Chickpea Soup with Kale and Bacon
Ingredients
3 roma tomatoes
4 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans chickpeas
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
Parmesan cheese rind
3 cups kale
2 teaspoons olive oil
Directions
Using a paring knife, cut an x into the top of each tomato.
In a medium pot, render fat out of bacon over a medium heat. Once bacon is crisp, remove and chop.
Add onion and garlic to the rendered bacon fat. Sweat until soft. Add about 1/2 cup of chickpeas. Cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to blender or food processor, cover with 1 cup of chicken stock. Pulse until mostly pureed; make sure it still has a little bit of texture.
Transfer back to the pot and add remaining chicken stock, 1/4 cup of the remaining chickpeas, 1/2 of the chopped bacon, rosemary, and rind. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Once the mixture is simmering, add the tomatoes. Let them sit in the hot broth for 1 minute. Remove and peel and de-seed. Cut into a dice and add back into the soup.
Simmer the soup for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rind of the parmesan has almost fully melted. (It won’t melt all the way). At the last minute add the kale. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet, heat olive oil to a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the remaining chickpeas. Fry until crisp. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with chopped bacon and crispy chickpeas.
