Spanish Tomato and Chickpea Soup with Smoked Paprika Recipe
This thick soup combines the sweetness of tomatoes with creamy chickpeas and the distinctive smoky aroma of smoked paprika, so beloved in Spain. It’s a bit like a cross between tomato soup and a vegetable stew, but meatless and very filling. Perfect for cooler days when you need a bowl of something warming and simple to make from pantry staples.
A simple pantry-based soup that delivers the comforting richness of a stew without any meat, with smoked paprika giving it a distinctly Spanish, smoky depth of flavour.
Chef's tips
Don’t let the spices fry for too long—about 30 seconds is enough. If they start to darken too much, they can turn bitter. If your tomatoes are very acidic, balance the flavour with a pinch of sugar at the end. For extra creaminess without adding cream, blend a small portion of the soup and mix it back in.
How to serve
Serve in warm bowls with a drizzle of good-quality olive oil and plenty of fresh black pepper. Pair with rustic bread, garlic bread or toasted sourdough. As a more substantial meal, you can top each portion with a poached egg or a spoonful of Greek yogurt.
Ingredients
- chickpeas - 480 g
- tomatoes - 800 g
- stock - 700 ml
- onion - 1 piece
- carrot - 1 piece
- celery stalk - 1 stalk
- garlic - 3 clove
- smoked paprika - 1.5 teaspoon
- olive oil - 3 tablespoon
- bay leaf - 2 piece
- cumin - 0.5 teaspoon
- salt -
- black pepper -
Preparation
- Peel the onion and dice it finely. Peel the carrot and cut it into small cubes. Wash the celery stalk and also cut it into a small dice. Peel the garlic and chop it finely.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, season with a pinch of salt and sauté for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables soften and become slightly translucent but do not brown.
- Add the garlic, cumin and smoked paprika and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until the spices become very fragrant.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes along with their juice, add the bay leaves and the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Drain the chickpeas in a sieve and rinse under cold water. Add them to the pot, stir and cook for another 10–12 minutes over low heat, until the flavours meld and the soup thickens slightly.
- Remove the bay leaves. Taste the soup and season with salt and black pepper to taste. If you’d like it thicker, you can briefly blend 1–2 ladles of the soup with a hand blender and pour it back into the pot.
- Serve the soup hot in bowls. You can drizzle a little olive oil on top and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
Storage
Zupa dobrze się przechowuje – w lodówce do 3 dni, a w zamrażarce do 2 miesięcy. Po rozmrożeniu podgrzewaj na małym ogniu, w razie potrzeby dolej trochę wody lub bulionu.
