chickpea noodle soup

Chickpea Noodle Soup Recipe:

The essence of this soup is the chickpea broth, so I really encourage you to start with dried chickpeas and make the broth from scratch. If you don’t have time you can substitute 2 cups of canned chickpeas and 6 cups of good vegetable broth.

.

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight or quick hot soaked and drained
8 cups water
1/2 a yellow onion
1/2 of a large carrot, peeled and cut in half
1 clove garlic, smashed

.

Combine soaked and drained chickpeas, 8 cups of water, onion, carrot, and garlic in a medium pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Chickpeas are done when you’ve tested five of them and they’re all nice and tender.

.

1 1/2 yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups diced onion)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup diced carrot)
1 cup diced celery
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cups whole wheat fusilli, or other shaped pasta
salt and pepper

.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring every few minutes, until they are deeply golden brown, but not burnt. This took about 20 minutes in my kitchen. At this point add the garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for a minute more. Now add the carrot, celery, and ginger, along with another sprinkle of salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir, then cover the pot with it’s lid to allow the vegetables to sweat it out. Allow them to cook until they are just barely tender – about 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic, onion, and carrot from the bean pot (I deemed the carrot not too onion-y tasting and threw it in a smoothie. The garlic and onion I discarded.) Now add the chickpeas and broth to the veggies in the big pot all at once. Stir to combine, and allow the soup to come to a boil, uncovered. Then reduce the heat to low and cover it.

Meanwhile, in the pot you just had the beans and broth in, bring plenty of water to a rolling boil. Salt it well, then add the whole wheat fusilli. Cook until the pasta is just al-dente, about 10 – 15 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta directly into the soup. Stir, then taste the broth. If it needs salt, add a bit of the pasta water; it’ll have good flavour, and is already nice and hot. Season with a bit of pepper, and you’re ready to serve.

Chickpeas are a super food! They’re a very good source of folate, protein, dietary fiber, phosphorus and iron. The fiber in chickpeas is mostly insoluble, which is really good for our digestive tracts. You can read more about the health benefits of eating chickpeas here.

Whole wheat pasta, made from flour with the bran and germ intact, is a significantly better source of fiber and nutrients than the regular wheat version. Bear in mind that pasta portions, particularly in restaurants, are often waaaaaaay larger than they should be. Aim for around a 1 cup serving of cooked whole wheat pasta.

Do ahead: This soup can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to five days in a sealed container. The whole wheat pasta is quite sturdy, and survives storage in the broth well. If you’re making specifically to keep in the freezer, however, you may want to leave the noodles out and add them fresh at the time of serving.