Chickpea Stew with Orzo and Greens

This colorful chickpea and orzo stew, from Melissa Clark of the NYT Cooking section, is a simple, delicious way to get a variety of vegetables in one meal. Melissa uses carrots for color and fennel bulb for depth. If you've not cooked with fennel, I suggest you try it. It has a very mild taste that’s a cross between celery and anise. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, but you can opt for celery instead. Cherry tomatoes add a burst of bright color.

Don’t feel constrained to use the vegetables listed here. Make it Melissa's way the first time, because it’s awesome, then you can improvise. Use cannellini beans instead of chickpeas, or canned, drained diced tomatoes in place of chopped cherry tomatoes. Toss in a leftover zucchini. You can't go wrong with this delightful combination. Best of all, it’s low in fat, calories and WW Points.

Recently, I spent time with my best friend Michael in Genoa, Italy, where I took advantage of the fresh vegetable markets to buy lacinato kale (cavolo nero in Italian) when I made this stew. Lacinato kale is available in most U.S. supermarkets. I much prefer it to curly kale. Kale takes longer to cook than spinach, so I add it to the stew with the chickpeas and orzo. Spinach can be added at the end and cooked for just 2 minutes before serving.

Lacinato Kale

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 small fennel bulb, chopped (or celery)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes

2 tsp. fresh rosemary (optional)

4 cups chicken broth

1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 cup orzo pasta

5 oz. spinach or kale (cut out the center stems & chop the kale into bite-sized pieces)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and fennel or celery. Cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and rosemary and cook another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture is boiling, add the chickpeas, tomatoes and orzo. (Add the optional kale here too.) Reduce heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer 10 minutes, or until the orzo is tender.

Uncover and stir in the spinach and let the greens simmer until soft, about 2 minutes.

Add more water if you want the mixture to be more souplike, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese. If you're not on a weight loss journey, do what Italians do and drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil.

Instant Pot Directions: Heat olive oil on the Sauté function and add onion, carrots and fennel or celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off Sauté and add remaining ingredients. If you're using kale, add it now with the other ingredients because it takes longer to cook.

Pressure cook for 4 minutes and then release the pressure manually. If you're using spinach, add it now and stir until it wilts.

Serves 4

WW Points per serving: 4

A typical vegetable market stall in Genoa, Italy.