Tomato Chickpea Soup (Pressure Canned)

Tomato Chickpea Soup is flavoured with cumin, ginger, garlic, garam masala, basil and curry powder for a spicy - but not hot - dinner ready in the pantry! Jars of this will be welcome in the cold months to come!

After waking up to an ice storm and frigid temperatures, it's official - we are into soup season. Since I acquired a pressure canner a few years ago, I spent pieces of my summers making jars of homemade soup for when the school year started again and cooking more or less transitioned to "quick and easy". The other great thing about canning soup and stews is that they make awesome holiday gifts - my Habitant Pea Soup is a regular feature in my gift baskets because it seems to be everyone's favourite (plus it's gluten free and vegan) but I also like to add a hearty and spicy soup to the lineup - both for others and for me!

When I was in university, the days the cafeteria had Chana Masala on the menu were some of the best. Ottawa, in case you've never been, gets insanely cold and snowy come wintertime, and the spiced, tomatoey chickpeas never got the "weird" texture of some of the other steam table items. This soup carries many of the same flavours as my favourite Indian entree, but with extra broth perfect for soaking up rice or slurping with a spoon. I actually prefer to partially cook some brown rice and add it to the soup as it heats on the stove to cook it through and thicken the soup, and mom added chopped sweet potatoes to hers for a similar effect and a sweeter taste.

By the way, if you don't have a pressure canner, no worries! Use 4 cups fully cooked chickpeas (not just soaked and flash-cooked) and simmer the soup for 45 minutes, adding the chickpeas for the last 15. For a creamy soup, puree everything - beans and all. Hearty, healthy and delicious when it's too cold for words outside!

Tomato Chickpea Soup (Pressure Canned)
Adapted from Delicious Every Day
Serves 6, makes 3 pints
2 1/4 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
3-4 lbs plum tomatoes, diced or 1 (28-oz) + 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes

1 large onion, diced

1 large carrot, finely shredded

4 cloves garlic, minced

7 cups vegetable broth (gluten free if needed)

1 tbsp dried basil

2 tbsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

2 tsp oregano

2 tbsp curry powder (Penzey's is my fave)

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp raw sugar

1 tbsp Kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1. Place chickpeas in a large pot and cover with water. 
2. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Drain and divide between pint jars, set aside.
4. In a large pot, combine the tomatoes, onion, carrot, garlic, broth, herbs and spices (including salt and pepper). 
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
6. Puree mixture with an immersion or stand blender and ladle into jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Top up with broth if needed.
7. Seal jars and process at 10 PSI for 90 minutes.