RecipeStripper

Clean recipe · cooking.nytimes.com

Pesto Chickpea Soup

If you constantly find yourself searching for the next no-fuss pantry meal to make after a busy day at work, this pesto chickpea soup is for you. It requires just a handful of ingredients and minimal effort; slicing two shallots is the most difficult thing this 20-minute recipe will require. The modest but mighty recipe relies on store-bought or homemade pesto as its main flavor source. The steps are as simple as can be: The shallots cook in the pesto’s fragrant oil until softened. Next, canned chickpeas are added to the pot and crushed, then simmer in vegetable broth until thickened. Finally, a second dose of pesto gets swirled in the stew alongside fresh spinach, preserving their radiance for a bright boost of flavor.

Original recipe: cooking.nytimes.com

Yield:
4 servings
Prep:
5 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
20 min
Open cooking tools

Adjust servings, check off ingredients, and save a copy in the recipe reader.

Ingredients

  1. 1 (6-ounce) jar store-bought pesto or about ¾ cup homemade pesto
  2. Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
  3. 2 small shallots, thinly sliced into rounds
  4. 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
  5. 4 cups vegetable stock
  6. Salt and black pepper
  7. 2 packed cups baby spinach

Instructions

  1. Heat a medium pot over medium. Pour the oil from the top of the pesto jar into the pot; you should have about 3 tablespoons, but can add more olive oil as needed to reach the desired amount. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the chickpeas to the pot. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush about half of the chickpeas against the sides of the pot. Adjust the heat to high. Add the vegetable stock and season lightly with salt and a few cracks of black pepper. (Keep in mind that pesto can bring a hefty amount of salt to the stew, so start with a minimal amount of salt and add more as needed, after incorporating the pesto.) Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the remaining pesto and the spinach and mix everything to combine. Season with more salt to taste, and serve warm.