Middle Eastern Bean Soup
This healthy Middle Eastern-inspired bean soup recipe features chickpeas, butter beans and a healthy dose of oregano and za’atar. If you can’t find lamb merguez sausage, try using chorizo or andouille sausage instead.
Servings
6 servings
Prep Time
30 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2cups chopped onion
- 1cup chopped carrot
- 2cloves garlic, minced
- 1tablespoon za’atar
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/4teaspoon salt
- 4cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 115-ounce can butter beans, rinsed
- 115-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
- 3/4cup cooked crumbled merguez sausage
- 1cup chopped tomato
- 1cup chopped zucchini
- 1tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add za’atar, oregano and salt; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add broth, butter beans and chickpeas; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stir in sausage; cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in tomato, zucchini and lemon juice. Cover and cook 5 minutes more.
Tips
Merguez sausage, made from lamb, is seasoned with a blend of spices including red chiles, garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway and paprika.
Spice blends like za’atar give you big flavor from just one ingredient. Za’atar is a mix of thyme, sumac, salt, sesame seeds and sometimes other herbs; look for it in the bulk-spice section of natural-foods stores, in specialty-foods stores or online. To make your own mix: Blend 1 tsp. each ground sumac, sesame seeds and dried thyme with 1/4 tsp. salt.
Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
| Calories | 280kcal |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrate Total | 30g |
| Total Sugars | 5g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Fiber | 7g |
| Total Fat | 14g |
| Saturated Fat | 4g |
| Mono Saturated Fat | 4g |
| Cholesterol | 17mg |
| Sodium | 562mg |
| Protein | 13g |
| Potassium | 701mg |
| Calcium | 77mg |
| Folate | 58mcg |
| Omega-6 | 1g |
| Vitamin E | 2mg |
| Zinc | 1mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 3mg |
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