This is an expansion on the chickpea noodle soup I learned about from 101 Cookbooks. It was so good and basic, I realized, beans are good, nooldes are good and broth is good, so what's stopping me from putting it altogether? Usually bean soups have thick texture, more like hot pureed bean dip with a little broth mixed in than brothy soup. I like bean soups, but they don't fit the one-pot weekday meal I'm generally looking for. The texture is so thick and the taste so strict and beany, it's hard to eat a big bowl at once. When made with just beans, they're better as first-courses or a quick cup for a snack (which isn't a bad idea when it comes to snacks, beans are filling and healthy). But add some more broth and noodles and suddenly you have real one-pot, rib sticking comfort food! the chickpea noodle soup blew my doors, and the simplicity is a winner for the most harried of week-nights. I made a few variations of the soup with different beans and minor changes in flavors - all with things you will typically have in your pantry. The beany noodle soups are now a staple in our house. I hope you enjoy!
If you like the soup thicker with beans than noodles, add two cans beans. The best part about these soups is that they are so easy to customize; Two cans of beans or one, a whole lemon or lime or a half, spicy or mild, it's all managed by starting with less and adding more later if you want.
Base Ingredients - for two, double for four
2 cups chicken broth (Swanson's organic is my favorite bang for the buck)
up to 1 cup water for thinning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup small egg noodles or spelt noodles
Chickpea Soup
1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup tahini
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 - 1 T paprika
1/4 t or to taste cayenne
1 T Olive oil
1 t salt
fresh ground pepper to taste (optional)
Heat pot, pour 1/2 T olive oil, saute garlic 30 sec-1 min. Add broth, lemon, tahini and chickpeas, salt and stir. Bring to a boil. Smash chickpeas with a potato masher. This step is optional, but it allows for some of the chick peas to stick to the noodles, better mixing the flavors. Add noodles, paprika and cayenne. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper if using before serving. Repeat, substituting different beans and ingredients.
Pinto Beans
1 14 oz can pinto beans
1/4 - 1/2 cup enchilada sauce
Juice of 1/2 - 1 lime
1 t salt
1/2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
cayenne to taste
cojita cheese or sour cream in place of olive oil if you want. If not, olive oil is fine
White Beans
1 14 oz can white beans (canellinni)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t white pepper
1 t salt
1 T butter
1 t mustard powder
1/2 cup fresh parsley (or dill would probably be good too)
olive oil
sprinkle with fresh parmesean cheese before serving
Now you have three soups that can all be made out of cans from your fridge and pantry plus a few spices. Only the White Bean recipe has fresh parsley, although it would also be good in Chickpea and Cilanto good in Pinto. But sometimes we can't get to the store and we don't always have fresh herbs on hand, especially in the winter. Beany Noodley soup comes together in well under half an hour and the flavor gets better with age. I love it for lunch the next day so I usually double the recipe whenever I make it. The soup also freezes well and when you double it to make four servings you're using a whole lemon and lime so you don't have to package up and protect an errant half-lemon for later use.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Chickpea Noodle Soup - Hummus if it were soup!
My inspriation:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001540.html
I stumbled across this website when I was googling "how to print your own recipe book," for Christmas presents. She's a San Francisco based vegetarian food writer and photographer with a very practical approach to food buying and cooking. I have barely scratched the surface of her website, but her simple recipes with economical rather than outlandish ingredients seem very appealing. Especially since we're trying to eat less meat. And she has separate categories named kale, chickpea, yougurt, soba noodles, tomoato, egg and just about every other favorite ingredient of mine. I'll be checking in regularly to be sure.
Last night we had plans to meet friends at the Portland holiday brewers festival at 5 pm. At 3 pm I decided to take the dogs for a run/walk (we run up the hills and walk down them). I returned at 3:30 with plenty of time to shower, dress and meet the friends, until, halfway through my shower my stomach growled and I realized I hadn't eaten anything since the two small blueberry pancakes at 10 this morning and a) didn't want to deal with trying to eat at brewfest and b) didn't want to drink heavy, heady, holiday brews on an empty stomach, I winced in anticipation of the headache. Luckily, just that morning I found this website and this particular recipe for chickpea noodle soup. Broth, chickpeas, noodles, garlic, all things I always have in the pantry. I was out of the shower and in the kitchen by 4:00...in my bathrobe, but with my hair at least blown sorta dry (I have low maintenance hair). By 4:20 the whole thing was simmering and the noodles cooking. At 4:30 the noodles were done and I turned off the heat, leaving the noodles to cook some more and the broth to cool. I did my make-up and figured out at least which jeans I was wearing. At 4:40 still in a sweatshirt I went back downstairs to stuff my face. Texted friends that we were running late. It's a quick meal, not a miracle. Friend texted back "me too, meet up at 6?" Ah, small favors. Poured the soup into a bowl and sat with it for awhile, letting the scents waft up my nose - I'm recovering from a cold so the steam bath felt lovely. Lemon, olive oil, garlic, paprika, four indespensible flavors for more than one culture, they danced so comfortably together as I sat there drinking them in. 32 oz of broth, $3.00, 1 can chickpeas, $1.10, 2 cloves garlic 0.14 cents, 1 T paprika 0.10 cents, lemon juice .50 if real lemon, noodles .50, total, $5.20. $5.20 for a fantastic meal cooked in 30 minutes (and eaten in 45). This one is a keeper. Someday I will make the website version with fried noodles and high quality fresh pasta, but for cupboard staple soup, this is amazing.
My variation, cooked and eaten in less than 45 minutes
1 32 oz box chicken broth (or homemade if you have it)
2-4 clove garlic depending on how garlicky you want it, minced or pressed
2 T olive oil
1 14 oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups small egg noodles (1/2 more if you like it extra noodley)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme (or dill, or cumin or use your imagination)
1 small or 1/2 bay leaf
Heat olive oil over medium heat until it sizzles, toss in minced garlic and saute 30 sec-1 min until garlic is softened and aromatic. Add chick peas and saute 30 more secs. Add broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne and thyme, bring to a boil and let simmer 15 minutes. Use a potato masher to lightly mash the beans so they are just broken up. Add egg noodles and cook according to time on package. When noodles are al dente, remove from heat and let rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with tobasco sauce, pita triangles, yogurt or tzatziki sauce.
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001540.html
I stumbled across this website when I was googling "how to print your own recipe book," for Christmas presents. She's a San Francisco based vegetarian food writer and photographer with a very practical approach to food buying and cooking. I have barely scratched the surface of her website, but her simple recipes with economical rather than outlandish ingredients seem very appealing. Especially since we're trying to eat less meat. And she has separate categories named kale, chickpea, yougurt, soba noodles, tomoato, egg and just about every other favorite ingredient of mine. I'll be checking in regularly to be sure.
Last night we had plans to meet friends at the Portland holiday brewers festival at 5 pm. At 3 pm I decided to take the dogs for a run/walk (we run up the hills and walk down them). I returned at 3:30 with plenty of time to shower, dress and meet the friends, until, halfway through my shower my stomach growled and I realized I hadn't eaten anything since the two small blueberry pancakes at 10 this morning and a) didn't want to deal with trying to eat at brewfest and b) didn't want to drink heavy, heady, holiday brews on an empty stomach, I winced in anticipation of the headache. Luckily, just that morning I found this website and this particular recipe for chickpea noodle soup. Broth, chickpeas, noodles, garlic, all things I always have in the pantry. I was out of the shower and in the kitchen by 4:00...in my bathrobe, but with my hair at least blown sorta dry (I have low maintenance hair). By 4:20 the whole thing was simmering and the noodles cooking. At 4:30 the noodles were done and I turned off the heat, leaving the noodles to cook some more and the broth to cool. I did my make-up and figured out at least which jeans I was wearing. At 4:40 still in a sweatshirt I went back downstairs to stuff my face. Texted friends that we were running late. It's a quick meal, not a miracle. Friend texted back "me too, meet up at 6?" Ah, small favors. Poured the soup into a bowl and sat with it for awhile, letting the scents waft up my nose - I'm recovering from a cold so the steam bath felt lovely. Lemon, olive oil, garlic, paprika, four indespensible flavors for more than one culture, they danced so comfortably together as I sat there drinking them in. 32 oz of broth, $3.00, 1 can chickpeas, $1.10, 2 cloves garlic 0.14 cents, 1 T paprika 0.10 cents, lemon juice .50 if real lemon, noodles .50, total, $5.20. $5.20 for a fantastic meal cooked in 30 minutes (and eaten in 45). This one is a keeper. Someday I will make the website version with fried noodles and high quality fresh pasta, but for cupboard staple soup, this is amazing.
My variation, cooked and eaten in less than 45 minutes
1 32 oz box chicken broth (or homemade if you have it)
2-4 clove garlic depending on how garlicky you want it, minced or pressed
2 T olive oil
1 14 oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups small egg noodles (1/2 more if you like it extra noodley)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme (or dill, or cumin or use your imagination)
1 small or 1/2 bay leaf
Heat olive oil over medium heat until it sizzles, toss in minced garlic and saute 30 sec-1 min until garlic is softened and aromatic. Add chick peas and saute 30 more secs. Add broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne and thyme, bring to a boil and let simmer 15 minutes. Use a potato masher to lightly mash the beans so they are just broken up. Add egg noodles and cook according to time on package. When noodles are al dente, remove from heat and let rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with tobasco sauce, pita triangles, yogurt or tzatziki sauce.
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