this hearty, cold weather spanish chorizo and rice soup is brought to you in partnership with della rice.
i like to be generous with credit, whether it’s in referencing an idea that a friend came up with or a recipe that i’m “adapting”. hence, i will frequently cite in the recipe notes where i have adapted the recipe from so as to give credit where it’s due.
now, sometimes, this means that if you were to go look back at the original recipe, you would see clearly that i didn’t change very much. this usually happens when i find a recipe that i love and really want to share with you, but can’t imagine changing anything (significant) because the recipe is perfect the way it is and/or because baking is chemistry and not always amendable to my wild ideas.
other times, i give credit and say that i “adapted” my recipe from another but if you were to compare my recipe to the original, you’d be hard pressed to find many similarities. in those cases, i’m giving a nod to the source that put the idea in my head that landed us where we are.
this spanish chorizo and rice soup falls squarely in the latter camp. as written, the original recipe does not include crushed tomatoes or rice. it calls for sherry vinegar (which i never have in my cabinet, despite the number of recipes i make that call for it) instead of red wine vinegar and escarole (ahhh! too bitter!) instead of kale. oh, and it calls for using dried chick peas and a pressure cooker to make this soup, instead of opening cans and putting them in a large soup pot. so, you know, a little different from *this* spanish chorizo and rice soup.
but it was the original(ish) version of the soup that i tried first and that set me off on the path that led us here, to this hearty, flavorful, fall dinner in a bowl, and so i want to be transparent about how we got here.
which is to say, i followed the original recipe (kind of – without involving escarole or pressure cookers), liked parts of it (namely the chorizo and chick peas), and immediately the wheels started turning with ideas to transform a brothy soup (which… i keep confirming i don’t care for as a genre) into something more substantial.
i searched around and looked at a few different recipes to make sure my “add some rice to it” idea was on the right track technically (aka, the rice would actually cook), and now we have a soup that i’m excited to put on repeat all fall and winter long. yay progress and innovation and idea sharing and adaption!
spanish chorizo and rice soup
Save to BigOven Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 5 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 oz. (113 g.) cured spanish chorizo, diced, see notes
- 1 ½ cups (12 fl. oz. / 360 ml) water
- 1 ½ cups (12 fl. oz. / 360 ml) low sodium chicken broth
- 28 oz. (794 g.) low sodium canned crushed tomatoes
- (3) 15.5 oz. (439 g.) cans low sodium chick peas, rinsed and drained
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup (3 1/8 oz. / 90 g.) della basmati and quinoa, see notes
- 10 oz. (284 g.) kale, thick ribs removed and leaves chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
- heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, so that the onion starts to soften. add the garlic and chorizo and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- add the water, broth, crushed tomatoes, chick peas, and bay leaves. stir and turn the heat up to high to bring the mixture to a boil. add the basmati and quinoa, stir, cover, and turn the heat down to medium-low to keep at a simmer. simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked.
- discard the bay leaves and stir in the kale, vinegar, and crushed red pepper. stir and cook just until the kale softens a bit, 3 – 4 minutes. serve hot. this soup is quite thick, which i like, but feel free to add more water if you prefer a thinner soup. serving this soup with no-knead overnight rosemary bread is a stellar idea.
Notes
the spanish chorizo is important, as it contributes a lot of flavor to the soup. spanish chorizo is sold cured and just needs to be heated, rather than cooked, before serving. mexican chorizo is sold raw and that’s not what we’re looking for here.
you can substitute in your favorite brown rice, if your store doesn’t carry della basmati and quinoa.
adapted from 1-hour spanish chickpea soup in the september 2010 edition of cooking light, with reference to tomato-rice soup in the ny times to make sure the rice would cook properly.
Nutrition Facts
spanish chorizo and rice soup
Serves: 6
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 449 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
tasty seasons
this post is brought to you in partnership with della rice. thank you for supporting brands i love to use in my kitchen; sponsored posts such as this help behind the scenes at tasty seasons! all opinions in this (and every) post are my own.