Place 1 cup of the chick peas and ½ cup of the broth into a blender and puree until smooth.
Heat the oil in a medium soup pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute more.
Add the remaining 2 cups of chickpeas, remaining 3 cups of broth, the tomatoes, rosemary, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the farro, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprig. Add the chickpea puree, then stir in the spinach and cook until it is just wilted, 1-2 minutes. Serve garnished with the cheese.
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1 ½ cups
Per serving (using vegetable broth): Calories 440; Total Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Sodium: 650mg; Total Carbohydrates: 65g; Dietary Fiber: 15g; Sugar: 15g; Protein: 19g
Ingredients
3 cups cooked chick peas, low-sodium, drained and rinsed if canned, divided
3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
One 14. 5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
Sprig of rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ cup pearled farro
2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
