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing your recipe here with us, loof! Made and reviewed for Aussie Swap and the Chickpea Event in the Spain/Portugal Forum May 2011.

[Deantini]

I used about 1/2 of the bacon, doubled the garlic, added 1/2 cup extra chickpeas and flavoured with salt, pepper and cilantro and still found that the soup was a bit thin and missing something. I don't think it was the bacon missing but more a depth to the flavour. Next time I might add a potato or something to help thicken the soup a bit more

[Annacia]

I skipped the bacon (personal choice) and used a green onion instead of dry onion. The soup has a wonderful flavor and is a pleasure to eat. As a plus it simply could not be any quicker or easier. I love garbanzo beans and this is another way to enjoy them. Made for Photo Tag.