Recipe: About 30 Minutes Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Rosemary (blender or food processo

ABOUT 30 MINUTES CHICKPEA AND PASTA SOUP WITH ROSEMARY

"I make this soup in half an hour by multitasking. First, I assemble a quick-and-easy vegetable stock and simmer it for 10 minutes. While the stock is cooking, I measure and prep the chickpeas, pasta, rosemary, and spinach - then I stir them into the stock and cook until the pasta is al dente."

FOR THE VEGETABLE STOCK:
1 cup chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (1 to 2 medium leeks)
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
Kosher salt
1 bay leaf, broken in half
1 fresh thyme sprig or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
4 cups water (and more, as needed)
FOR THE SOUP:
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup small, short dried pasta, such as tubetti, ditalini, or mini-penne, uncooked
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 ounces (about 3 cups) baby spinach leaves
1 (3 to 4 ounce) piece of Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano, at room temperature (so that it will be easy to shave)

TO MAKE THE VEGETABLE STOCK:
Put the leeks, carrot, 2 teaspoons salt, bay leaf, thyme sprig or dried thyme, tomatoes, and 4 cups water in a medium, heavy pot set over high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain stock into large bowl, pressing down on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible, and return stock to pot (discard vegetables in strainer). It should yield about 4 cups. If not, add enough water to equal this amount.

TO MAKE THE SOUP:
Puree 1/2 cup chickpeas with 1/4 cup water in a food processor or blender.

Add the pureed chickpeas and remaining whole chickpeas, pasta, chopped rosemary, and 1 teaspoon salt to the strained stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, for 6 to 8 minutes or longer, according to package directions. (If the soup starts to cook down too much, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups additional water and return to simmer.)

Add the spinach and cook 1 minute more or until wilted. Taste soup and season with salt, if needed.

TO SERVE:
Ladle soup into 4 shallow soup bowls. Using a vegetable peeler, shave a generous amount of thin strips from the piece of Parmesan over each serving.

COOKING TIP:
This soup is best made and served immediately; as it sits, the pasta will continue to absorb the liquids. If, however, you happen to have leftover soup that has become too thick, thin it with some additional water.

Serves 4
Adapted from source: Sunday Soup: A Year's Worth of Mouth-Watering, Easy-to-Make Recipes by Betty Rosbottom