Chickpea, spinach and tahini soup recipe
If you love hummus, the Mediterranean uber-dip we've all been making since college (if not since birth!), you're going to love this soup. With whole chickpeas, sesame paste (tahini) and cumin, this chickpea, spinach and tahini soup is a slurpable version of hummus, and one I know you are going to love. I added a bit of extra cayenne, because it's me, but also because the heat really offset the nuttiness of the tahini and chickpeas. You can substitute yogurt for the half-and-half, or eliminate the dairy and thicken the soup by pureeing a small amount of the chickpeas in a food processor.
Chickpea, spinach and tahini soup
Adapted from The Soup Bible, this recipe serves 4-5.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1-1/4 qts vegetable or chicken broth
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped (do not peel), approx. 2-3 cups
15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
2/3 cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp tahini
3-1/2 cups shredded fresh spinach (I used 1 6-oz bag baby spinach, and didn't shred it)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
Directions
Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy stock pot. Add the garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and starting to brown.
Stir in the cumin and coriander, and cook for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the chickpeas, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
In a small glass measuring cup, mix the cornstarch, half-and-half, tahini and cayenne until smooth. Pour this mixture into the soup, and stir in the spinach. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste, and add salt and black pepper as needed (the soup will need plenty of both).
Serve hot.
Well. Darn tootin', that looks tasty. I think I might add a squeeze of lemon to it, but it looks delicious as is. *hummus lover*
I am so glad to find your site! Looks terrific. I'm going to try this soup very soon.
Just eating my 1st bowl right now. Didn't have any potatoes so I lowered the amount of broth to keep it thick, AMAZING!
This soup is EXCELLENT! I put in the full 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. I think I'll cut that 1/4 tsp. Would like to have the nutritional info on this soup. I also think it would taste great if I added chicken pieces. YUM and husband liked, too!