Moroccan · Soup
Chickpea and Spinach Soup (Moroccan Style)
A green-flecked, garlicky chickpea soup where soft chickpeas meet a mountain of wilted spinach, spiced with cumin and paprika and finished with lemon. It is quick, iron-rich home cooking, the kind of pot Moroccan cooks throw together from the store cupboard on a busy night.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 2 tins chickpeas, drained (or 400 g home-cooked)
- 250 g spinach, washed and roughly chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tomatoes, grated
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp ginger
- 4 tbsp olive oil, salt, black pepper, lemon to serve
Method
- 1
Fry the base
Soften the onion in olive oil, add garlic, cumin, paprika and ginger, then the grated tomato and cook to a paste, about 6 minutes.
- 2
Add chickpeas
Add the chickpeas and 900 ml water, simmer 12 minutes, then crush a ladleful against the pot to thicken the broth.
- 3
Wilt the spinach
Add the spinach in handfuls, letting each wilt before adding more, and cook 4 minutes until silky.
- 4
Finish
Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.
Chef's tips
- Add the spinach last so it stays green; it collapses to almost nothing, so use more than you think.
- Crushing some of the chickpeas thickens the soup naturally without any flour.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes — add it straight from frozen and simmer a couple of extra minutes; squeeze out excess water if it looks watery.
How do I make it heartier?
Add a handful of small pasta or rice with the chickpeas, or a diced potato, for a more filling bowl.