Serves 6 (~1 cup per serving)
Although it may still be difficult to tell, Fall is upon us here in the Bay Area! Which means soup and comfort food season is here. But comfort food doesn’t have to equal unhealthy. This delicious one-pot meal provides the nourishing warmth of your favorite comfort foods and is packed with fiber and protein for a tasty, balanced meal. Plus, this dish utilizes pantry staples such as canned beans, so it’s easy to throw together all winter long.
Ingredients:
- 2 15-oz. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth (use vegetable broth to make dish vegetarian or vegan)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- One 14.5-oz. Diced tomatoes
- 1-2 tsp. Seasoning blend (such as Italian or TJ’s 21 Seasoning Salute)
- ½ tsp. Salt
- ¼ tsp. Pepper
- ½ cup pearled farro
- 2 cups lightly packed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped or 1 cup frozen spinach
Directions:
- Heat oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Then add the chickpeas, broth, tomatoes and their juices, the seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the farro and increase heat to medium-high. Once soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and cook additional 1-2 minutes until wilted (or 5 minutes if using frozen).
- Serve hot and garnish with a tablespoon of parmesan cheese (30 calories) or nutritional yeast (20 calories).
Nutrition Facts: 236 calories, 6.7g fat, 33.5g carb, 7.2g fiber, 5.6g sugar, 9.5g protein.
