Follow these steps to create your delicious Chickpea Soup:

1. Prepare Your Vegetables (Mise en Place): Begin by thoroughly washing, peeling (where necessary), and chopping/dicing your onion, carrots, and celery. Mince the garlic. Having all your vegetables prepped before you start cooking makes the process much smoother. Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas well. Roughly chop the spinach or kale.
2. Sauté the Aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once shimmering slightly, add the chopped onion, diced carrots, and diced celery (this combination is known as a mirepoix). Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent and fragrant. This step builds the essential flavour base for the soup. Don’t rush it; allow the vegetables to sweat and release their natural sweetness.
3. Add Garlic and Spices: Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and optional red pepper flakes to the pot. Stir constantly and cook for about 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the spices are lightly toasted (or “bloomed”). This process intensifies the flavour of the spices. Be careful not to burn the garlic, which can turn bitter.
4. Incorporate Tomatoes and Chickpeas: Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot (this is called deglazing and adds lots of flavour). Cook for another 2 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to slightly deepen in colour. Add the rinsed and drained chickpeas to the pot and stir to combine everything evenly.
5. Simmer the Soup: Pour in the vegetable broth and the cup of water (or extra broth). Add the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Season generously with salt (start with 1 teaspoon) and freshly ground black pepper (start with 1/2 teaspoon).
6. Let Flavours Meld: Cover the pot partially (leaving a small gap for steam to escape) and let the soup simmer gently for at least 20-25 minutes. This allows the flavours to meld together beautifully and the chickpeas and vegetables to become perfectly tender. Taste the broth during this time and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup seems too thick for your liking, you can add a little more water or broth.
7. Wilt the Greens: Once the simmering time is up and you’re happy with the flavour, remove the bay leaf from the soup and discard it. Stir in the roughly chopped fresh spinach or kale. The heat of the soup will wilt the greens quickly, usually within 2-3 minutes. Try not to overcook the spinach, as it can lose its vibrant colour and some nutrients.
8. Final Seasoning Check: Give the soup one final taste. Adjust salt, pepper, or other spices if needed. You might find it needs a little more salt now that the spinach has been added.
9. Serve and Garnish: Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Garnish generously with fresh chopped parsley or cilantro. Offer lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the soup just before eating – the acidity really brightens everything up!