This warming and hearty chickpea soup comes together in less than 30 minutes and works perfectly for a healthy, quick yet delicious dinner. Plus, it’s made from scratch with cheap store cupboard staples and spinach from the freezer and a portion comes out at less than $ 1.50!
This easy, nourishing, one-pot meal is perfect for warming up in colder months and is super tasty: garlic, olive oil, paprika, oregano add a depth of flavor to the chickpeas and the tomatoes. The end result is a creamy filling soup that really packs a nutritional punch with plenty of protein and your five-a-day.
Plus, you can cook a big batch and put it in the fridge or freezer and be done for the week.
What’s not to like?
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA SOUP:
- Canned chickpeas
- Canned tomatoes
- Frozen spinach
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Salt & pepper
- Bay leaves and lemon (optional)
HOW TO MAKE THIS CHICKPEA SOUP:
- Saute’ onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaves in olive oil for 5 minutes
- Add garlic, paprika, and oregano
- Stir in chickpeas and mix well
- Add frozen spinach, tomato sauce, broth and salt
- Cook for 10 minutes
- Then stir in a mix of water and flour
- Cook for a further 5 minutes
- Taste and adjust the seasoning
- Serve with whole grain bread, black pepper or chili flakes. Done.
EASY, HEALTHY AND BUDGET-FRIENDLY
You can make this pretty much anytime you want because you need only and few cupboard essentials, dried stuff, a handful of frozen spinach and 25 minutes of prep time. Plus, this protein-packed soup makes a balanced and super cheap meal (less than $ 1.50 per portion!).
ARE CHICKPEAS HEALTHY?
YES. Chickpeas are nutrient-dense food rich in protein and fiber. According to a study published in the journal Nutrients, people who regularly consume chickpeas have higher intakes of fiber, vitamins A, E and C, folate, magnesium, potassium, iron, and antioxidants. Fiber is an important part of your diet, as it prevents constipation, helps control blood sugar and reduces the appetite.
If you enjoy this soup with some whole grain bread, you’ll get plenty of fiber. Fiber is an important part of your diet, as it prevents constipation, helps control blood sugar and reduces the appetite. Last but not least, eating three servings of whole grain food per day may help you live longer!
RECIPE NOTES AND TIPS
SOFFRITTO: in Italy, this is a classic base for almost anything cooked on the stove. Basically, “soffritto” is a mix of diced carrots, onion, celery that can be slowly sautéed in a bit of olive oil until golden and sweet, which creates a flavorsome base. Please, do not to skip this step : )
HERBS AND SPICES: when you add paprika and oregano to the “soffritto” base, the heated oil helps these ingredients to release beautiful aromas, deep color, and flavor.
However, make sure the dried oregano has still his intense flavor, since stale oregano leaves make everything taste kind of dusty (It happened to me a few times!).
HOW TO MAKE A CREAMY SOUP?
This is a simple step, totally optional, but it helps to make a creamy soup without adding any cream or fat.
Simply whisk a small amount of flour in cold water before whisking it into the main pot. Give a good stir, that helps to dissolve the flour into the soup evenly. The end result is a creamy and filling soup.
If you enjoy this protein-packed soup, be sure to check out these healthy and quick soup recipes.
Or, if you are looking for more chickpea recipes, have a look at my:
Chickpea bruschetta
Creamy chickpea soup
Roasted root vegetable and chickpea salad
Beetroot and chickpea hummus
Couscous salad
If you make this Mediterranean chickpea soup or if you have a question, let me know! Leave a comment or rate it : )
I would love to hear from you! x
Mediterranean chickpea soup
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained (28oz - 800 grams)
- 1 can canned tomatoes, diced (14 oz- 400 grams)
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (600 ml)
- 1 cup frozen spinach (7 oz - 200 grams from frozen)*
- 1 cup celery, diced (1 big celery stalk)
- 1 cup onion, diced (1 large onion)
- 1 cup carrots, diced (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2-3 bay leaves (optional)
- 1/2 Tbsp flour (heaped)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 lemon, juice (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, paprika, oregano and bay leaves. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 1 minute.
- Add the chickpeas, and cook for another minute, stirring often.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, the frozen spinach, the broth and 1/2 tsp of salt. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat and cook gently for 10 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, dissolve 1/2 heaped Tbsp of flour into 1/2 cup of cold, mix to a smooth consistency and stir in the soup. Srtir well and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, then remove the bay leaves. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and lemon juice until the flavors really sing. (You might need more salt, depending on your vegetable broth and your personal preferences.)
- Divide into bowls, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and some chili flakes if you’d like.
Notes
- I usually make my own vegetable broth cooking for about 5-10 minutes vegetable scraps and herbs. However, when I'm short on time I go for hot water and vegan low salt vegetable broth cubes.
- If you use a broth that tastes quite salty on its own, it's important to adjust the seasoning at the end and not at the beginning as you never really know how strong the salt from the broth is. I would start only with 1/2 tsp, no more than that.
- Leftover: it keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. t’s also freezable: divide among airtight containers (leaving 1-inch space at the top), and freeze up to 2 months.
- Lemon juice: although is optional, a small amount of lemon juice added at the end of cooking brightens flavors, especially in tasty bean soups. Start with a little bit of acid, taste and adjust, until your soup tastes balanced and bright.
- Veggies: If you prefer, you could swap the spinach for other greens, such as chopped kale or chard.
- Frozen spinach: the weight is from frozen, but you can swap frozen spinach for a 10-oz bag of fresh spinach if you prefer.
