Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ cup chopped basil leaves, plus additional for serving if desired
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes*
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1½ cups frozen (or fresh) cut green beans
- 1 pound purchased gnocchi
- 4 to 6 cups spinach leaves
- Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)**
Instructions
Chop onion and mince garlic. Chop ½ cup basil (thinly slice some additional basil and reserve for garnish, if desired). Drain and rinse chickpeas.
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and basil for 1 minute. Add chickpeas, red pepper flakes, broth, both cans of tomatoes and their juices, kosher salt and several grinds of fresh pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add green beans. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Break apart any clumps in gnocchi and add to pot. Cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Turn off heat; stir in spinach until wilted, about 1 minute.
To serve, allow to cool slightly and ladle soup into bowls. Top with basil and Parmesan cheese (optional).**
* Use fire roasted tomatoes if at all possible; avoid “no salt added” varieties.
** With the fresh basil, the soup is very flavorful and doesn’t require the addition of cheese, but feel free to add if desired.
