Spanish Style Bean Soup

Sabado Mexicano

It's Saturday and it’s a soup kind of day. This one will warm you up with Mexican flavors. It’s hearty, full of vegetables and meaty too. Feel free to add any vegetables you like. Enjoy!

Spanish Style Bean Soup

12 oz Chorizo links –or smoked sausage
1 cup chopped lean ham
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic pods, chopped
4 medium potatoes, cut into small pieces
2 -15 oz cans Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
1 -15 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock, water or both
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
4 oz chopped spinach, kale, chard or other greens

Rough chop the sausage and ham. In a large stockpot, sauté sausage and ham to render fat. Remove all but a couple tablespoons of grease and add onions and garlic. Stir in the potatoes. Sauté for a few minutes to brown the potatoes. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes with juice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Add seasonings and the spinach. Partially cover and simmer slowly for 2 hours.

Note: You can use pintos, Mexican red beans – any bean you may like. Also, you can use 1 teaspoon regular paprika with 1/4 teaspoon cayenne if you cannot find the hot smoked paprika.