Chickpea Soup With Rice

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced (1-inch nub)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¾ cup long grain white rice
• 3 cups baby spinach (or chopped greens like kale or chard)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (half lemon)

Instructions

1. Prepare the vegetables: Dice the onion. Peel and chop the carrots. Chop the celery. Peel the ginger with a spoon, then mince the ginger. Mince the garlic. Drain the chickpeas.
2. Prepare the soup: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chickpeas, and ½ teaspoon of the salt and sauté for 1 minute.
3. Add the vegetable broth, garlic powder, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, rice and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice is tender.
4. Stir in the spinach and lemon zest and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and add a pinch more salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve warm (garnish with grated Parmesan for a flavor punch, if you like). Stores 3 days refrigerated; the rice soaks up the broth over time, so add a splash or water and a pinch of salt when reheating leftovers