Sunday Soup: Spicy Farro, Chickpea and Chorizo Stew

Before heading to the market, I tasted the Tortilla Soup Base variety of Pacific Soup Starters. It has a serious spicy kick! Knowing that, I decided to make a flavorful stew that ran with the spiciness {knowing full well that it might be too spicy for my children}.
You all know that I like to toss everything in a pot and let it do its thing, right? Well, this recipe is another one of those easy ones. I chopped everything,
then sauteed the chorizo, onions, celery and carrots in a bit of olive oil, just until the onions were starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
Then I added 1 cup of farro, which is hearty and holds up well in soups. {I was making a big batch. And due to the spiciness, I had a feeling I was going to be freezing some of this one, so I wanted to make sure it would freeze well.}
Next I added the 32 oz carton of Tortilla Soup Starter (4 cups) and 2 cups of veggie broth to the pot. I used regular veggie broth because I wanted to cut the spiciness a bit-- even for us! But if you like spicy, then the flavor of the Tortilla Soup Starter is wonderful. You could just open another carton of that and use 2 more cups.
I brought the pot to a boil, then lowered the heat to a simmer, covered the pot, and let the farro cook for about 15-20 minutes, until tender.
Once the farro was tender, I added 2 rinsed and drained cans of chickpeas, and 2 cups of chopped kale to the pot,
and let that simmer another 5 minutes, until the greens were wilted and the flavors blended.
This soup was amazing!! So, so good. All of the different textures of the sausage, chickpeas and farro make it a true hearty, one-dish meal.
And because I guessed right that it might be too spicy for my kids, I simply packaged the rest of the soup into freezer-proof tubs. This soup will freeze beautifully, and will be a welcome warm parent dinner after a day of running around!! Spicy Farro, Chickpea and Chorizo Stew
2 Tablespoons olive oil
10 oz chorizo*, chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
32 oz. Pacific Organic Tortilla Soup Base (4 cups)
2 cups Pacific Vegetable Broth
1 cup farro
two 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups kale, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

Saute the chorizo, onions, carrots and celery in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to soften. Add the farro, soup starter and broth and bring to a boil. Then lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the farro softens. Add the rinsed and drained chickpeas and kale. Stir. Heat for another 5 minutes, or until kale begins to wilt. Serve warm. Can be stored in the fridge for up to three days, or frozen for up to three months. 

*You can use any sausage of your choice. If you wanted to make the soup less spicy, you could use a mild chicken sausage.

Disclosures: the links to my favorite tubs for freezing soups within this post are amazon affiliate links. The pricing is exactly the same for you, but I earn a small commission when you purchase products via these links. {Thank you for helping to support recipe testing on the Full Plate Blog!} Also, as a food blogger, I was sent four cartons of Pacific Soup Starters to try. I was not compensated in any other way for developing this recipe, and purchased the rest of the ingredients myself. Rest assured that-- as always-- I only share recipes my family truly enjoys, and that are keepers!