Creamy Chickpea and Roasted Garlic Soup For One

 

I tried a few dishes for lunch that looked good, but fell flat (looking at you, frittata with chips and caramelized onions or avocado baked eggs!). Then there was this very simple creamy chickpea and roasted garlic soup for one by America’s Test Kitchen, which perked me right up. 

The original recipe called for the chickpeas *and* the liquid in the can, but I didn’t realize this until they were drained and rinsed, and this dish turned out great, so do as you will. Also, the cloves of garlic were meant to be pan-roasted whole, but I decided to slice them and pan-fry them because it makes for a nicer topping. Either way, roasting really deepens the flavor of the garlic, and the simple flavors go really well together! If you happen to have some crumbled bacon on hand, it would be a great topper for this. 

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled 

1 15-oz. can of chickpeas 

1 ¼ cups chicken or vegetable broth 

1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley, tarragon, or chives 

1 Tbsp. lemon juice 

Toast garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and skins are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove garlic from saucepan and let cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, peel the garlic, then return to the now-empty saucepan along with the chickpeas and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas begin to break down, about 5 to 7 minutes. 

Process soup in a blender until smooth (you can also use an immersion blender or a food processor), about 2 minutes. Return soup to now-empty saucepan and adjust consistency if needed (by adding extra broth, for example; mine was fine). Off heat, stir in parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.