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Mexican Chorizo Soup with Cabbage (Sopa Caldosa)

Chorizo Soup with Chickpeas and Cabbage. Mexican chorizo adds a delightful topping to this shredded cabbage chickpea soup. In a tangy tomato broth, this soup is hearty and filling and perfect for when you need to warm up after a blustery cold day.
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 318kcal

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven

Ingredients

  • 2 slices bacon thick cut, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup onion chopped. Sweet or yellow onion preferred.
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 8 cups green cabbage thin sliced, about 1 pound
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 15 1/2 ounce chickpeas canned, drained
  • 14 1/2 ounce tomatoes canned, undrained and chopped
  • 1 pound Chorizo Mexican, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  • In a fry pan, cook the Mexican chroizo until browned. Drain grease and set aside.
  • Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. When the pot has heated up, add the bacon pieces and cook until almost crisp.
  • Add the chopped onion and cook until just becoming tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.
  • Add cabbage sauté 10 minutes, stirring regularly until the cabbage is starting to brown, or caramelizing. If the pan seems dry, add a glug of olive oil.
  • Add chicken broth, chickpeas, tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. 
  • Stir in the vinegar.
  • Ladle soup into bowls; top with Mexican Chorizo and chopped cilantro.
  • To make this soup creamy, don't hesitate to add a big dollop of sour cream.

Notes

If you don't have chickpeas on hand, canned Great Northern Beans are a good substitute.
If you use the tubed version of chorizo, rather than the bulk, purchase two tubes. The tubed chorizo cooks down to a lot less meat.
Pro Tips For Succes:
  • Soup season isn't the time to purchase those sad flavorless hot-house tomatoes at the market. Purchase a good brand of chopped canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are bright and flavorful because they were canned at the height of the tomato season.
  • If using canned chickpeas for this soup, use good quality organic canned chickpeas. Just rinse them well in a colander and add to the soup. Simple and easy.
  • Want to make this a vegetarian Mexican cabbage soup? Trader Joe's has a product called Soy Chorizo product, a soy based sausage chorizo substitute. Not to be confused with Spanish chorizo, this comes in a two link package and is a substitute for Mexican Chorizo,
 

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 1273mg | Potassium: 567mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 840IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 4mg