Spiced Tomato Bulgur Soup with Crispy Chickpeas
a hearty, spiced tomato-based soup with vegetables and bulgur, topped with yogurt and crispy chickpeas
servings: 6-8
Ingredients
Scale
Spiced Tomato Bulgur Soup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large fennel bulb, cored + thinly sliced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz) crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 qts chicken (or vegetable) stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- ¾ cup bulgur
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh dill leaves
Crispy Chickpeas
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed + drained + dried
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp roughly chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- For the soup, heat a large Dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed pot) over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the fennel. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery. Cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and cracked black pepper. Stir in the garlic, coriander, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds. Allow the spices to toast for a minute or so.
- Stir in the tomato paste until incorporated. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaves, and rosemary sprigs. Stir to combine and season with a generous pinch of salt. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile for the chickpeas, combine the dried chickpeas, olive oil, smoked paprika, rosemary, coriander, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of salt in a small mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Spread the chickpeas into a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
- Stir the bulgur into the soup. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the bulgur is tender.
- Lastly, stir the lemon zest and lemon juice into the soup. Season with salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a dollop of greek yogurt, the fresh dill, a spoonful of chickpeas, a drizzle of olive oil, and more freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
If you want to have leftovers, store the soup in an air-tight container in the fridge. It will continue to thicken as it cools and sits overnight. So, I’d recommend adding a generous splash of water or stock to help loosen it before heating in the microwave or on the stovetop.