This Spanish chickpea and spinach soup is a dish from Spain that was fairly easy to convert to a low carb version without losing any of the robust Mediterranean flavor profile.
Jump to: RECIPE
A few years ago, while visiting my daughter who was studying abroad in Spain we had the joy of eating some really memorable dishes.
The soup (or stew) we had in Burgos, Spain was actually made with fish, but I substituted chorizo sausage to add more assertiveness, and I decreased the amount of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) to lower the calorie count. I also added orange zest and parsley as a garnish to brighten up the deep flavors of the soup.
Make sure and use the freshest smoked paprika you can find. It makes a big difference.
This soup was perfect for a rainy spring day.
More Great Recipes with Chickpeas
- Roasted chickpeas make a great portable snack.
- slow carb version of pozole
- Moroccan beef and sweet potato stew
Low Carb Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Soup (with Chorizo)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb. chorizo sausage removed from casings
- 1 medium red onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 2 tsp thyme leaves fresh if possible
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 14 oz can garbanzo beans rinsed
- 26 oz chicken stock
- 2 bunches fresh spinach chopped, rinsed and drained
- 1 bunch bunch Italian parsley for garnish
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in dutch oven (if you don't have dutch oven, use a skillet for browning meat and vegetables and then transfer to large stock pot). Add chorizo to skillet or dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until browned.
- Push chorizo to side and add more olive oil if needed and cook onion, carrot, and celery over med-low heat for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender but not burned.
- Stir in garlic, thyme, pepper flakes and paprika and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add tomato paste and cook until slightly thickened (about 1 minute)
- Add garbanzo beans and stock
- Combine well and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and cook, covered about 45 minutes.
- Add chopped, drained spinach leaves to pot and cover. Cook over med-low heat until spinach is soft (about 5 minutes)
- Season with salt and pepper to taste (chorizo is salty so be careful).
- Garnish with parsley and orange zest and serve warm.
This looks great! I’m definitely going to make it!
Gloria, the version we had in Spain had Merluza (a white fish), which was really good. I just didn’t like the bones, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone else.
Maybe I’ll try it both ways, first with the chorizo and then with some kind of fresh fish we get here. This soup is right up my alley, I love chickpeas and I love spinach and I love them together.
Real funny.
Dorothy, I made this soup last night, exactly as you instructed (I used half a pound of chorizo, which was plenty) and it was fabulous! Phil emitted many sighs and guttural sounds of pleasure too. Thanks!