Chickpea Harissa Bread Soup
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups chickpeas, rinsed, soaked 8 hours
  • 4 ¾ cups water
  • 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 6 TBS extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 8 oz hearty bread, such as artisanal sourdough
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 TBS cumin
  • 1 TBS tomato paste
  • 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ½ TBS Tunisian harissa (use more if it is not Tunisian)
  • Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Drain the chickpeas and place back in the pot. Add 4 ¾ cup water, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1 TBS olive oil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until tender.
  2. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the bread, then rip it into bite size or smaller pieces. Spread out onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile add the onion and 1 TBS olive oil to a skillet. Saute over medium low heat until the onion turns translucent. Mix in the garlic, and saute another minute. Mix in the cumin, tomato paste, and remaining 1 tsp kosher salt and saute 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. When the chickpeas are tender, remove the bay leaves then use a slotted to remove 2 cups of chickpeas, placing them in a blender. Use a liquid measuring cup and remove ¾ cup liquid from the pot, placing in the blender along with 4 TBS olive oil. Blend until smooth.
  5. Stir the blended chickpeas back into the cooked chickpeas along with the onion mixture, fresh lemon juice, and harissa. Cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Divide bread pieces among 6 bowls. Ladle soup over top. Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Notes
Most of the prep time is simply soaking the chickpeas.
Recipe by Alison's Allspice at https://www.alisonsallspice.com/chickpea-harissa-bread-soup/