Sopa Seca with Spinach and Chickpeas

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS? This enticing Mexican specialty literally translates as “dry soup,” but sopa seca is really a cheesy, comforting pasta dish. Traditionally, fideos—thin, coiled strands of pasta that are toasted until golden— are cooked in a flavorful sauce of tomatoes and chiles. When we couldn’t find fideos at our local supermarket, we substituted vermicelli and toasted it for a pleasantly nutty flavor. Using water as the liquid component resulted in a bland dish; vegetable broth offered a more savory backbone. Onion, ancho chile powder, cumin, and oregano gave the sauce more flavor without making it spicy. We added hearty curly-leaf spinach and chickpeas to make our sopa seca into a complete, satisfying meal. To keep the dish bright and fresh tasting, we cooked the spinach only briefly and then stirred in fresh tomatoes off the heat. Two types of cheese and a liberal amount of fresh herbs completed our satisfying entrée.

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 Ounces vermicelli, broken in half
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2½ cups vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 pound curly-leaf spinach, stemmed and chopped coarse
• 2 tomatoes, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (½ cup)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toast pasta and 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until most of the pasta is browned, 4 to 6 minutes; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
2. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the now-empty pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chile powder, oregano, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in broth, chickpeas, toasted pasta, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a vigorous simmer. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Uncover, stir in spinach 1 handful at a time, and cook until the spinach is mostly wilted, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, stir in tomatoes. Sprinkle Monterey Jack over the top, cover, and let it sit until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with queso fresco and cilantro, and serve.

TIP:

BREAKING PASTA

• Loosely wrap vermicelli in kitchen towel, keeping pasta flat, not bunched.
• Center bundle over edge of counter and push down to break pasta neatly in half.