Kale and Chickpea Soup with Lemon Recipe - Quick, Healthy & Ready in 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 banana shallots
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 400g can of chickpeas drained
• 1 stick of celery
• ¼ tsp of chilli flakes
• Toasted crusty bread
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 200g bag of chopped kale
• lemon slices
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Grated parmesan cheese
• 2 stalks of rosemary
• Salt to taste
• 800ml hot stock

Instructions:

1. Set a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat; pour in the olive oil.Finely dice the shallots and add to the pan, stirring to coat with the oil.Make 4 or 5 long horizontal slices in the celery stalk and dice.
2. Add this to the pan and stir.Finely chop the rosemary leaves and stir into the pan together with the bay leaf and the chilli flakes.Peel the garlic clove and using the flat of your knife and the heel of your hand, crush so that it is still whole and add to pan.
3. Add the chickpeas and the kale and stir.
4. Pour in the hot stock, let it come to a boil and turn down the heat.
5. Let it simmer for 20 minutes until the kale is tender. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. You might want more lemon or salt it all depends on what you have used for the stock.Working in batches or in the pan itself if you have a stick blender, blitz until you have the texture you like. I like mine to still have a few chickpeas and pieces of kale through it so I set aside a couple of ladlefuls and used a stick blender to blitz the rest.
6. Serve hot, floating a couple of slices of lemon on top of each serving and pass round the parmesan cheese for everyone to help themselves. Lovely with toasted crusty bread.