Chickpea and tomato soup with chorizo and green chilli

You can find most of the ingredients for this winter soup recipe in the storecupboard – making it a quick and easy recipe all year round.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 large onions, finely chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 long green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika

• 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

• 4 x 410g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1.25 litres vegetable or chicken stock, hot

• 200g piece chorizo, diced

• Good handful chopped fresh coriander, to serve

• Lime halves, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a very large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, chilli, cumin and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes, until reduced slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Transfer half the soup to a blender, or a jug if using a hand-held blender, and whizz until smooth. Return to the pan with the remaining soup, stir and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Season.

3. Fry the chorizo over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until crisp. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the coriander, scatter with the chorizo and serve with lime halves.

tips

1. For a vegetarian version of this delicious, low calorie soup, use vegetable stock and leave out the chorizo.