Cozy Chickpea and Farro Vegetable Soup

This soup started as one of those pots you make on a grey afternoon when you want the kitchen to smell like something is happening. Warm spices, a little smoked paprika, and a long gentle simmer do most of the work. Nothing here is fussy, which is part of why I keep coming back to it.

Farro is the piece people sometimes skip past, and it deserves a second look. It is an ancient wheat, and it keeps a pleasant chew even after it sits in liquid, which is why the recipe asks you to ladle the soup over a scant quarter cup of cooked farro in each bowl rather than stirring it into the pot. If you cook the farro ahead, keep it in its own container. Left in the broth overnight it turns soft and swollen, and the soup ends up thick enough to need a spoon of water.

Chickpeas hold up beautifully in this kind of soup. They are a food with a surprisingly good track record for keeping their shape through a simmer, so you can add them near the end without worrying they will dissolve into mush. Keep the lemon juice for the very end too. A bright acid added at the last moment makes the tomato and squash taste fresher than they would otherwise.

This is an easy pot to store and reuse. Cool the soup quickly, refrigerate it in a sealed container, and it keeps well for several days. It also freezes nicely without the farro. When you reheat a portion, add a splash of broth or water, because the grains in the soup will have drunk up some of the liquid. A spoonful of grated hard cheese or a few torn basil leaves on top makes a weekday lunch feel like a planned meal.

For something to serve alongside, a bowl of Lemon Herb Chickpea Salad works well. Its cool, herby crunch plays nicely against the warm, soft soup. If you want a dip for torn bread or raw vegetables on the side, Creamy Pumpkin Chickpea Dip is a good companion that uses the same pantry staples.

Taste the soup before you serve it. Lemon and salt wake up each other, so a small extra squeeze can do more than a pinch more salt. Serve it hot, with the farro underneath and the broth on top, and let people add more lemon at the table if they like it sharper.