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This Chickpea Noodle Soup is the best meal to make when you need a little comfort. It has the perfect combination of veggies, chickpeas, and noodles to make you feel at home! Plus, it's made with pantry staples and ready in just 35 minutes!
I'm coming at you with another full-on comfort meal that your family is going to love! This Chickpea Noodle Soup is in heavy rotation around here and we just can't get enough!
It's the best choice when the cold weather hits because it's comforting, hearty, and warming. Plus, it's budget-friendly and so easy to make. Most of my soup recipes fit into this category as well.
This soup is totally kid-friendly and it's easy to customize for picky eaters. My kiddo loves this noodle soup and always asks for seconds. He's also a big fan of my sopa de fideo which is packed with noodly goodness, too.
️🌟 This is a quick overview with step-by-step photos. For the complete ingredient amounts and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
This Chickpea Noodle Soup requires simple ingredients and many can be substituted. Here's what you will need and some quick notes to get you started.
- Fusilli - you can also use rotini, gemelli, rotelle or radiatori pasta. You can really use any type of pasta, but you may need to reduce the amount by half if it's a smaller variety. Cook time may vary too.
- Onion - you can also use leeks or shallots or a blend of both.
- Carrots and Celery - these create a delicious base flavor, so I would try to stick with them. If you don't like one, you can replace with leeks, parsnips or a handful of mushrooms. The flavor will vary, but will still be delish!
- Dried Herbs and Spices - 2-3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning will work too. The Turmeric is optional...it's mostly for color but adds a hint of earthy flavor as well.
- Tomato Paste - this isn't a must, but I highly reccommend trying it out. It adds a nice depth of flavor and rounds everyting out.
- Chickpeas - you can really use any type of beans that you prefer such as canellini, great northern, black, or kidney.
- Vegetable Broth - I used Better Than Bouillon low sodium vegetable base. It adds so much flavor to the soup. They aslo make a delicious no-chicken version too. However, any flavorful broth will do.
- Fresh Parsley - this is for topping the soup. You can omit it or use any fresh herbs that you like such as basil, thyme, or chives.
- Lemon - this is for serving alongside the soup. I love the subtle zing and brightness is adds. It's optional, but so good!
How to make Chickpea Noodle Soup
It takes just 4 easy steps to make this soup recipe. Here's how to do it:
- Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat until softened.
- Add and sauté the garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings, until fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a medium boil. Add the chickpeas, pasta, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook until pasta is al dente.
- Taste for seasoning, and add more if needed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Reheating and Storing
This chickpea noodle soup can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. The noodles tend to swell and soften more in the leftovers, but it's still delicious. You may need to add a little more broth to the reheat.
If you're making this soup for meal prep, you can always make the pasta separately and add it to the reheat so it doesn't swell or soften too much. Just skip the 2 cups of water and make sure to cook the pasta al dente too.
Chickpea Noodle Soup Add-In Ideas
This is a hearty soup just as it is, but if you want to add a bit more, here are my favorite things to add.
- Chopped kale, cabbage, bok choy, or spinach (2 chopped cups). Add in the last 3-5 minutes of cooking time until just wilted.
- Peeled and diced potatoes (3 medium red or gold). Add when the pasta goes in and cook until fork-tender.
- Chopped broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, peas or corn (2 chopped cups). Add when the pasta goes in and cook until tender. You may want to add another 1-2 cups of broth with this option.
Topping and Flavor Amp-Up Ideas
This noodle soup is loaded with flavor, but feel free to amp things up with extra seasonings or delicious toppings. Here are some ideas:
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Nutritional yeast
- Sliced green onions or chives
- Vegan sour cream (creates a creamy broth)
- Smoked paprika, chili powder, ground cumin
- Crushed red pepper, hot sauce, or cayenne pepper for extra heat
Serving Suggestions for Noodle Soup
This chickpea noodle soup is very filling on its own, but it definitely goes well with a salad and a piece of crispy bread. When I want to go all out, I'll serve it with my vegan caesar salad and my no-knead artisan bread.
More Soup Recipes to Enjoy
Looking for more delicious soup recipes to try? Here are a few reader favorites:
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would really make my day! You can also share your remake with me on Instagram. Just tag #veganhuggs and @veganhuggs so I don’t miss it!
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Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces dry fusilli pasta (about 2 cups)
- medium yellow onion , diced
- 3 medium carrots , sliced into rounds
- 3 ribs celery , sliced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas , rinsed and drained (about 1.5 cups)
- 8 cups vegetable broth , low sodium if preferred
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper , to taste
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley for topping
- Lemon wedges to serve
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and a sprinkle of salt. Sauté until veggies are aromatic and are slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, tomato paste, thyme, basil, oregano, turmeric, and crushed red pepper. Saute for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and water, then bring to a boil. Now add the chickpeas, pasta, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat slightly to maintain a medium boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
- Remove from heat, taste for seasoning, and add more if needed. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!
Notes
- 2 cups of chopped kale, cabbage, bok choy, or spinach add the leafy veggies in the last 3-5 minutes of cooking time until just wilted.
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced. Add when the pasta goes in and cook until fork-tender.
Isabelle
This is a new favorite! My family asks for it on the regular now. It’s so easy and hearty. Thank you for the recipe
Melissa Huggins
Glad to hear it, Isabelle! Thanks for dropping by and giving this recipe a great review.
Heather
Looks like a perfect winter soup. Do you peel the outer layer off of your chickpeas? I know some people do, and I don’t see any floating around in the soup, but it’s such a tedious task. If so, do you have any tried and true tips on how to do it faster?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Heather, Thank you! I didn't peel the chickpeas. There may be skins in there somewhere but I think they start to break down during the simmering. My son didn't mention anything and he's usually the first to find that sorta stuff. I agree, taking the skins off is pretty tedious. If you want to remove them, you can try warming the chickpeas on the stove in water first, then rinse under tap water and rub the skins off. I hope this helps. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Janet cooke
1.Not a vegan here, I do like receiving the recipes, though and so many look interesting. So when I do make one I adapt a bit.
2. I am in isolation so didn't have pepper flakes or parsley & lemon
3. The recipe is the BEST!
Due to the short cooking time the carrots and celery were quite firm and marvelous.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Janet, I'm so happy you loved the soup! Thank you for giving it a try and sharing your feedback 🙂