David Rocco's Chickpea Soup: Simple and Delicious for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

This simple Chickpea Soup is everything that I like about a good bowl of soup--it is flavorful, hearty, and quick to make out of the pantry and herb garden. It comes from Canadian chef David Rocco. He recently did a Cooking Channel show on simple inexpensive pantry soups and this one immediately caught my eye. I did make a couple of small changes (marked in red below) that I think made it even better. Served with some slices of fresh garlic bread from the farmers market, it was a delicious dinner for a breezy evening.

The recipe can be found at the Cooking Channel here.

Chickpea Soup
Adapted from David Rocco, Cooking Channel
(Makes 2 Servings)


1/4 cup/50 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, finely chopped

(I added 2 cloves of garlic, minced)
(19-ounce/540 ml) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I used 2 (15 oz) cans)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups/600 ml water (I used 3 cups of homemade chicken stock)
grated Parmigiano cheese, optional

In a saucepan, heat up the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onions and gently saute until lightly golden, then add the chickpeas, rosemary, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and with the back of a fork mash 1/3 of the chickpeas or to your desired texture. Return to the heat and add the water and cook for approximately 15 minutes.

A drizzle of olive oil and fresh gratings of Parmigiano cheese is optional before serving.


Notes/Results: Soup in about 20 minutes that was so good that I didn't want to stop eating it. The broth was savory and full of good flavor--instead of mincing my onions, I put them in my mini-chop where they end up almost a thick puree, which I like better in a soup like this as it adds so much flavor. A little touch of garlic helped too and didn't overwhelm the chickpeas. Speaking of chickpeas, I liked adding extra as it made the soup more substantial. You could fancy it up with a little pancetta or bacon but to be honest, it was pretty perfect on its own. I would definitely make this again with my changes. It made two large, hearty servings and was just as tasty reheated.

Now let's see who has wandered into the Souper Sunday kitchen this week.

Libby from The Allergic Kid is back this week with a unique Sweet and Spicy Fruit Soup and says, "When I was a kid, my mom would end the holiday season with Søtsuppe ("Sweet Soup"), a traditional Danish fruit soup, which she served with a huge dollop of whipped cream every New Year. The infamous fruit soup has since become one of those childhood recipes I've started to revisit with an eye toward adapting for my son and updating for myself. Traditionally served cold with whipped cream and slivered almonds, I slid a scoop of my son's favorite vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream on top instead.It looks like the Søtsuppe is going to get passed down another generation after all."

Carla from RecipeAddict made a classic Butternut Squash Soup and says, "At least Michael is at work morning, noon, and night, which means that I can eat whatever I please without him wrinkling up his nose. Like I said, he's not a fan of soups, no.. not so much. That's okay with me though. It just means - MORE FOR ME. I told you I keep them "stashed" in the freezer. There have always been plenty of evenings when I am dining alone while he's hard at work in his restaurant. So for me these frozen "stashes" of love are always a welcome retreat from the usually heavy, fat leaden dinners that he prefers. A nice bowl of soup and a salad and I'd call that the perfect dinner."

One of two new faces at Souper Sundays is Supriya from Queen of My Kitchen, blogging from Redmond, Washington, who made Broccoli Soup with Potato-Sesame Triangles. Supriya says, "After the heavy Thanksgiving meal, we decided to go light the next day...with this quick Broccoli Soup and Potato-Sesame Triangles. Besides, the snow had finally melted and we were eager to get some shopping done for our Mumbai trip. We enjoyed this soup with Potato-Sesame Triangles that I think I had noted down from a cookbook by Nita Mehta." Welcome Supriya!

Our other newbie this week is Biren from Roti n Rice, joining us from the Midwest with a Leek and Potato Soup that she made with stock from her Thanksgiving turkey. Biren says, "One of my favorite soups with turkey stock is leek and potato soup. This creamy and peppery soup makes a wonderful lunch and is a cinch to prepare. With a flavorful stock, few ingredients are needed. Topped with spicy and peppery watercress, this bowl of goodness is much welcomed on a cold day. The idea of using watercress came from The Splendid Table." So nice to have you at Souper Sundays Biren!

Michelle from Ms. Enplace used her turkey leftovers for her Post Holiday Turkey Gumbo and says, "On one hand, it's sad that all the time and effort put into the Thanksgiving turkey has come down to these bags o' bones. On the other hand, every chapter must end so another can begin. I decided to use the Thanksgiving turkey carcass to carry on a South Louisiana tradition: the Post Holiday Turkey Gumbo. My turkey gumbo turned out to be a mix of ideas I ripped off of various family members. But is it really stealing if it's done out of love? Let's call it a tribute...yeah, a tribute. That's it. ... Serve over rice. Add green onions and/or parsley for garnish if you'd like. Pass file (Fee-lay) powder at the table."

Gwen from Simply Healthy Family is sharing her "Simple, Fantastic Pozole" recipe which she states will give you "Authentic Pozole in a fraction of the time!" Gwen also says, "...the leftover turkey possibilities were dangling above my head at night as did sugar plum fairies years ago. Pozole was numero uno on my 'must have' list this year and I vowed had no choice due to previous stated excuses but to make it simple, make it fast and most importantly not sacrificing the authentic flavour I so adore!"

For Lana at Bibberche, the remains of her Thanksgiving meal that didn't travel back to school with her daughter became her Leftover Turkey Soup. Lana says. "I found two turkey legs that she did not take with her back to Berkeley, and a container of leftover orzo risotto. I dragged Father from his spot on the couch, knowing he craved some action, gave him a knife, a vegetable peeler, and a bunch of vegetables to roughly chop. It took some time for his surgeon’s hands to get acceptable results from the medieval tools he was asked to wield, but when everything finally hit the pot, the kitchen was enveloped in the smell of comfort, security, warmth, and love."

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes tried her hand at chili this week and says, "In yoga-speak, there are as many ways to make chili as there are stars in the sky. I am always game to try any new recipe I find. My husband is the chili maker, and it’s a big production, with a special list made, and a special grocery store trip. This big production only occurs once a year though, sometimes twice. So, if I want chili more often, it’s up to me. So, when I found Beef and Bean Chili in Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster's Market from Sara Foster, it sounded like a good one to do the slow cooker on a Sunday afternoon. In reading it, I didn’t expect anything other than the usual chili. But it’s not. It is unlike any chili I have ever had before. Not so tomato-y, more soupy, and with an usual beefy flavor that was quite pleasing. I really enjoyed it."

Corina from Searching for Spice has an exotic Tomato and Couscous Soup and says, "Today I decided to make another recipe inspired by my trip to Egypt and my new Egyptian/Arab cookbook, Egyptian Cooking. I just needed something quick to make for lunch and as the weather is so cold, we still have snow, I decided to look for a soup. I liked the combination of spices in this one and the fact that it contained couscous makes it filling enough for a whole (light) meal. The soup was called, M’Deshesha, so I did a search to see if I could find out anything else about this soup. Interestingly, the only results linked back to the same book I had so possibly the spelling is incorrect. If anyone can let me know I would be happy to correct the name."

girlichef has another entry for her ongoing Tortilla Soup Quest with America's Test Kitchen's version of Tortilla Soup. This particular soup is #8 for girlichef personally and she also has this month's round up of lots of tortilla soups on her post. About this version she says, "Here's the latest version I tried...good...but not the best..." And of course after all those soups she would know! ;-)

And we do have one salad this week, a Warm Potato Salad from Tigerfish at Teczscape - An Escape to Food, made from some sample potatoes she was given. She says, "So...how...did..I...prepare...mine? The first dish has got to be a super-easy-and tasty right? So will be the second...third...fourth dish - which I have not thought of it yet. Back to my first creation - inspired from a simple Steamed Potato dish I saw over at PigPigsCorner some time ago. Oh yes, of course you heard me right! Steamed Potatoes. S-T-E-A-M-E-D Potatoes! It is so amazingly delicious, and I assure you - you don't need a difficult recipe to taste freshness and deliciousness! The soft-but-not-mushy textures are perfect as well."

And there you have it--some really wonderful soups and a tasty salad too. Thanks to everyone who joined in this week and a warm welcome to our new faces Supriya and Biren. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, simply click on the Souper Sunday logo on my side bar for all of the details.

Have a great week!