This soup was very satisfying – not vegetarian, but could easily adapted to be so. The combination of mashed and whole chickpeas made for an interesting texture. I personally would substitute something less salty for the chicken broth (wine?) and I would never use garlic powder.

The portion sizes must be huge! I made a half-recipe and still had about 4 servings.

Hearty Chickpea and Spinach Stew

Recipe from Patsy Jamieson, Diabetic Living (Spring 2019). Downloaded from Eating Well Magazine

Ingredients (Full Recipe as published)

• 2 (15 ounce) cans low-sodium chickpeas, rinsed, divided 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 12 ounces 93%-lean ground turkey 
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano 
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed 
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper 
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup) 
• 2 medium carrots, diced (3/4 cup) 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 (32 ounce) carton low-sodium chicken broth (4 cups) 
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper 
• ⅛ teaspoon salt 
• 3 cups IQF (individually quick-frozen) spinach (8 oz.) 
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Optional)

Method

1. Mash 1 can chickpeas with a potato masher or fork. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add turkey, oregano, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion, carrots, and garlic (or garlic powder); cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
3. Add broth, the mashed and whole chickpeas, pepper, and salt to the pot. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, at a brisk simmer until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
4. Add spinach* and increase heat to medium-high, Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbsp. Parmesan, if desired.

• * if using frozen spinach, go ahead and add to the mix in step 3.