Vegan Chickpea Soup
 
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas (which came from about 8 ounces dried, or two 15-ounce cans), plus 1 one cup of their reserved liquid
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water
  • Kosher Salt
  • A handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish
Instructions
  1. To make the Paprika Oil: Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over low heat. Remove pan from the heat, stir in the paprika, and let the oil infuse for 30 to 45 minutes. When ready to use, spoon off the oil into a small bowl, leaving the paprika in the skillet - don’t worry if some of the paprika sneaks into your bowl! You’ll have more oil than you need for the chickpea soup, but this makes a great garnish for a wide variety of dishes.
  2. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the pot and cook until the onions and garlic have softened, but not browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add most of the chickpeas (reserve about ½ cup for garnish!) and their liquid, along with the vegetable broth, and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, then reduce the heat back to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. While the soup simmers, make the Crispy Chickpea Garnish: heat 1 tablespoon of the Paprika-Infused Oil in a skillet (I just re-used the skillet in which I infused the oil, no need to clean it) over medium-high heat. Add the reserved chickpeas and cook, stirring once or twice, until they are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, then season generously with kosher salt - the salty/smoky/crispy features will give these Chickpeas some vegan bacon vibes! Reserve for garnish.
  4. Puree the soup in a blender until very smooth (I let it run for 1 full minute), and season with salt to taste. Portion into bowls, then garnish with a drizzle of the Paprika Oil and a sprinkle of parsley and Crispy Chickpeas.
Recipe by Allons-Eat! at https://www.allonseat.com/vegan-chickpea-soup/