Smoky Chickpea Soup with Tomatoes and Spinach

Instructions

1. 1

   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.

   
2. 2

   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.

   
3. 3

   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.

   
4. 4

   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.

   
5. 5

   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.