Chickpea Soup
Published on January 01, 2024
Quick Summary
Chickpea Soup- hearty chickpea soup with carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, herbs, kale, lemon, and Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread for a cozy and comforting meal.
![chickpea soup in bowls with parmesan cheese and lemon.](https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Chickpea-Soup-16.jpg)
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Pin ItSoup season is my favorite season because I LOVE a good bowl of soup. A few of my favorites include: black bean soup, potato leek soup, curry lentil soup, white bean soup, and carrot ginger soup.
I also love this Chickpea Soup recipe. It is easy to make, healthy, super satisfying, and full of flavor. It is a favorite during the colder months, but I make all year long because it is so delicious! You can’t go wrong with this one pot meal!
The chickpea soup is made with a variety of vegetables, vegetable broth, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), herbs, lemon, and Parmesan cheese. The chickpeas add great texture, flavor, and protein to the soup.
I love eating this soup for lunch or dinner, especially with crusty bread and a simple salad. It is a perfect soup for meal prep too! The leftovers are great and it freezes well.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Olive oil– for sautéing the veggies!
- Onion– I use a yellow onion, but a white onion will work too.
- Carrots & Celery– I love starting soup with carrots and celery! Bring on the veggies!
- Garlic– fresh garlic adds lots of flavor. You can use a garlic press or use a sharp knife to mince the garlic.
- Herbs– rosemary, thyme, bay leaf
- Crushed red pepper flakes– just a dash!
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)- I use canned chickpeas to keep the recipe simple. Rinse and drain before using. You can use dried chickpeas, but you will need to pre-cook them before adding them to the soup.
- Yukon gold potatoes– peeled and 1/2-inch diced (about 1 ½ cups).
- Vegetable broth– use your favorite brand.
- Kale– chop the kale before adding it to the soup. You can use curly kale or lacinato kale.
- Parmesan cheese– I add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the soup and I like to garnish each bowl with extra cheese.
- Lemon– fresh lemon juice brightens the flavors! Don’t skip it!
How to Make Chickpea Soup
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir in the chickpeas, potatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Place the lid on the pot, leaving a little crack so some steam can escape. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Use an immersion blender to purée some of the soup for a thicker consistency but don’t blend it completely, just a little to thicken it up.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir the pureed soup back into the pot.
- If you like the consistency of the soup without blending it, you can leave it as is too! I just prefer a thicker soup.
- Stir in the kale, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Variations
- If you need the recipe to be vegan or dairy-free, you can omit the Parmesan cheese or replace it with nutritional yeast.
- You can use chicken broth if you don’t need the soup to be vegan or vegetarian.
- Use chopped spinach instead of kale.
- Feel free to add additional herbs. Italian parsley and basil are good options.
- You can add cooked bacon, pancetta, or sausage to the soup.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is very satisfying, but if you want to serve a few recipes with it, here are a few ideas.
- Dinner Rolls
- Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
- Homemade Croutons– you can top your bowl with crunchy croutons!
- Simple Kale Salad
- Easy Green Salad
- Butter Lettuce Salad
- Grilled Cheese– soup and grilled cheese are a match made in heaven!
How to Store & Freeze
- Let the soup cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
- To freeze, let the soup cool completely. Place in a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat!
More Soup Recipes
- White Bean Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Homemade Vegetable Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Easy Butternut Squash Soup
- Lentil Soup
Check out all of our soup recipes! There are so many good ones!
More Chickpea Recipes
- Easy Chickpea Salad
- Turmeric Chickpea Vegetable Soup
- Hummus
- Chickpea, Avocado, & Feta Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos
- Easy Chickpea Curry
Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and 1/2-inch diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir in the chickpeas, potatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Place the lid on the pot, leaving a little crack so some steam can escape. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to purée some of the soup for a thicker consistency but don’t blend it completely, just a little to thicken it up. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir the pureed soup back into the pot).
- Stir in the kale, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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I made this last night and it was amazing! Our family is a big fan of all your soups but this one is my new favorite – the flavors are so delicious and fresh. This was a filling meal on a cold winter day, served with crusty french bread. Will be making another batch this weekend!
It is my new favorite too! So happy you all loved it!
Made tonight and enjoyed by my family. Delicious!
Yay! Such a great cozy soup!
Just made this however I didnโt have kale so I substituted baby spinach, flavor and consistency are awesome and the lemon gives it a really great flavor!!
So glad you loved the soup.
This soup is so delicious. I made it for dinner tonight and serving it with romaine salad, lemon dressing and homemade dinner rolls. So healthy and hearty without being heavy. Will definitely make again. Love your recipes, Maria!!!
The perfect meal! Thank you!
Made this tonight for dinner. We are a busy sports family with all three of my kids having practice tonight so I made it in the crock pot and it was ready when we got home. We love chickpeas, but my family, especially my husband and my older son usually prefer meat in their meal so I was a little concerned this wouldnโt be quite enough for them, but everyone raved about it and said how much they loved it. Great flavors and very satisfying!
I am so glad your family loved the soup!
This was delicious on a snowy evening in Wisconsin! I subbed baby spinach for the kale because that is what I had.
Spinach is great too! Glad you loved it!
We made the chickpea soup. It was a quick easy recipe and it was delicious. We will definitely be making this again. We used Spinach because we had it and my husband prefers it. So many of your recipes have become favorites of ours, Thank you!!
I am so glad!! Thank you for letting me know.
Simply delicious!! My husband & I made your soup last evening, following your instructions to a T, other than replacing the kale with spinach. I’d highly recommend this soup to fellow soup lovers. Thank you Maria.
I am so glad you approve! Thank you for sharing with others.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! Easy to make and very flavorful.
Thank you for letting me know you loved it!
This recipe is delicious and so easy to pull together! I do recommend it with bread or as a side so that you stay full longer. Thanks for the recipe!
Yes, so good with bread!
This was delicious! It was very much enjoyed by my family. I added 2 additional cups of broth and nutritional yeast. I am adding it to my soup rotation. Thank you!
I am glad you love this soup. It is one of my favorites.
This was so flavorful and hearty. The brightness of the lemon really made the whole recipe sparkle. I substituted sage for rosemary and added some chicken sausage. KEEPER!
It’s such a great soup!
This soup was absolutely delicious! I followed the directions except I only put in 2/3 of the lemon juice. That being said, the lemon juice made the recipe. I will definitely make this again. I made your healthy pumpkin muffins also today – Iโve made them before and love them.
I love adding a hint of lemon! I love those muffins too:)
My family loves this soup. The flavors and consistency are hearty and a change from the norm. We are not vegetarians but like to lean plant based. I use chicken broth and I did cut back on the salt.
I am so glad you love it!
Hi Maria. I was looking at your other soup links after printing this recipe (ALL of the writing and pictures) and a few questions came to mind.
1. We don’t like kale and aren’t fond of spinach, would green cabbage work? It holds up beautifully in cooking. And, at what point should I add it. When I would normally add the kale or later in the cooking?
and
2. Could I add a teaspoon of turmeric to this soup as well?
3. I haven’t made it yet, but it looks like 5 star to me!!!
Thank you for the recipes and answer to my questions.
YES to both! Cabbage and turmeric would be great. Enjoy!
Wow! This is usually not something I would like but it was cool today so I made it for my husbandโs lunch. Then I had some. Definitely a keeper! I used baby spinach instead of kale because that is what I had. Next time I will leave out the salt because the bouillon and shredded Parmesan added enough โsaltyโ.
So glad you loved it!