When we hiked the El Camino de Santiago, we ate “pilgrims’ meals,” for dinner. They were made up of three courses: a generous appetizer (think spaghetti), an entree (meat/fish/chicken and potatoes), and dessert. Sometimes I ordered two appetizers (a mixed salad and a pasta) for my meals since the portions were so large. Sometimes I ordered salad and Galician soup. It is a soup that I had never heard of. Usually it tasted as if it had been made in a Michelin restaurant, and once it tasted as it if had been made in a prison. Yuck!!! It was a simple soup of broth, beans, greens like kale or spinach, and potatoes. I liked the good versions so much that I decided to make it at home. I came up with a slow cooker (I have this one) version that tastes just like the best version that I had in Spain. It’s a simple soup that is easy to make and has ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2/3 package of dry navy beans
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can chicken broth (46 ounce or more depending on how much liquid you like in your soup)
- 4 medium potatoes, diced
- 4 cups uncooked spinach or kale (more, if desired)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Follow package directions to soak beans overnight.
- Saute onions in olive oil till done. Add to slow cooker.
- Add beans and chicken broth to slow cooker.
- Cook on high, covered for 5 hours.
- Add potatoes and greens.
- Cook 2 to 3 hours more or until beans and vegetables are tender.
I looked up the recipe on several websites, and most of them used ham and the broth that the ham is cooked in. Since I don’t eat red meat, my version uses chicken broth which suits me just fine. However, just know that you can add ham to your soup if you want some meat in your meal.
I mentioned in the recipe that you can add more broth. This all depends on how much liquid you like in your soups. Also, add as much salt and pepper as you would prefer. This also depends on how salty your broth is.
This Galician soup is a nice comfort food. It makes a lot and as always, the leftover are just as tasty. Start your meal with a nice salad like this one, and add some bread.
Take care.
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