Chickpea Noodle Soup

Hot soups were only vaguely on my mind before leaving to D.C. last week. Even though there was an obvious difference in the morning air, the day time temperatures were still reaching the low 70's. By the time I came back however the clouds had settled in, the misty cool air made me reach for a warm cozy sweater and soup was all I could think about.

In fact I've already made several this past week. The day of my return I opened up my first jar of summers tomatoes and made a big pot of tortilla soup. So good with fresh tortilla chips and a subtle reminder that summer was not too long ago. Then I turned to another favorite; lentil soup, which I don't think I will ever tire of, no matter how long our winter decides to be this year.

Last night I decided I wanted something I've never made before. I had chickpeas and spaghetti noodles, carrots and fresh radishes just pulled from the garden, so I settled on the idea of a chickpea noodle soup as a sort of vegetarian riff on chicken noodle soup. The ingredients are so few and usually ones most people stock in their kitchen. The only unfamiliar one may be the white miso. I love adding miso to soups, plus it has many good for you qualities too. The stuff seems to last forever and can really add depth to soups and dips, I encourage you to add it to your diet if you haven't already.

This had to be one of the quickest soups I've ever made. Seriously it takes about as long as it takes to cook the pasta noodles and you're already spooning out yourself a piping hot bowl. Radishes didn't actually go into this soup, but their vibrant green tops did! I love eating my veggies from root to leaf (as long as they're edible). The undersides of radish leaves have little pokeys, much like nettles, although these won't sting, but once you cook them down they go away, you just want to make sure to cut whatever greens you use into manageable sizes to eat.

Chickpea Noodle Soup
serves 4-6

8 cups water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons white miso
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large carrots, sliced on the diagonal
12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti noodles, broken in half
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2-14oz. cans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch dark leafy greens such as kale, chard, or in my case radish top, cut to bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place the water or broth into a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Scoop out about 1 cup of the water into a small bowl and stir in the miso until it's completely dissolved. This just helps make it easier to combine with the soup. Pour the miso and water back into the pot and stir in the salt, garlic powder, sliced carrots, noodles, and chickpeas.

Continue to cook for 8-12 minutes or until your noodles are al dente. Turn off the heat and stir in the leafy greens. They will begin to slowly wilt and cook from the heat of the broth. At this point taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve soup hot with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh ground black pepper.