6 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (three 19-ounce cans)
3 cups chicken broth or homemade stock, plus more if needed
3 tablespoons olive oil (I actually used closer to 1 tablespoon)
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
1 bay leaf
Pinch dried crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup canned tomatoes in thick puree (I used 1 cup stewed tomatoes)
1/2 cup tubetti or small macaroni (breaking up spaghetti worked really well)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
Puree half of the chickpeas with 1 1/2 cups of broth in a blender or food processor. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, the pureed mixture, whole chickpeas, bay leaf, red-pepper flakes, tomatoes, pasta and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered for 10 minutes.
Add the Swiss chard to the pot. Simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is done, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the black pepper. If the soup thickens too much on standing, add a little more broth or water.
Serves 6.