Fresh Herb and Chickpea Soup

It's almost Fall!  Even if it's not quite September 22nd, I can smile knowing that September in general typically brings about cooler weather.  Although we're in the heat of the sweltering South, I suppose the same is true for us here, too - the 10+ degree drop in temperature is welcomed with open arms.  However, at 90 degrees, the weather is just now starting to feel like a perfect summer day to me.  

I love, love, love the change in weather from 100+ to a more tolerable 90 degrees.  But I also know I'll soon be missing the Fall season I've experienced the majority of my life.  Before I know it, I'll see my friends post photos of leaves changing color, babies bundled in fleece blankets, outfits donned with cute scarves and mugs of hot chocolate to be sipped during football games.  And y'all can rest assured that in a quick month I'll be longing for some juicy Honeycrisp apples.  

I ran to the grocery store by myself the other day (yay for "me" time) and couldn't put my finger on exactly why it felt so refreshing.  Sure, it was a nice break to go somewhere alone, but there was something else contributing to my heightened mood.  I was driving with my window down, dressed comfortably in jeans, and didn't feel the need to search for the parking spot nearest the entrance upon my arrival.  I finally honed in on the fact that a mid-eighty degree start to the day is exactly what I've been missing these past few months.  And there you have it; I jumped on the true Fall bandwagon!  I crossed my fingers for an even cooler day (not 90 degrees people - more like mid-70's...hey, a girl can dream!) to show up on the forecast sometime this week, and bought my groceries accordingly.

We didn't quite get any "Fall" weather, but last night's thunderstorm provided the ideal gloomy weather for me to throw together a quick batch of homemade soup.  This soup is easy to prepare and doesn't require any ingredients that can't be found at your standard grocery store.  

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cups whole wheat Farfalle pasta
28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can chickpeas
2 tsp paprika
3/8 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2-3 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
fine sea salt and cracked pepper to taste  

Directions:

Heat oil in a soup pot over low heat.  Add garlic and cook until golden.

Add 4 cups of water and bring to a simmer.  Stir in pasta and cook according to package directions.

Add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Season and serve!

Feel free to play around with the herbs to reflect your preferred taste.  This soup tastes best with fresh herbs, but you can always use dried if you're in a pinch (between a drought all summer long followed up by Tropical Storm Isaac, our garden herbs are looking scarce!).  If you choose to use dried, I recommend using about 1/3 as much (for example 1/4 cup fresh = 4 tsp dried).

*modified slightly from Vegan Express*