Recipe developed for Country Crock
I don’t know what it is about this time of year that makes me crave soup all the time. I guess it’s the chill in the air and the need to feel warm and cozy all the time. And what better to make you feel warm and cozy than a delicious, hearty, healthy soup.
What I love about this soup is that I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand to pull it together. And it’s ready in just about 30 minutes, so you can throw it together even on a weeknight.
I developed this recipe for Country Crock Plant Butter and you can find the recipe on their site here. I love using Country Crock Plant Butter because it adds richness and flavor. It performs just like butter, only it’s plant based so better for you and better for the earth.
Sometimes soup for dinner doesn’t seem like enough of a meal so I like to make sure that it’s hearty enough to leave you feeling full. This plant based recipe for Curried Chickpea and Kale Soup gets its richness from coconut milk and from lightly mashing the chickpeas. You can mash them with an immersion blender of for a more coarse texture, just mash them with a pastry blender or fork. I prefer my soups to have some texture rather than to be perfectly smooth.
Whenever I make soup I almost always add some greens, like kale or spinach. It adds a boost of nutrition, gets extra veggies in your diet and makes the soup look pretty. Feel free to add any of your favorite veggies.
I’ve been making an effort to include more plant-based meals in our diet. Whether you make this on Meatless Monday or any day of the week, this plant based soup recipe really is easy to pull together and has lots of good-for-you ingredients like ginger, garlic, turmeric and kale. This soup freezes well so freeze leftovers in single serve containers for a quick lunch or dinner.
- 2 Tbsp. Country Crock® Plant Butter with Avocado Oil Stick
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 1 piece 2-inches fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic , chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. curry powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric (optional)
- 2 cans (15 oz. ea.) chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
- 1 package (5 oz.) baby kale
- 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or mint (optional)
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Melt Country Crock® Plant Butter with Avocado Oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and cook, or until onion is softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
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Add chickpeas, cumin, curry powder and turmeric. Cook until onion is very tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove one cup chickpea mixture for garnish.
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Add vegetable stock and coconut milk and bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits. Cook until soup thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Blend mixture with immersion blender, or mash with a pastry cutter or potato masher.
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Add kale and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Serve soup in bowls and top with reserved chickpeas and chopped fresh cilantro or mint.
Serve this soup with toasted Naan and a green salad to round out the meal.
I don’t always have fresh ginger in the house, but I always keep frozen ginger cubes in the freezer. They’re a great substitute for fresh ginger without sacrificing flavor and they’re a real time saver since you won’t have to peel and chop the ginger. Just add a cube or two in place of fresh ginger.
