This flavorful soup is a great way to put a healthy meal on the table, while still indulging in a guilty pleasure or two at the same time. The carrots, fresh spinach, and chickpeas work so well with the beer used in this soup’s broth and the crispy bacon garnish adds just the right amount of salty deliciousness that’s almost impossible to resist.
There are evenings when you want to eat healthily, however, you’re also in the mood to indulge in a guilty pleasure. And when it comes to guilty pleasures, I think that we can all agree that bacon is a pretty phenomenal choice, right? It’s salty, fatty, crispy, and pretty much makes everything taste better, including this somewhat healthy spinach and chickpea soup. And just in case you needed a little more guilt, I threw in a beer as well. Because you know what? There isn’t much in this world that can’t be made better with bacon and beer.
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound Thick-Cut Bacon
- 1/3 Cup of Shallot, Peeled & Very Finely Diced
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 (12-oz.) Bottle of Lager
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 Cups Cold Water
- 3 Large Carrots, Peeled & Diced
- 1 (15.5-oz.) Can of Chickpeas, Rinsed & Drained
- 3 to 4 Handfuls of Fresh Spinach (Approximately 3-oz. to 4-oz.)
Directions:
- Use a pair of kitchen scissors or a knife to cut the bacon into small 1/2-inch pieces. Separate the pieces of bacon and place them into a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until it is cooked through and crispy, making sure to stir it often. Line a plate with several paper towels and then use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to the paper-lined plate to drain.
- Turn off the heat. Use a few paper towels to carefully absorb all but 1-tablespoon of the bacon grease.
- Over medium heat, add the shallot, parsley, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and garlic powder to the 1-tablespoon of bacon grease. Cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and then add the beer. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the brother, water, carrots, and chickpeas. Stir to combine. and cook for 10 minutes.
- Decrease the heat to low and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Garnish the soup with crispy bacon before serving.
Suggestions:
- Make sure to cook the bacon until it is extremely crispy. If you would rather cook the bacon in an oven, bake it until it is super-crispy, allow it to drain on several paper towels, and then use your hands, scissors, or a knife to break it into small pieces. You can use 1-tablespoon of the bacon grease to make the soup or replace it with extra-virgin olive oil.
- Always turn off the heat when you are absorbing any residual bacon grease with paper towels. It never hurts to use caution and potentially prevent a kitchen fire. Afterward, I usually place the grease-soaked paper towels into a heat-safe bowl until they have completely cooled. That way, there is no chance of the hot grease melting the garbage bag when I dispose of them.
- Originally, I reserved half of the bacon for garnishing and left the remaining half of the bacon in the soup to cook. You can do this if you choose, however, I felt the bacon had a much better texture when it was not actually cooked in the soup.
- You should not need to add any salt to this recipe. The bacon, chickpeas, and broth will each add quite a bit of saltiness on their own.
- This recipe will yield approximately 4 bowls of soup.
Improvements:
- For a busy weeknight, cook the bacon ahead of time
- Add your favorite vegetables to this soup. Frozen corn, thinly sliced mushrooms, or frozen peas are just a few suggestions.
- The shallot in this recipe can be replaced with white, red, or sweet yellow onion if you choose to do so.
- If you like a bit of spice, add an additional 1/2-teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes or any other type of hot sauce or finely diced chile.
- CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing past soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound Thick-Cut Bacon
- 1/3 Cup of Shallot, Peeled & Very Finely Diced
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 (12-oz.) Bottle of Lager
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 Cups Cold Water
- 3 Large Carrots, Peeled & Diced
- 1 (15.5-oz.) Can of Chickpeas, Rinsed & Drained
- 3 to 4 Handfuls of Fresh Spinach (Approximately 3-oz. to 4-oz.)
Directions:
- Use a pair of kitchen scissors or a knife to cut the bacon into small 1/2-inch pieces. Separate the pieces of bacon and place them into a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until it is cooked through and crispy, making sure to stir it often. Line a plate with several paper towels and then use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to the paper-lined plate to drain.
- Turn off the heat. Use a few paper towels to carefully absorb all but 1-tablespoon of the bacon grease.
- Over medium heat, add the shallot, parsley, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and garlic powder to the 1-tablespoon of bacon grease. Cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and then add the beer. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the brother, water, carrots, and chickpeas. Stir to combine. and cook for 10 minutes.
- Decrease the heat to low and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Garnish the soup with crispy bacon before serving.
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