Hearty Pasta Soup

Will Spring ever get here? April 8th and we have freezing drizzle to contend with. Oh well, a good excuse to make this stick-to-your-ribs soup!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
796 ml can diced canned tomatoes
540 ml can chick peas (half drained)
1 tsp celery seed
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 jalapeño, finely diced 
4-5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup pasta (fusilli or shells)
a handful of chopped spinach
1 cup cooked chicken (optional)

Heat oil to medium in a large pot and add onions and carrots. When onions are almost tender add the garlic.
Add the canned tomatoes, chick peas with some of it's liquid, celery seed, bay leaf, salt, pepper and jalapeño. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

At this point the tomatoes have thickened slightly and the vegetables are soft. Add the broth and lemon zest and simmer 30 minutes longer. Use 4 cups of broth if you want a thick soup, 5 if you want it soupier. And that lemon zest really gives the soup a little kick!

Bring to a boil, add the pasta and cook for the required time.
Finally stir in the spinach and cooked chicken.

If you're going for a vegetarian option leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth. Oh and don't forget to remove the bay leaf!

Serves 6