Late December is when I start to lose my holiday verve. I’ve sung the carols, watched “It’s a Wonderful Life,” decorated the tree and baked my fill of cookies.

Don’t get me wrong, I dig the hap, happiest season of all with its hedonistic rituals and spiritual joy, and I celebrate Christmas all the way through Epiphany or Twelfth Night on Jan. 6.

But with the new year, I often find myself yearning for solitude – time to recharge, regroup, and ready my body and brain for a fresh start.

For me, a little austerity is in order as well due to the hubbub of the holidays. This is especially true when it comes to food. That’s why tossing together an easy, nourishing soup that warms me on a chilly evening seems so appealing.

There is a reason we crave soup, hot cocoa, tea or a cozy blanket when we seek ways to soothe ourselves. Our brains make a connection between warm feelings and actual physical warmth, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One. When we wrap our hands around that warm bowl of soup, we actually feel more positive toward ourselves and others.

This Chickpea, Chorizo and Spinach Soup is just the thing if you want a thrifty, unfussy way to put a little warm food in your belly.

“The best recipes are, in fact, simple,” Christopher Kimball, founder of Milk Street magazine and cooking school in Boston, writes in the introduction to his latest cookbook, which he called “Simple.” He says the recipe, which is just one of a nice batch of one-pot recipes, was inspired by the Portuguese sopa de grão de bico, or chickpea soup.

To make it, you fry onions, letting them take on a bit of color and sweetness. Then you drop in the chickpeas, potato chunks, sliced chorizo – be sure to use Spanish dry-cured – and broth, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. (Try vegan chorizo or make tofu chorizo, if you prefer.)

Right before serving, you stir in fresh spinach and cook just until the leaves wilt, and you’ve got a big-flavored, filling supper in a bowl.

And maybe best of all, the soup freezes well. I doubled it so we could eat it for a couple of nights, then froze it in batches for quick meals on busy nights. Just knowing the soup is there gives me peace of mind as I look toward the new year with all its complexities, unknowns and potential.

As Kimball notes, “The world is complicated, so we celebrate the simple life through cooking.”

Chickpea, Chorizo and Spinach Soup

6 servings

Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months.

Total time: 45 mins

Substitutions: No chorizo? Use any pork sausage or vegan chorizo; Instead of chickpeas, try White beans or black beans

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion (12 ounces), halved and thinly sliced

Two (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

8 ounces Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 ounces dry-cured Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed

6 cups no-salt-added chicken broth

5 to 6 ounces baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, potatoes, chorizo, pepper and salt. Then add the broth.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Stir in the spinach and cook, until the leaves are fully wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, taste and season with additional salt and/or pepper, as needed.

Nutrition | Per serving (1 1/2 cups): 336 calories, 34g carbohydrates, 22mg cholesterol, 17g fat, 8g fiber, 16g protein, 4g saturated fat, 223mg sodium, 7g sugar

Copy the Story Link