Tomato Saffron Mixed Grains Soup

With the cold weather officially here to stay, we’ve transitioned into full-time soup and stew eating mode over here.  This comes as a relief to me since soups and stews have such flexible cooking times and can be so easily prepared in advance.  Now that it’s November, I feel that I should have our after-school routine running smoothly each day, but instead I find myself continuing to struggle with helping the kids with their instrument practice and homework, taking them to various activities, and cooking dinner all within the 4:00-6:00 time frame.  I always feel so good on the days when dinner is done before they even arrive home because it’s one less thing I need to worry about.

I made a double batch of this Tomato Saffron Mixed Grains Soup last week so I could have some to freeze and have a healthy meal easily available when I need to balance out all of the upcoming holiday treats.  I find grain soups so hearty, cozy, and nourishing.  The pleasant hint of saffron in this soup reminds me of the warm flavors of a Spanish paella, but this soup is a lot less time consuming to make.  This recipe is extremely versatile and the spelt, millet, and quinoa can be easily substituted for other whole grains such as farro, wheatberries, or rice.  To keep it gluten-free, use any combination of rice, millet, and quinoa.  Or for simplicity, choose one single grain to work with.  Pre-soaking whole grains such as spelt or wheat berries is recommended to aid with digestion and improve texture.  Soaking for a few hours is optimal, but soaking for even an hour makes a difference.  The soup thickens considerably after it sits for a while, but it can thinned it out with a bit of additional water if desired.

Tomato Saffron Mixed Grains Soup

• Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon saffron
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup spelt, soaked for at least 1 hour and drained
• 1/4 cup millet
• 3 tablespoons quinoa
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (15 ouches) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Add bay leaves, paprika, cumin, saffron, spelt, broth, and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until spelt is tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Add millet, quinoa, tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper and continue to simmer until millet and quinoa are cooked and flavors have blended, about 15-20 additional minutes. Discard bay leaves. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Sprinkle with a garnish of parsley to serve.

Notes

adapted from Martha Stewart