Easy Kale, Chickpeas, & Vegetable Soup

Lis here ~ Whatever you’ve got, throw it in the pot. At least that’s what I did! I had no idea I’d be making something with kale until little Abigail came knockin’ on my door. Instead of a beautiful bouquet of fresh spring flowers held in her fist, it was a dark green leafy bunch of something she picked up at one of our farmers markets the Saturday before last. She thought it would be a hoot to have a “Kale Week” on the Chicklets! I was skeptical, to say the least.

I opened my fridge and we examined the abundant veggies I had on hand from my serious bout of prepping from the week before. We decided I should do soup and a bowl of leftover roasted root vegetables had to make their way into it. Then we dug down in my chest freezer hoping to find an ice cream bucket of homemade chicken broth. Alas, there was none to be found. No worries, though. I always have chicken bouillon on hand. Abigail left and I was on my own to figure out how to put it all together. I had a little help from Cranberry Moms, but as usual, I never do up a recipe exactly as written. *g*

The husband and I loved this hearty soup. I’ll be printing this recipe to add to my favorites. The only thing I’d do differently is strip the kale leaves from the stems, but it didn’t ruin the soup for either one of us.

Easy Kale, Chickpeas, & Vegetable Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 Tbsps. olive oil

8 cups water

8 tsps. or cubes of chicken bouillon

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small head of cabbage, chunked

Leftover roasted root vegetables if you’ve got them. If not,

3-4 potatoes, peeled and chunked (or leave the peeling on)

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4″-3/8″

1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp. dried sage

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried parsley

2 tsps. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 small bunches of kale, leaves stripped from stems and roughly chopped

In a large Dutch oven or stockpot (the base of an old, large pressure cooker works great), lightly sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the water, bouillon, chickpeas, cabbage, and uncooked carrots and potatoes (if using) and all herbs and seasonings. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas, carrots, and potatoes are slightly tender. If using, rough chop your leftover root vegetables into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot, along with the kale. Otherwise, just the kale. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until the kale is nice and wilted and all the veggies are tender. Enjoy!

Vitamin K ~ 684%DV!!!

Don’t forget! One lucky commenter this week will win a cookbook! I don’t know which one, only Abigail knows that, so you’ll have to come back every day through Friday May 3rd to find out.

Are you a kale fanatic with a favorite go-to recipe? Or are you afraid to touch the stuff?