Chickpea Soup

Pureeing half this chickpea soup gives you a healthy creamy broth with chickpeas, carrots and potatoes that’s fragrant with rosemary, garlic and Parmesan.

I’m still doing whatever I can to boost my immune system. Besides attempting (not so successfully) to get more sleep and to consume zinc, when necessary, and vitamin C, soup is my preferred boost.

It’s always warm and comforting with a mix of spices and packs in lots of vegetables all in a single meal. Fall to winter eating doesn’t get much better than that, right?

This chickpea soup is more than just broth with chunks of vegetables in it, but it’s not a completely smooth soup that has been fully blended. It lands somewhere in the middle. The final result is a rich, creamy vegetarian broth thickened with pureed potatoes, carrots, and chickpeas and not heavy cream.

What Are Chickpeas?

Along with lentils, beans and peas, chickpeas are also legumes. They are a great source of protein and fiber. And they are so versatile in cooking. Chickpeas can be eaten raw in salads, roasted, and of course, simmered in soups and stews.

They are found in Mediterranean, Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisines and so many more. Chickpeas are one of the best things you can make space for in your pantry.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This is what you need for this recipe:

• Chickpeas, garbanzo beans, or whatever you prefer calling them, they are great in soups. I always use canned to take advantage of their convenience.
• Onions are must when it comes to starting most soup recipes. This just involves sautéing them in olive oil.
• Carrots are partially responsible for that flavor base, but I also give them credit for the beautiful golden color.
• Garlic: This soup wouldn’t be complete without minced garlic as part of its aromatics with the onions and carrots.
• Potatoes do two jobs. They thicken the soup when they are pureed, but since not all the soup ends up in the blender, you get these nice tender chunks of potato in each spoonful.
• Rosemary: A couple sprigs of fresh rosemary simmer in the soup with the potatoes and veggies.
• Kale is such a simple way to incorporate nutritious greens. The heat of the soup quickly softens the chopped leaves, so I wait to add them until the end. You can swap kale out for spinach.
• Vegetable broth: For every soup recipe, I prefer low sodium broth. Then you can control the seasonings. If you aren’t concerned with keeping the soup vegetarian, you can substitute with chicken broth.
• Olive oil: I use extra-virgin olive oil when sautéing the vegetables.
• Salt & pepper are incorporated with the garlic, but make sure to taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as needed. Just the smallest amount of salt can really bring out the overall flavor of any dish, especially soup.
• Parmesan cheese melts into the creamy pureed broth leaving behind a nice umami flavor. I also sprinkle Parmesan on top each bowl before serving. If you prefer the soup vegan, you can stir in some nutritional yeast instead.
• Lemon adds a wonderful citrusy brightness to the soup. It’s last finishing touch with the fresh herbs.
• Parsley is my chopped herb of choice. You can also try chives.

How To Make Chickpea Soup

1. Heat the olive oil in large pot over medium heat on the stove.
2. Sauté the onions until they turn soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the carrots and continue sautéing for a couple minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper. After 30 seconds or so, the mixture of onions and carrots will turn fragrant.
5. Add the vegetable broth, chickpeas, potatoes and rosemary and bring the soup to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid partially on the pot until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
7. Carefully transfer half the soup to a blender and puree it.  Make sure to remove the rosemary sprigs before pureeing. For this soup, I skip the immersion blender because I want the chickpeas, carrots and potatoes that aren’t meant to get pureed to stay intact.
8. Pour the soup back in the pot.
9. Stir in the kale and simmer for a couple minutes.  The leafy greens will wilt slightly.
10. Finish the soup with Parmesan, lemon juice and parsley before serving.

Serving

This vegetarian soup is very filling for lunch or dinner. You can keep it easy and serve with a hunk of focaccia or crusty bread. If you are feeling more hungry, make an Italian style grilled cheese with mozzarella to go with it or a mixed greens salad.

Leftover Soup & Storage

The soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Warm it in the microwave or on the stove.

If you want to store it longer, keep it in the freezer up to 1 month. Freeze it in portions for easy thawing. No matter where you’re saving it, wait to let the soup cool to room temperature before you put it in the fridge or freezer.

More Soup Recipes

Roasted Tomato Soup
Minestrone Soup
Lentil Wild Rice Soup
Cauliflower White Bean Tahini Soup
Hearty Vegetable Soup
Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Tomato Stew

Chickpea Soup

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
• Total Time: 30-35 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Category: Soup
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: Mediterranean
• Diet: Vegetarian

Pureeing half this chickpea soup gives you a healthy creamy broth with chickpeas, carrots and potatoes that’s fragrant with rosemary, garlic and Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup diced peeled potatoes
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 cup chopped curly kale
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan plus more for serving
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley plus more for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they turn soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Then stir in the garlic, salt and pepper, sautéing for 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Pour in the vegetable broth, chickpeas, potatoes and rosemary. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid partially covering the pot for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
3. Remove the rosemary sprigs. Carefully transfer half the soup to a blender and puree. Pour this mixture back into the soup and add the kale, simmering on low for a couple minutes to wilt the greens.
4. Stir in the Parmesan, lemon juice and parsley.
5. Top each bowl with additional Parmesan and parsley before serving.

Notes

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 4 days. The soup can be frozen up to 1 month.

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
• Total Time: 30-35 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Category: Soup
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: Mediterranean
• Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: chickpea soup, garbanzo bean soup