Guest Post Friday ~ Garlic Garbanzo Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1lb (2 and 1/2 cups) dried garbanzo beans (or 4 [15 oz] cans)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 12-14 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (or about 3 Tbsp minced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or if you want it to taste more like hummus, add about 1 tsp. sesame oil)
• 3 – 4 cups broth (or 2 [14.5 oz] cans) 
• Salt and pepper
• chives or parley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

If using dry beans, soak them overnight, rinse and drain, add six cups of water and simmer covered with the lid tilted for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours until tender.  Rinse in HOT water (cold water will make them split).

If you forget to soak your beans the night before, put them in a pot covered with about 2 inches of water, bring them to a boil, cover, remove from the heat, and let them sit for an hour.  Then cook as stated above.

 If you’re using canned beans, just drain and rinse.

Add the oil, onions, garlic, celery, and carrots to the pot and sauté them for a few minutes.  Add the beans and broth, bring to a boil, and simmer until the vegetables are as tender as you want them (15-20 minutes).  I slice my carrots very thin so the more tender vegetables don’t cook to disintegration before the carrots get tender.

If you want a smooth, creamy soup, toss it in the blender and puree it.  I leave mine whole, because my one year old is all about feeding himself, and he can grab the beans and chopped veggies.

Garnish with the chives or parsley if you want.  It’s especially good with a hunk of crusty bread fresh from the oven.