Hearty and “Creamy” Slow Carb Tomato Soup
This soup is a lot more filling and a lot more kick than a traditional tomato soup, making it great for lunches. The chickpeas add protein and fiber to keep you full, and they also give the soup a nice creamy texture. The chilli flakes are what make it special and give it a little punch. You can add less chilli if you don’t like spice.
The original recipe calls for white cannellini beans, and I later swapped it out for chickpeas by accident (I just happened to open the wrong can of beans.) What was actually a mistake turned out to be an improvement. The chickpeas give the dish a creamy texture, and there’s no white bean “skins” floating loosely in the soup which was a problem I had with the original recipe.
You can make a batch at the beginning of the week and portion it out into smaller pyrex containers. It goes great with a small salad, and while it does have plenty of protein, you may want a side of grilled chicken breast, or you can even add some shredded chicken breast straight into the soup itself.
Source: adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe “Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary”
Hearty and “Creamy” Slow Carb Tomato Soup
(Serves: 4-6 servings)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs olive oil or macadamia nut oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped - more if you like garlic!
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken or veggie stock – make sure to check for sugar and other hidden additives if using store-bought stock!
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoon, minced or dried rosemary or a dried Italian herb blend
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes ~ more if you like things spicy!
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon zest (optional)
Directions
- Put olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, rosemary (or Italian herbs) and red pepper flakes.
- Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
- Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can puree the soup in a blender in batches, but be careful – it will be hot and messy!
- Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or this will keep for a few days in the fridge.
- You can serve with a bit of crème fraiche and lemon zest to add even more zing.
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