Rich Spanish Chickpea Soup Recipe

Spanish soups are one of the most popular and diverse dishes in Spanish cuisine, so it is very difficult to choose just one to prepare.

In this article, we will present to you one soup that is perfect for winter thanks to its nutrients, it is easy to make, and it is delicious. We are talking about the yummy Spanish chickpea soup. One of the easiest amongst all of our Spanish Soup recipes.

Keep reading this article to learn how to make it, all the changes you can make to the ingredients, and some tips so you can serve and store it.

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Background of the Dish

This recipe is older than other Hispanic soups, such as Spanish pea soup or Spanish leek and celery soup, because its origins date back to the 1600s in Almeria (Southern Spain).

The Spanish chickpea soup stands out from these recipes since it contains wheat: an ingredient full of nutrients that many people do not know how to incorporate into their diets.

Thanks to the large amount of fiber and vitamins that it has, this dish has historically helped Andalusians get through the cold winter and give a much-needed energy boost.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Chickpea Soup

To make this Spanish chickpea soup you need wheat, chickpea, a mix of salted meats (classic Spanish ingredient), morcilla, and water.

You can make this garbanzo soup with a regular pot, or with a pressure cooker (it would take 50 minutes to cook in that case).

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (200 g) wheat
• 1 cup (150g) chickpeas
• 1 morcilla (black pudding)
• 1 salted pork spine
• 1 salty ribs
• 1 piece (200g) bacon
• 1 ham bone
• 3 potatoes
• 1 bunch of fresh fennel
• 1 tbsp of paprika powder
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

How to Make Spanish Chickpea Soup- Step by Step Guide

1. The process of making this Spanish chickpea soup recipe starts the night before. You have to soak the wheat in a bowl, and the chickpeas in a separate one. This will give them a soft texture.

2. The next day (or after 8 hours), fill a pot with plenty of water (3/4 of the pot or 1/2 to start and add more as you add the ingredients). Heat it at medium heat.

3. In the meantime, drain the wheat and chickpeas with the help of a fine strainer.

4. In the pot with water, cook the chickpeas together with the ham bone, the salted ribs, the salted pork spine, the bacon, and the fennel for 1 hour and a half (90 minutes).

5. In the meantime, cut the potatoes into cubes. You should go for a medium to small size in the potato cubes.

6. When it is ready, add the wheat and the cut potatoes. Let cook for 20 more minutes add paprika powder and more salt and pepper if necessary (remember that the ingredients are salty, so be careful with the salt).

7. When the last 10 minutes of cooking are left, add the morcilla (also known as black pudding or blood sausage).

8. When everything is ready, serve your olla de trigo while hot.

Substitution of Ingredients

Like all good traditional soups, there are several changes you can make to the Spanish soup with chickpeas and it will still have a wonderful taste.

You can avoid using wheat if you don’t like it (although it wouldn’t be like the classic olla de trigo), and you can remove the meat if you were looking for a vegetarian version.

If you remove the meat, then you should add a lot of vegetables. For example, you can use bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and carrots, or you can even make other traditional chickpea soups and add spinach.

You can always take inspiration from other Spanish soup recipes to make changes to the ingredients.

You can try the Spanish white bean soup and use white beans instead of chickpeas, or the Spanish lentil soup if you are a lentil fan.

Tips on Serving Spanish Chickpea Soup

Similar to other popular soups, you can serve this sopa de trigo for lunch or dinner, at any time of the day it is fantastic.

This wheat dish is meant to be a main dish, if you want you can accompany it with toasted bread with olive oil and garlic.

If you were thinking about what type of drink is perfect to accompany wheat soup, then we recommend some: water, white wine, Malbec red wine, and fruit water.

Try the Potaje de Vigilia recipe, the Spanish dish with chickpeas, spinach, and cod that is usually served during Lent and Holy Week.

How to Store Spanish Chickpea Soup

To store this traditional soup you should always let it come to room temperature and put it in a covered container.

You can store the Spanish chickpea soup for up to 3 days in the fridge, and heat it in the microwave or on the stove when you want to eat it.

If you want to keep it longer, then you can freeze the Spanish chickpea soup for up to 40 days in the freezer, and thaw it in the fridge the night before you eat it.

If you store it for a long time, then you should add a little water when you heat it (this will also help the salt not be so concentrated).

Recipe Card: Spanish Chickpea Soup

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