Today’s low-calorie chickpea soup recipe offers you a healthy and comforting soup to warm your soul on chilly autumn and winter days.
Is Chickpea Soup Healthy?
Yes, like the majority of our recipes here on HealthyRecipes101.com, our chickpea soup recipe is healthy.
You may wonder why this is so, given that it may seem to be full of carbs, but the look can be deceiving.
All vegetables contain carbohydrates, but carrots, chickpeas, and pumpkin don’t actually contain too many. In fact, our chickpea soup contains only 11 g of carbs per serving.
Our soup also contains quite a bit of fiber thanks to all those legumes and vegetables, making the soup more filling. You can serve it as a starter for a three-course meal or enjoy it as a quick, high-fiber lunch.
It is suggested that you maintain a healthy amount of daily dietary fiber intake to take advantage of its multiple health benefits, including maintaining a healthy digestive tract, reducing risk of diabetes, and aiding in weight loss.
Along with the added benefits, this soup only provides 115 calories in every serving!
Ingredients You Will Need
Here’s everything you will need to make our chickpea soup recipe:
- Chickpeas: We suggest using canned chickpeas for this recipe because they’re already cooked. All you have to do is rinse and drain them before adding them to your soup.
- Other vegetables: Besides chickpeas, we also cook the soup with carrots and pumpkin. Once cooked, they will give the soup a sweeter taste.
- Cured meat: An addition of cured meat can give your vegetable soup an intense savory flavor that harmonizes with the light and delicate broth. Our pick for today’s recipe is smoked sausage but you can also use smoked bacon. If you’re feeling Italian, try pancetta or guanciale.
- Flavor enhancements: We sweat some minced shallots and onions in olive oil until they are translucent to bring out their naturally sweet taste and elevate the flavor profile of the soup.
- Liquid for the soup: We’re using unsalted chicken broth for this recipe to keep it light. You can substitute it with vegetable broth but steer away from beef broth because its rich flavor will be too intense for this veggie-based soup.
- Seasonings: We’re keeping it simple and using only salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and paprika.
- Herbs: We’re using parsley to garnish this soup, but you can leave it out if preferred. You can also add a sprig of dried thyme to the soup while you’re simmering to add a subtle hint of sweet woodsy aroma.
Full measurements of each ingredient will be available in the recipe section below so stay tuned!
Are Canned Chickpeas Cooked?
Yes. As mentioned above, canned chickpeas are cooked, making them more convenient for instant use.
Chickpeas and other legumes come to canneries in their dried form. During the production process, they are cleaned thoroughly to remove any dirt or impurities. After that, they are soaked in clean water, blanched, and pressure-cooked to perfection.
When you open a can of chickpeas or any type of beans, you will find they’re preserved in a liquid called aquafaba. That’s just water and salt that’s been used to cook the legumes, which is why the water is quite opaque.
Unless the recipe requires you to keep the canned chickpea water, we recommend discarding it because it’s quite high in sodium. If you need to use the aquafaba, we advise opting for low-sodium chickpeas.
We also recommend rinsing the chickpeas under running water and draining them before cooking.
How Do You Thicken Chickpea Soup?
Our chickpea soup is quite thin. If you prefer a thicker soup, here’s what to do:
Blend the soup: Since the soup contains starchy vegetables such as chickpeas, carrots, and pumpkin, you can use an immersion blender to purée the soup slightly. The puréed starchy vegetables will increase the viscosity of your soup without having to use additional thickening agents.
Add starch slurry: A starch slurry is simply a mixture consisting of equal parts cornstarch (or potato starch) and water. This mixture is often used to thicken soups in Chinese or other Asian cuisines. Here’s how to add it to your soup:
- Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch or potato with water to make the slurry.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Stir the soup gently with a wooden spoon while slowly adding the slurry.
- Continue stirring over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes to cook the starch thoroughly before serving.
Storage and Reheating the Leftover
Allow your leftover soup to cool for an hour before transferring it to an airtight container. Keep the soup in the fridge and it should stay good for three to five days.
If you’ve made a big batch of the soup, you can freeze it and keep it for about a month. When you want to defrost it, transfer the container to the fridge and let it thaw overnight.
To reheat, microwave the soup for about 2 minutes. You may need to transfer it to a microwave-safe container.
What to Serve with
Our chickpea soup is quite wholesome and filling on its own because it is packed with legumes and vegetables. There’s no need to serve it with toasted bread as you would with other purée soups.
And as mentioned, our chickpea soup would be an excellent appetizer for a multiple-course meal. For your main course, we recommend chicken and steak with a small side of salad or roasted vegetables.
You can cook the chickpea soup ahead of time, cover with a lid, and leave it on the stovetop to keep warm while you cook your main course.
More Delicious Soup Recipes Coming Your Way!
- Instant Pot Bean Soup Recipe: This recipe offers you a healthy and hearty soup to enjoy and warm your tummy on cold nights.
- Easy Soup Recipes: If you’re not a fan of beans and peas, you can check out our list of 30 easy soup recipes to discover your favorite comfort food!
Chickpea Soup Recipe
This chickpea soup recipe is definitely a breath of fresh air if you've had enough of rich and creamy soups. And the best thing is you don't need to use a blender to purée this soup!
- cook TIME 16 mins
- prep TIME 9 mins
- total TIME 25 mins
- COURSE Side Dish
- CUISINE Mediterranean
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 115 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 6 oz canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1 oz smoked sausage (cut into ½-inch chunks)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp shallot (finely minced)
- 2 oz onion (finely diced)
- 2 oz carrot (cut into thick slices)
- 4 oz pumpkin (peeled, deseeded, cut into thick slices)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 2 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Stir-fry the sausage: Heat up a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add 1 oz smoked sausage and stir for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp minced shallot, and 2 oz diced onion. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Stir-fry the vegetables: Add 2 oz carrot, 4 oz pumpkin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp paprika. Stir constantly for 1 minute.
Add liquid and cook: Add 2 cups unsalted chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Cook the chickpeas: Add 6 oz drained chickpeas and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Once the timer rings, turn off the heat.
Garnish and serve: Transfer the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary ConsultantLuna Regina
Writer, AuthorNatalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer- JudithFirst time I made it and it came out delicious.