Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup

Name: Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 large yellow onion (diced); 1 cup diced carrot (about 2 large carrots); 1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger (grated); 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried rosemary; salt and pepper; 1 cup dried chickpeas (or 2 cups cooked / canned chickpeas added at the end); 4 cups vegetable broth; 4 cups water; 2 cups fusilli (or other pasta shape); salt and pepper (to taste); 4 cups lacinato kale (or other green, shredded)

Published: Jan 5, 2022 · Last Updated: Feb 24, 2022 by Katie Trant · 24 Comments

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Imagine a delicious Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup, and that's what we've got here! This simple Chickpea Noodle Soup is loaded with veggies, plant-based protein, fragrant chickpea broth, and a handful of pasta tossed in at the end. Made in the Instant Pot for super fast and easy cooking, but stovetop instructions are also included.

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When the cold weather rolls around, I am all about the cozy, comforting soup recipes.

I love making vegetarian riffs on classic comfort food recipes, like our Vegetarian Dumpling Soup recipe or Vegan Corn Chowder.

What we have here today is a riff on Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup that'll knock your socks off. This noodle soup recipe is made with chickpeas instead of chicken - it's loaded with flavour, packed with plant-based protein, and if you're looking for a bright and flavourful vegan soup to get you through the dreary winter months, you need to look no further.

Naturally I've added a load of greens to this Vegan Noodle Soup, as we are wont to do here on HNL. Maybe your grandma's chicken noodle soup recipe didn't have a ton of kale stuffed into it - but I'm willing to bet it didn't have chickpeas either.

Nevertheless, let me assure you this soup is as comforting as it gets. Let's make this Chickpea Noodle Soup Recipe!

Ingredients

So, instead of making chicken noodle soup, we're veganizing this thing and making chickpea noodle soup. Fun, right? Let's get into what you need:

Chickpeas --> We're using dried chickpeas today.
Onion --> A nice big diced up yellow or white guy will do the trick.
Carrots --> We're building in layers of flavour.
Celery --> Moooooore flavour.
Garlic --> Again with the flavors!
Ginger --> Yasss queen.
Vegetable broth --> Homemade or your favourite store-bought brand is fine.
Pasta --> Use your favourite pasta shape, or classic egg noodles if you're not vegan.
Rosemary --> Forgot to include in the picture, but it's there!
Thyme --> Again, forgot to include. My bad.
Bay leaf --> Optional, but delicious.
Salt and black pepper --> Bringing it home.

Equipment

My preferred method for making this soup is in the Instant Pot (or whatever electric pressure cooker you've got going on).

If you don't have an Instant Pot, a large heavy-bottomed pot will do the trick for stove top cookery. I love using my Le Creuset Dutch Oven for this.

Method

I'm going to talk you through how to make Chickpea Noodle Soup in your Instant Pot. For stove top instructions please jump down to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: Turn your Instant Pot to "sauté normal" and heat a bit of olive oil in the bottom of the pot. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, celery, carrots, and the dried herbs.

Sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables are slightly softened. About 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Hit "cancel" on your Instant Pot to turn off the heat. Add the vegetable broth, water, and dried chickpeas to the pot.

Seal the lid, and turn on to "pressure cook, high" for 35 minutes. It will take about 10-15 minutes to come up to pressure.

When the pressure cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, and then flip to "venting" to quick-release the remaining pressure.

Step 3: Remove the lid and test a few chickpeas. They should be tender, but not mushy. If they're still very firm you can replace the lid and pressure cook for another five minutes, followed by a quick release.

I find this step is usually not necessary, especially given that we're going to pressure cook the pasta in the next step. Note! The soup will be very brothy at this stage. This is normal.

Step 4: Add the dried pasta. Replace the lid and set the Instant Pot to "pressure cook, high" for three (3) minutes. The pressure cooker should come to pressure quite quickly since the soup is already hot.

Once the time is up be sure to quick release immediately.

Step 5: Remove the lid from the Instant Pot, check that the pasta is al dente, and stir through the greens. They will wilt nicely in just a couple of minutes.

Step 6: Serve!

Do I need to soak the chickpeas before making this soup?

Nope! If you're using a pressure cooker to make your vegan noodle soup, no soaking is required.

However, if you're going to be making this soup on the stove top I encourage you to use chickpeas that have already been soaked and cooked (related: how to cook dried beans) or canned chickpeas. You could also make my Instant Pot Chickpeas if you prefer to start with cooked beans.

Can I make this soup in advance?

Your chickpea noodle soup will last well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

As the pasta keeps absorbing liquid, the longer you leave your soup, the softer your noodles will be. If you're planning to make it well in advance (like a couple of days), I recommend adding freshly cooked pasta to the chickpea soup base rather than cooking the pasta in the soup.

Leftovers reheat well in the microwave, or on the stovetop over medium heat.

Can I freeze this soup?

The chickpea soup base without pasta freezes beautifully. I don't recommend freezing it with the pasta in the mix as it gets weird and slimy when it defrosts.

Rather, I suggest you freeze the soup base, and add freshly cooked pasta when you're ready to serve.

Can I add a different kind of green?

Sure thing. You can throw in handfuls of baby spinach, arugula, or even small broccoli florets. I like to add Kale Chips on the top for garnish too, but that's totally optional. (Related: Air Fryer Kale Chips)

Can I make this soup gluten-free?

You sure can! Just add in gluten-free pasta shapes and you are good to go. Brown rice pasta is great, or whatever your favourite gluten-free pasta is.

Hey Nutrition Lady, are chickpeas healthy?

Chickpeas are a super food, with about 12.5 grams of fiber per cup. That’s 50% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber!

About two-thirds of the fiber in chickpeas is insoluble, which is great for digestive health, particularly in the colon. The remaining third is soluble fiber, which can help lower our LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides; important for cardiovascular health.

The protein-fiber combination in chickpeas is key for stabilizing blood sugar levels, as both protein and fiber move through our digestive systems at a moderate pace. This protein-fiber combination is also beneficial for improving our sense of satiety.

Chickpeas provide antioxidant nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, but also contain concentrated supplies of antioxidant phytonutrients such as flavonoids and polyphenols. They also contain valuable amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Vegan Lentil Soup
Instant Pot Carrot Soup with Garlicky Greens
Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry
Red Lentil Stew
Vegetarian Dumpling Soup
Mung Bean Soup
Miso Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup
Instant Pot Borscht

two white and blue bowls of vegan noodle soup with some kale leaves and scones in the background

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