Easy Chickpea and Spinach Soup with Pork Hocks
Soup is a food that everyone should have in their arsenal. It’s a great way to use up the meat and vegetables you have on hand and can be an easy dinner for rushed weeknights. You don’t even need a recipe, which makes it even better. However, you might need some flavor boosters like this Easy Chickpea and Spinach Soup with Pork Hocks recipe. Make sure you give it a try.
Soup is my go-to food. Soup is pretty easy to make and full of flavor. Because it is easy, quick, and flavorful. Soups are very versatile and delicious. The best thing about this recipe is that it’s really easy to make and doesn’t require you to be chained to the stove because everything is cooked in the slow cooker. You can also add or subtract some ingredients – personalize them to suit your taste buds!
This soup is a delicious recipe that warms you up from the inside out. The pork hocks and chickpeas simmer together in the crockpot all day, adding their flavors to each other until they’re ready to eat. Then, add some spinach (or other greens) and cook it just long enough to wilt it.
The ingredients needed for the Easy Chickpea and Spinach Soup with Pork Hocks
The best way to make a good soup is by using the right ingredients. This recipe is simple and easy to make. The ingredients are readily available in any grocery store and can be found easily in your pantry.
- Smoked pork hocks: it is best to buy them from a specialty market if you can; they are better quality
- Haitian Epis or Green Seasoning: one of the best condiments you can have to season meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Onion: yellow or white or even shallots will do.
- Garlic: fresh garlic, preferably
- Red Bell Pepper: for flavor and color
- Chicken broth: for seasoning the broth. You can also use vegetable broth.
- Bay leaves: give out such a nice aroma to the soup.
- Oregano: one of the pork meat’s best friends. A good seasoning for meat and poultry in general.
- Whole celery seeds: this ingredient is for flavor. I don’t regularly buy celery, so this gives me the celery taste I want.
- Whole cloves:
- Noubess Hot and Spicy Sauce: this is a hot, spicy, peppery sauce. It is great in most dishes.
- Carrot: full of antioxidants and a great vegetable for soups.
- Spinach: another great ingredient to add to soup.
- Lemon juice: one of the most important ingredients you must have. It is a great acidic agent for cleaning meat, poultry, and seafood. (if it is your cleaning method) Lemon juice can save a dish and also ruin it if you use too much. Add a couple of drops to your soup or your stews.
How to make the recipe
In the morning, put the pork hocks in your slow cooker, seasoning, and chicken broth. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. At dinner time, add the canned chickpeas, spinach, carrot and cook for another 30 minutes or so, until the spinach wilts a bit and the carrots are still crunchy but cooked.
The trick to this recipe is cooking the vegetables low and slow in order to extract maximum flavor from the vegetables. The result is an intensely flavored soup that will warm you up on a cold winter day.
This soup is perfect with leftover ham, turkey, and even beef and vegetables from the fridge. The smoked pork hock adds flavor to the soup, and it’s easy to get if you ask your butcher or local grocery store.
Notes and Tips for the recipe for Chickpea and Spinach Soup with Pork Hocks
- The size of the smoked pork hock bone or the amount of meat on the bone can add more or less flavor. Use smoked pork hocks if you can; if not, fresh pork hocks will work as well, but you will need to adjust the seasoning.
- The cooking time for the pork hocks will differ because of the size.
- If you want to add a few drops of lemon juice to the soup, add the drops at the last 10 – 15 minutes of cooking. This ingredient is not a must to use. Some people like a bit of acidity in their soup, which is a great way to get it. But don’t forget that the Epis had some acidity as well.
- Leftover ham works beautifully in this recipe. You will have to reduce the cooking time.
- Want to use dried chickpeas instead of canned, don’t worry. Add the dried peas with the meat and seasoning and cook for 7-9 hours on low heat or 4 – 5 hours on high heat. (cooking time will also depend on your slow cooker temperature.)
- If using dried chickpeas, the mixture will be slightly creamy.
- For a thicker soup, add more chickpeas, spinach, and carrot.
This recipe is very simple and easy to prepare. It is a hearty soup that will leave you feeling satisfied. The ingredients are all commonly found in your local supermarket, which means they can be easily prepared anytime. You may want to use leftover ham or chicken to substitute the meat in this recipe if you prefer. This soup tastes great the next day, and with lots of fresh bread, this would be a great lunch.
Crockpots are not just for meat-based soups and stews. Add whatever vegetables you want to get the soup’s flavor and texture add it. Throw in some lentils instead of the chickpeas if you would like a thicker, heartier soup to fill your belly on those cold winter nights.
Easy Chickpea and Spinach Soup with Pork Hocks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Smoked Pork Hocks about 1.5 pounds total, cleaned
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp Haitian Epis or Green Seasoning
- ½ cup red bell pepper
- 1 ts smoked paprika
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp whole celery seeds
- 5 whole cloves
- 8 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 30 ounces chickpeas cans drained
- 2 cups spinach roughly chopped
- 1 cup carrot diced or cut into thin slices
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for the chickpeas, spinach, and carrot in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours or until the pork hocks are tender.
- When finished cooking, stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook for another 30 – 45 minutes on high or until spinach is wilted and the carrots slices are still crunchy. Serve hot.
Notes
- The size of the smoked pork hock bone or the amount of meat on the bone can add more or less flavor. Use smoked pork hocks if you can; if not, fresh pork hocks will also work, but you will need to adjust the seasoning.
- The cooking time for the pork hocks will differ because of the size.
- If you want to add a few drops of lemon juice to the soup, add the drops at the last 10 – 15 minutes of cooking. This ingredient is not a must to use. Some people like a bit of acidity in their soup, which is a great way to get it. But don’t forget that the Epis had some acidity as well.
- Leftover ham works beautifully in this recipe. You will have to reduce the cooking time.
- Want to use dried chickpeas instead of canned, don’t worry. Add the dried peas with the meat and seasoning and cook for 7-9 hours on low heat or 4 – 5 hours on high heat. (cooking time will also depend on your slow cooker temperature.)
- If using dried chickpeas, the mixture will be slightly creamy.
- For a thicker soup, add more chickpeas, spinach, and carrot.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
