Mediterranean Chickpea Soup
Ready in just 40 minutes, this Mediterranean Chickpea Soup is comforting and packed with plant-based protein. Made from basic pantry staples, it's a healthy soup packed with easy vegetables and simmered in a tomato-based broth.
📌 Mediterranean Chickpea Soup Summary
- 😋 Texture and Flavor Profile: Savory and comforting with Mediterranean herbs, tender chickpeas, and a light tomato-based broth finished with Parmesan and fresh parsley.
- 🕒 Total Time: About 40 minutes from start to finish, making it a quick weeknight soup that still tastes slow-simmered.
- 👩🍳 Best For: Easy vegetarian dinners, cozy cold-weather meals, or a make-ahead lunch that reheats well.
- 💡 Pro Tip: Don't skip rubbing the dried rosemary between your palms before adding it. This releases the oils and gives the soup a deeper herbal flavor.
Summarize & Save This Content On
With a subtle umami flavor, this chickpea soup recipe is the perfect meal. It whips up quickly, but is also both nourishing and hearty enough to be a complete meal, similar to this spicy red curry soup.
I love this particular recipe because it's a flexible soup in which you can vary the taste easily enough. It has a balanced, healthy flavor that makes the house smell amazing. Just like my easy black bean soup, it's a comforting recipe to come home and whip up at the end of a long day.
Why This Soup Recipe Works!
- Flavorful: It's brothy and hearty at the same time with an underlying savory flavor from the cheese rind and seasonings.
- Filling: With the chickpeas and spinach, the chickpea vegetable soup is packed with plant-based protein and fiber to fill you up at the end of the day, just like my spinach lentil soup.
- Freezer-friendly: This Mediterranean soup recipe stores amazingly well, making it easy to prepare in advance and save yourself time in the kitchen, whether for dinner or tasty lunches.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Chickpeas: The main ingredient in this Mediterranean vegetable soup, make sure to rinse your chickpeas before adding them to the pot. If you want to use dried chickpeas, you'll want to soak and cook them first.
- Olive oil: A high-quality olive oil will shine through in flavor here and give the soup an authentic taste. In a pinch, avocado oil or butter can be used for a more subtle flavor.
- Parmesan cheese rind: Though it's not crucial, it adds a delicious, savory flavor to the soup that will make you want more.
- Soup Base: You want both the vegetable broth (instant pot vegetable broth is best) as well as a vegetable bouillon paste for the best taste.
- Red pepper flakes: Add these in if you like a spicier taste to your soup.
- Spinach: Fresh baby spinach works best. If you need to use frozen, try to let it thaw and squeeze some of the liquid out first.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Dietary Modifications & Variations
- Use Different Beans: Swap the chickpeas out for white navy beans or even kidney beans to switch up nutrients.
- Vegan: To make the garbanzo bean soup vegan-friendly, all you need to do is skip the cheese rind.
- More Acidity To brighten up the taste a bit and really make the freshness of the soup pop, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before serving. .
- Vegetables: You can change the soup or stretch it further by mixing some frozen vegetables like peas into the soup. This works for my ground chicken soup, too.
How to Make Mediterranean Chickpea Soup
Step 1: Prepare the Veggies. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery in oil over medium heat until the onion turns clear.
Step 2: Add the Seasonings. Add the rosemary, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste to the pot, then continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Pour in the Liquids. Pour in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, pepper, and vegetable paste. Stir well so that it's all combined.
Step 4: Simmer the Soup. Add the Parmesan rind if you're using it and increase the heat and bring the soup to a simmer.
Step 5: Let it Cook. Once it simmers (you should see small bubbles rising around the edge of the pot or top of the soup), reduce the heat and let the soup cook for 25-30 minutes.
Step 6: Finish Seasoning. Stir the baby spinach into the soup and cook until it's wilted. Then, remove the cheese rind and serve.
Expert Tips
- Activate the Rosemary: Before adding the rosemary to the pot, rub it between your palms. It will release a more fragrant flavor.
- Taste test: Before serving, taste the soup and adjust any of the seasonings to your personal preference.
- Add Some Garnish: Sprinkle some fresh, flat-leaf parsley and grated Parmesan cheese on top of each bowl before serving.
Soup-er Toppings & Serving Suggestions
This Mediterranean chickpea soup is hearty enough to enjoy on its own, but it pairs beautifully with a few simple sides. Serve it with crusty rolls or toasted pita for dipping into the savory tomato broth.
A fresh salad, like a Greek salad or lemony arugula salad, makes a great light side and balances the richness of the soup. You can also pair it with a simple side dish like this tomato ricotta toast.
For a finishing touch, top each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, grated Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, or chopped fresh parsley. For a crunchy finish, try these cornbread croutons. These simple additions brighten the flavors and make the soup feel extra special.
Mediterranean Chickpea Soup Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use dried chickpeas to make soup, but you will need to rinse and cook them almost entirely before making the soup. Otherwise, they'll be too crunchy.
Yes, you can make chickpea soup in a slow cooker. Follow the instructions to prepare the soup, adding everything into the slow cooker except the baby spinach. Then, let the soup cook on low for 3-4 hours. In the last 30 minutes, add the spinach and remove the cheese rind before serving.
Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat it on the stovetop over low to medium heat until warmed through. If the soup has thickened, add a splash of broth to loosen it as it heats.
Yes! This soup freezes well for up to 3 months. Store it in a freezer-safe container and leave a little space at the top so it can expand as it freezes. When ready to use, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop.
Mediterranean Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- Dash of red pepper flakes Calabrian chiles if desired
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 quart 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans cans chickpeas 15 ounces cans - drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon paste
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind optional
- 3 cups chopped baby spinach
- To garnish: chopped flat-leaf parsley grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute, stirring regularly, for 5-6 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Rub the dried rosemary vigorously between your palms until fragrant. Add it to the pot with the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, chickpeas, sea salt, black pepper, and vegetable paste, and Parmesan cheese rind (if using).
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
- Stir in the baby spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
- Remove the parmesan rind and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Enjoy hot, garnished with flat-leaf parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Tips
- Sautéing: You want to saute the seasonings with the vegetables until you can really smell them.
- Cooking: Cooking the garbanzo soup recipe uncovered allows the steam to escape so that your soup has the ideal consistency. Brothy, but not watery.
- Chickpeas: If using canned chickpeas, make sure they're drained and rinsed. To use dried chickpeas, they need to be soaked and cooked ahead of time.
