Instructions
Follow the steps and taste along the way.
Chop the vegetables
Finely dice the onion, cut the carrot into small cubes, and cut the red bell pepper into pieces about 1 cm in size. Finely chop the garlic.
Sauté the vegetable base
Heat the olive oil in a pot of at least 3 liters over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and bell pepper and sauté for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should soften and lightly brown in a few spots. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, and cumin, and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes and water
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and 900 ml of water, add the salt, and stir. Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Thicken with chickpeas
Add the drained chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend about one-quarter of the soup right in the pot; leave the rest whole for a hearty texture.
Finish and serve
Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove the pot from the heat, add the lemon juice and black pepper, and stir. Taste: the soup should be smoky, moderately salty, and refreshingly tart at the end. Serve hot.
