This Italian garbanzo bean soup is healthy, protein-rich, high in fiber, and ready in 30 minutes. It's a budget-friendly recipe using pantry ingredients that's full of savory flavor. This chickpea soup recipe is excellent for meal-prep and is freezer-friendly, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
This garbanzo bean soup, inspired by the traditional Italian chickpea soup called pasta e ceci, is a quick & easy one pot vegetarian soup that's loaded with Mediterranean flavors.
It's a customizable soup with garbanzo beans so you can use canned or dried beans, blend it for a thicker consistency, or even make it using a slow cooker.
For more dairy free soup recipes, try my vegetarian white bean chili, vegan black eyed pea soup, and vegetarian potato soup.
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⭐️ Why This Soup is the Best
- Quick & easy savory chickpea soup that's ready in 30 minutes
- Budget-friendly recipe using pantry-friendly ingredients
- Healthy chickpea soup that's high in fiber, protein, naturally dairy-free/vegan, full of nutrients, and low in calories
- Customizable soup recipe so you can use canned or dried beans, blend it for a thicker consistency, and even make it spicy!
- Make it on the stovetop or in a crockpot/slow cooker
- An excellent meal-prep soup that can be made ahead of time, and it's freezer-friendly
🍅 Ingredient Notes
- Yellow onion - You can substitute one red onion or 2-3 medium shallots as well.
- Garlic - I highly recommend fresh garlic for optimal flavor, but jarred garlic will also work.
- Italian seasoning mixture of dried oregano, dried thyme, dried rosemary, ground fennel, and bay leaves - This seasoning mixture provides lots of savory Italian flavor, but you can also make your own italian seasoning substitute!
- Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - Belonging to the legume family (just like lentils), chickpeas are high in protein and fiber, making them a very healthy food. We use canned garbanzo beans for convenience, but you could also use dried beans - just be sure to cook them beforehand. For more garbanzo bean recipes, try my smoky hummus or gluten free tabbouleh salad.
- Diced tomatoes - This recipe calls for 1 (15 ounce can) of diced tomatoes, but you could also substitute 1 large tomato.
- Vegetable broth - If you use low-sodium broth, you may need to add extra salt before serving your soup.
- Fresh spinach or kale - You can use your favorite leafy greens in this soup - like mustard greens, collard greens, or Swiss chard - and it will be delicious.
- Fresh lemon juice - Gives our soup a burst of brightness; I recommend using fresh lemon juice for optimal flavor, but you can also use bottled lemon juice.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Make in a crockpot/slow cooker: Place all ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to give it a kick.
- For thick soup: Before adding spinach, place half of the soup into a food processor to blend into a thick and creamy consistency. Return soup mixture to the pot and combine with the rest of the soup.
- Add cheese: Before serving, sprinkle your soup with 1 or 2 tablespoons of a salty cheese, like Parmesan or mozzarella.
🔪 How to Make Garbanzo Bean Soup
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high until it shimmers. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion; cook for 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, carrots, celery, oregano, thyme, rosemary, fennel, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Pour in the chickpeas, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth and stir. Bring the soup mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the spinach or kale and cook it for another minute, until it's wilted.
Add fresh lemon juice, stir, and season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Remove bay leaves, divide soup into 4 bowls, and garnish with fresh parsley (if using).
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Storage: Place cooled soup in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- How to freeze: After completely cooling, transfer soup to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight.
- How to reheat: Using the stovetop, place soup pot over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until heated through, stirring frequently.
- How to serve: Pair your garbanzo soup accompanied by bread, like crusty ciabatta rolls, maple biscuits, or sourdough discard focaccia. Or accompany it with a side salad, like shaved fennel salad or apple cucumber salad.
- To drain and rinse beans or not: Although you might be in the habit of draining and rinsing your canned beans, a recent article from America's Test Kitchen explains why NOT draining your beans actually makes more sense when making soups and stews (mainly for flavor and consistency).
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Nothing, it's simply a different name for the exact same food!
Yes, chickpea soup is incredibly healthy, high in fiber, protein, naturally dairy-free/vegan, full of nutrients, and low in calories.
The possibilities are endless with garbanzo beans! You can always make the go-to snack of smoky hummus, but they are also delicious in tuscan bean salad and chickpea spinach curry.
Yes, garbanzo beans are considered a superfood, as they are a great source of plant-based protein and fiber, as well as numerous nutrients, including zinc, B vitamins, and iron.
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Italian Garbanzo Bean Soup Recipe
Equipment
- large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel or fennel seeds
- 2 bay leaves **remove before serving
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 (15 ounce cans) garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1 (15 ounce can) diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth (1 quart)
- 3 handfuls of fresh spinach or kale, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high until it shimmers. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion; cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, carrots, celery, oregano, thyme, rosemary, fennel, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Pour in the chickpeas, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth and stir. Bring the soup mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the spinach or kale and cook it for another minute, until it's wilted.
- Add fresh lemon juice, stir, and season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Remove bay leaves, divide soup into 4 bowls, and garnish with fresh parsley (if using).
Video
Notes
- Storage: Place cooled soup in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- How to freeze: After completely cooling, transfer soup to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight.
- How to reheat: Using the stovetop, place soup pot over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until heated through, stirring frequently.
- To drain and rinse beans or not: Although you might be in the habit of draining and rinsing your canned beans, a recent article from America's Test Kitchen explains why NOT draining your beans actually makes more sense when making soups and stews (mainly for flavor and consistency).
Barb Haner
This soup sounds great. I love the flavor of fennel so this sounds interesting. Will be giving this a try!
MaryAnne
I hope you love it as much as I do!