Tomato Chickpea Soup

Making soup doesn’t have to be a lengthy process. What takes time is coaxing the flavors out of meat bones to make broth or cooking with dried beans that need to be soaked overnight. Here is a quickly prepared soup that uses canned tomatoes as well as canned chickpeas, and all of the ingredients can be kept on your pantry shelves to await their use at a moment’s notice.

SERVES 4

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 14½ ounce can tomatoes, diced including liquid

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 bouillon cube, vegetable or chicken flavor

Parmesan cheese to grate over the soup, optional

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 Instructions:

▪ Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on low heat and add the garlic, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes without letting it brown.

▪ Add the tomatoes with their liquid and the rosemary and continue to cook for 20 minutes, increasing the heat so the tomatoes barely simmer.

▪ Add the chickpeas, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes then add the bouillon cube and as much as a cup of water, gauging what consistency you want the soup to have. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

▪ Serve the soup in individual bowls and grate some Parmesan cheese on it, if you like.