Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup will keep you warm and cozy on chilly days. Homemade soup is terrific for lunch or even light dinner. This recipe is super easy to make. It’s vegan with a gluten-free option.
Soup isn’t a Meal
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m not much of a soup person. While I will have a bowl occasionally for lunch, it’s usually not my first choice for a meal. Jerry Seinfeld once said that soup is a meal, but I sided with his friend Kenny Bania on that debate. Soup isn’t a meal.
I do appreciate a hot bowl of soup on a cold and snowy day, however. In the cooler months, I will sometimes make a big pot of Spicy Lentil Carrot Soup or Roasted Kabocha Soup at the beginning of the week so that I have food for lunches during the busy weekdays. If I know a snowstorm is coming, I like to make big batches of soup and freeze it. Then, if the power goes out, I just have to reheat it on the camping stove we bought for emergencies.
Canned Soup
I grew up eating that canned soup with the red and white label that Andy Warhol liked so much. As a kid, I thought it was delicious. These days, if I’m in a pinch, I’ll pick up a premade variety from Whole Foods, but I do prefer to make my own.
One of my favorites as kid was chicken noodle soup. I didn’t care about so much the chicken, but loved the saltiness of the broth combined with the fun-to-eat noodles. I remember slurping down bowls of it while watching cartoons on sick days. Sometimes, my mom would pack hot soup in a thermos in my Hardy Boys lunchbox for my lunch at school.
Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup
I’ve veganized my favorite childhood soup and made it healthier. Hearty chickpeas are the star of the dish, and I’ve used gluten-free fusilli in the place of noodles. (Perhaps the use fusilli is a subconscious nod to Jerry Seinfeld?) Low sodium vegetable stock takes the place of the salty broth that was in soup of my younger days.
I’ve used kale in this recipe to give it a little nutrient boost, as well as a little bit of color. Chicken noodle soup is usually made with celery, but I don’t like cooked celery, so I’ve left it out. Feel free to add a sliced stalk or two if you like it.
Making Chickpea Noodle Soup is Super Easy!
- First, you sauté the onion, garlic, and carrot.
- Next, you add the vegetable stock, noodles, and dried herbs to the pot and let it cook until the noodles are tender.
- Finally, you add chopped kale to the pot and cook until it has wilted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Serve this vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup on its own for a light meal or pair it with a sandwich for a heartier repast. I love to serve it for lunch with roasted vegetable wraps.
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon neutral flavored oil
- ¼ cup diced yellow onion (about ½ of a small onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, sliced or diced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked whole grain fusilli or similarly shaped pasta gluten-free, if necessary
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chopped kale
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and become fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock, noodles, chickpeas, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a bowl and then lower the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. (The time will vary, depending on the type of pasta you use.)
- Add the kale to the pot and stir until wilted.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot.
If you enjoyed this Chickpea Noodle Soup, you might also like:
- African-Inspired Chickpea Peanut Stew
- Curried Cauliflower Cream Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Roasted Kabocha Soup
Ooh this looks perfect for fall! We were all 3 under the weather this weekend, and I wish I’d had a batch of this in the fridge!
Thank you, Becky! I hope you’re feeling better!
I have everything I need to make this and it’s definitely happening this week! Just what I need – my daughter and I both have coughs this week and with the temps dropping all I want is a big bowl of cozy soup! This is perfect!
I hope you enjoy it, Jenn! And I hope you feel better!
I was just thinking about making noodle soup for lunch! This recipe looks perfect and I have everything on hand.
Thank you, Alisa! I hope you enjoy it!
This looks so cozy, and I’m loving the added nutrient boost of kale. I also remember how fun it was on those days when I had warm soup from home in my Strawberry Shortcake thermos.
Thank you, Cadry! Wouldn’t it have been fun to have soup for lunch together in the school cafeteria?
You can send all of the soup to me! I actually just ate a bowl of “chicken” and wild rice soup for breakfast. LOL! This looks delicious, Dianne. I love that you added kale to it.
Thank you, Linda!
I am always looking for more soup ideas that remind me of old fashioned recipes. I will make this for my partner for sure.
Thank you, Kathy! I hope you both enjoy it!
Wow, this was fantastic. I used chickpea fusili. My Husband I
Who is not Vegan said this is a keeper.
Thank you
I’m so glad you liked it!
Loved this soup.
Thank you. It’s an easy go to Winter soup
I’m so glad you liked it!
What other fresh and:or frozen greens would work in this recipe if I don’t have kale?
You can use spinach, arugula, or chard.