I found this recipe recently, and decided to make it for dear friends who were coming to dinner to celebrate the completion of our new kitchen. And was I happy I did! I had no idea how fabulous this soup would turn out to be. So much more than the sum of its humble parts. Yes it looked good on paper, but you never know, do you? Lucky us.

A few notes on this recipe: The prior version called for adding more olive oil before serving, but I used a total of 1/2 cup, and that was plenty. The prior version also called for two tablespoons of oregano, which I reduced to one tablespoon. I didn’t have any rosemary so I skipped it. Finally, I increased the amount of broth to 4 cups instead of 3, which allowed me to cook it a little longer. Next time I make this recipe I’m going to serve each bowlful with a wedge of lemon. I think it was the lemon that took this recipe totally over the top! I hope you try it soon. I can’t wait to make it again.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced very thin
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced very thin
1 Tbsp. oregano (2 Tbsp. if using fresh)
1 sprig worth of rosemary needles (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 cans (14 oz. each) chickpeas
4 cups vegetable stock
Juice of 2 lemons, plus more for serving
1/2-3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, and fry onion over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

Add carrot and celery slices, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir well, and add chickpeas and vegetable stock.

Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat. Thicken the soup by crushing some of the chickpeas with a masher or large wooden spoon (DON’T FORGET THIS STEP). Add lemon juice and parsley. Serves 4 as a meal (with a thick slice of whole grain bread) or 6 as a first course. Bon appetit!