Description
This Easy Garlic Chickpea Soup is a comforting bowl of pure deliciousness, packed with rich garlic flavor and hearty chickpeas. Perfect for a chilly evening or a simple yet impressive dinner, it’s incredibly easy to whip up and bursting with flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken/beef broth)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- Fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- Fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach or chopped kale (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Your Ingredients: Start by getting everything ready. Peel and mince or thinly slice your garlic cloves – remember, plenty of them! Dice your onion, carrots, and celery. Rinse and drain your canned chickpeas. If you're using fresh herbs, give them a quick chop or tie them into a bundle.
- Sauté the Aromatics: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add your diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and become translucent.
- Add the Garlic and Herbs: Now, add your glorious minced garlic to the pot. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it's fragrant. Be careful not to let it brown or burn. Stir in your fresh rosemary and thyme (or dried herbs if using).
- Introduce the Chickpeas and Broth: Pour in your rinsed and drained chickpeas along with the vegetable (or chicken/beef) broth. Give everything a good stir to combine.
- Simmer to Perfection: Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for at least 20-25 minutes.
- Create Creaminess (Optional but Recommended): After simmering, remove the herb sprigs. For a creamier texture, use an immersion blender to blend about a quarter to a third of the soup directly in the pot.
- Season and Finish: Taste the soup and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. If you're adding spinach or kale, stir it in now and cook for just a couple of minutes until it wilts.
- Serve Warm: Ladle the soup into bowls and, if you like, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh parsley or red pepper flakes. Enjoy immediately!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Consider roasting a head of garlic for a sweeter flavor, adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat, or incorporating a tablespoon of nutritional yeast for umami. This soup is great for meal prepping and tastes even better the next day.