Moroccan Chickpea Soup

Have I ever mentioned my love for tomato based soups? No?
Well let this be a gentle reminder that the way to my heart is with a bowl of piping hot soup that contains little or lots of tomatoes.

This recipe comes from "Get It Ripe" by Jae Steele, a book given to me by a dear friend. You can tell I've made this soup too many times to count because as soon as you begin to open the book if  you let the pages fall as they may, they'll direct you straight to page 175- Moroccan Garbanzo Bean Soup. (They may also pause on page 185 - Maple Glazed Root Vegetables, yum!)


Adapted from "Get It Ripe" by Jae Steele

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
5 cups vegetable stock*
3 cups diced fresh tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes with juices
approx 5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
approx 2 1/2 cups potatoes, cubed
2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
cilantro, minced for garnish

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 6 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, saffron, and red pepper flakes (if using) and saute for 1 minute. Add potatoes and squash and saute for 5 minutes.
Add stock, tomatoes and increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until vegetables are very tender.
Stir in the chickpeas, simmer for another 10 minutes. **
Season with salt and pepper, serve hot garnished with cilantro.


*I added more stock because I wanted it to be quite brothy.
**I probably let this soup cook for maybe 2 hours before digging in