They say to feed a cold right?
I don’t get sick very often, but this week I’ve been a little bit down for the count. It’s not the worse thing ever – it’s just lingering… and it’s also hungry. Lately, I’ve been craving foods that are hot, cold, and, well, salty (you know, so I can actually taste things).
My scratchy throat and I were on Pinterest the other day and we were inspired by this soup and also this one. I read somewhere that garlic, lemon, and steam help to cure coughs and colds so this broth-y soup fit the bill. I didn’t want cheese to be necessary for depth of flavor so I thought I’d use miso instead, which – bonus – is also healing. (I did add a little bit of pecorino at the end for extra rich saltiness but it’s very optional).
A perfect simple soup for the soul… also quite tasty for lunch the next day. I’m sure this one will be a keeper even when I’m feeling a bit better.
- 1T olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup water
- 1.5 cups cooked & drained chickpeas (1 can)
- ½ cup (uncooked) quinoa elbow pasta
- 2 cups chopped kale
- a few squeezes of lemon
- 2 tablespoons white or shiro miso + a few tablespoons warm water
- optional - grating of pecorino cheese
- salt, pepper, to taste
- Heat oil in a medium sized pot over low heat. Add the chopped shallot and garlic, a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes until they slowly become translucent.
- Add the broth and water and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Optional step: (for a very clear soup) strain out the shallot & garlic pieces.
- Add the chickpeas, pasta, kale and cook until the noodles are tender and cooked through. Reduce heat to low.
- In a small bowl, whisk the miso with a few tablespoons warm water until the miso is incorporated and not clumpy. Stir half the miso-water into the soup along with a squeeze of lemon. Taste. If your soup is not salty enough, add the rest of the miso water. Add more lemon, salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot with crusty bread and pecorino cheese, if desired.
Inspired by Flourishing Foodie and Martha Stewart.
sounds like something i should try 😀
Mmmm this sounds awesome! I love soups with a miso base, and we’re stuck in a deep freeze right now so a big pot of this soup seems so comforting. I think I’ll be digging out the soup pot this weekend!
thanks Angela! It’s been cold here too, nothing like hot soup to take the chill off 🙂
I love how “no big deal” you are about your cold – I get sick every second year or so and am suuuuuch a baby!! This soup looks great for any time of the year though. Yum!
ha, well I’ve had worse for sure 🙂
I am from Melbourne, currently in the midst of a pretty intense heatwave (40 degrees C!). And you have somehow managed to make me crave a steamy hot bowl of this soup!
It looks absolutely amazing.
Thanks, yet again, for another inspiring recipe. X
ha! wow, that’s pretty hot… I’m thinking next year we should spend winter in Australia 🙂
This looks so soothing – a healthy comfort food. Hope you’re feeling better already!
That looks very yummy. Perfect for a spring lunch or starter!
Love this! Sort of a hybrid of a Tuscan pasta-bean soup and a Japanese miso soup!
Thanks Emma!
Sounds so comforting! Definitely going to try this soup! I’ve been down with a cold, too…and I was relieved to read that you said yours is making you hungry. Mine, TOO!!! I keep thinking, “shouldn’t I have *lost* my appetite?!?”
Found you through How Sweet It Is. 🙂
ha – I know! Soon after breakfast I’m wondering how long until lunch… then an afternoon snack (and so on)…
I’ve made something similiar to this but not with miso, how creative!
Thanks – it was a last minute idea but it ended up working so well 🙂
I sure hope you feel 100% soon. If we live next door to each other, I will definitely bring you my “Thai” soup 🙂
Hi Pang, that’s so funny you say that because I live down the street from a little Thai place and I’ve been eating their coconut soup many days for lunch this week (like, including today) 🙂
Yay!!! Thai soups cure all, yay!!!!!!
I made this soup yesterday, house full of sick people. I love it! It’s going in the rotation.
Add all the miso, don’t be a wuss! 😉
Oh my goodness, this is my kind of soup. Definitely a cure soup and what I would crave when I’m sick too. I may add some turmeric in as well for it’s anti-inflammatory properties. I’ve been in search for that perfect quick go-to recipe for when I am sick, and I think I just found it!!
This looks yummy! And so simple. Hope you’re feeling better soon – I swear by ginger when I’m ill; as a friend’s mum once said “It heats you up from the inside”…not sure about that, but it seems to do the trick!
Hi Meredith – I swear by ginger too – tea with lemon and ginger has been really helping me all week 🙂
What a yummy flavour combination- this will go down a traet on hot summer evenings for something like, warm yet refreshing to eat!
xox Amie Spoonful of Vintage
This looks so good!
Miso is so good. With the unusually cold weather here lately, soup would hit the spot. Saving this one. Thanks! =)
I never had chick peas with pasta!
I made this recipe on Saturday because I too felt under the weather. I added some sliced portobello mushrooms- delicious!
oh, and white beans.
Looks good! What kind of miso do you use? Would instant work or does it need to be paste?
Thanks!!
Miso is a great choice when you are sick as It is so nutritious and flavorful. It comes together so fast so even if you are worn out from whatever virus you have, you can usually muster up enough energy to make it. Love the addition of lemon at the end!
Thanks Lori! it was easy enough that I somehow mustered up enough energy for the cooking and also for the photo 🙂
Just got about two feet of snow here in Chicago, but lucky for me I picked up the ingredients for this yesterday because now I feel warm and hearty and refined and comforted all at once! This is probably my favorite dish I’ve made this winter. Thank you so much for such a lovely recipe!
I just tried this recipe. For some reason, the broth was not thin, golden and light, like the soup pictured. Not sure what I did wrong, but my broth is thick, yellow and creamy….any ideas? Too much starch?
Did you strain out the shallot and garlic pieces? It’s an optional step, but it helped mine become more thin and brothy. If it’s still not thin enough, try adding more water (or broth), and/or a little less of the other stuff until you get a nice consistency. (although mine was definitely a medium yellow color – the gold spoon might be creating some of the “gold” factor in the photo).
Hope that helps!
Mine was creamy-ish, too. I think it might have had something to do with the brand of miso I used, but not sure.
I just made this for dinner and it was super delicious! My 2 year old loved it as well which is a big plus.
I already made this soup twice because my BF loved it as did I, and even though I sort of let the broth simmer for too long the first time which led it to evaporate, he enjoyed the mush and dryer version. I do tend to make things spicier because I love spicy food so I didn’t hold back on the red pepper flakes. Also I used brown rice miso which worked just fine, just added color to the soup. Overall great recipe! (Also my first time making soup EVER! Once I saw this recipe I just had to make it!)
This is one of my all-time favorite soups now. I love how quick and nutritious it is. I made it a second time tonight and added green cabbage in addition to the kale- really good!
excellent points altogether, you just won a new reader.
What could you recommend in regards to your put up that you
made a few days ago? Any sure?
I tried to sell my husband on a vegetarian soup when the weather outside was 12 degrees, just below zero with the wind chill. Not to be deterred, I swapped out the chickpeas for a couple of sliced up chicken sausages I had in the freezer. Delicious and hearty, and we both gobbled up the soup. Now I have a great base for whatever is left in the house on a weeknight. Thanks!
This looks so warming and wonderful. Trying it tonight!
I love this recipe. I’ve tried it a few times and I think I like it better with white/cannelini beans, because they absorb the flavor of the soup a little better than the chickpeas. But overall–so amazing.
Tried this the other night, subbed spinach for kale and parm for pecorino (it’s what I had) and it was delicious!
Thank you for this awesome soup.
This sounds delicious and a healthy way to add chickpeas to our meal.I found this recipe while browsing and thanks for sharing.Will try it.
Yum! Added potatoes, carrots and a bay leaf with the broth along with a glug of nama shoyu (soy sauce) at the end. Served and topped with walnut “parm”. Hearty and nourishing. Thanks.