In a nut shell: Once the weather starts turning cooler, I like to make a big pot of soup on Sundays and start the week having flavorful leftovers. After all, soup is one of those things that always tastes better the next day.
Would I Make This Again?
Absolutely yes! This is a wonderful soup that makes enough for about 8+ servings. I love an excuse to use sun-dried tomatoes and the combination of flavors here welcomes those rich little pieces of goodness.
Points and Perks
- Perk: It’s a restaurant quality meal.
- Perk: Chickpeas – considered to be a superfood, I’m always looking for ways to use them.
- Perk: It’s a pretty easy meal to make and it’s a one-pot meal.
- Point #1: This recipe calls for Italian Sausage. I’m a fan of Chicken Italian Sausage which makes this a bit healthier.
- Point #2: This recipe calls for kale. Don’t like it, but switching out spinach or chard makes this a recipe we enjoyed.
- Point #3: Creamy but not overly so. This recipe calls for ¼ cup of heavy cream. With lots of broth, I can live with those small amount of fat calories.
More Related Recipes
Please note: The recipe in this article changes each periodically. If you want to save this recipe, please print out or download it, rather than save it to Pinterest. Next week, there will be a new recipe in its place. If you do happen to come back and not find the recipe you’re looking for, please email me and I’ll send it to you.
Creamy Tuscan Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound Spicy Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 large Yellow onion chopped, about two cups
- 1 large Celery Stick chopped, about ½ cup
- ½ cup Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 8 Cups Chicken stock
- 2 15-ounce Cans of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 cups 4 cups torn lacinato kale leaves About 1 small bunch
- 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Grated (about ½ cup), plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup Heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoon Chopped fresh basil
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, stirring often and breaking into small crumbles using a wooden spoon, until sausage is rendered and browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add onion and celery to Dutch oven; cook, stirring often and scraping bottom of pot to loosen any browned bits, until vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in stock and chickpeas; bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, until flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Spoon off and discard any foam that rises to the surface.
- Add kale to Dutch oven; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, cream, basil, and salt. Divide soup evenly among bowls, and garnish with additional cheese, if desired.
Notes
- If you don’t like kale (that’s me) substitute spinach or chard.
- I used dried chickpeas. 1 ½ cup dried chick peas (precooked) will equal about two cans 15 ounce cans.
- I am a fan of Italian Chicken Sausage. It makes a great substitute here.
- I added ½ teaspoon of fennel seed …. because I love it with Italian sausage.
Nutrition
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Lea Ann,
I am a fan of Karen’s too! I think it has been about fifteen years.
This is a tasty summer dish. Marinated grilled chicken breasts, lot of lemon and an olive tapenade-put me down!
Well I’m a little confused from the comments because I’m reading about your big Italian salad and others are talking about soups and peaches. Anyway, your comment that this was your best salad yet says a lot and I’ll be sure to add the Calabrese Antipasto Salad to the mix.
Thank you for the ‘shout out’ Lea Ann! I didn’t realize the recipe is not available on the Food & Wine website any longer. I’ll have to fix my post 🙂 We have yet to have a day where the weather has been nice and that we’ve been available to have a glass of wine outdoors! Can’t wait for those days to come again.
Lea Ann, I love fresh ripe peaches. They can be so much more than just in desserts. This recipe is proof! I don’t have access to Colorado peaches but the ones coming out of South Carolina are delightful too. Thanks for sharing the inspiration with us.
Velva
Lea Ann, just wanted to say that Aunt Lena’s Autumn Soup is our absolute favorite soup!! She gave me this recipe 50 years ago, after Danny & I were first married, and I’ve been making it ever since! It’s been passed down to our kids as well, and it’s always my go to soup when feeding a crowd. So many different things you can add to it. We love it with frozen corn added when you add the tomatoes, or green beans … can add whatever you have on hand. Anyway, thanks for publishing this … We can wholeheartedly recommend this soup … So delicious!!
I love lentils but don’t make them as often as I should! Love this weekly recipe!