Creamy Chickpea Soup

May 30, 2012

Creamy Chickpea Soup

Chickpeas are a constant presence in my kitchen. I love everything about them: the rich nutty taste, creamy texture, appetizing colour, their versatility and how they absorb flavours. After many curries, breads, burgers and sweets, it was high time I tried a chickpea soup. While browsing recipes on the internet for inspiration, I found a easy Creamy Chickpea Soup by The Domestic Goddess (adapted from chef Rob Feenie's recipe) that required only a small change to be made vegan. One word instantly convinced me to try it: tahini. Is there anything more reminiscent of the Middle Eastern cuisine than chickpeas and tahini? This soup is like a liquid version of a very aromatic hummus. It is rich, creamy, the flavours and textures are wonderfully balanced and it is ready in no time (it doesn't even come to a boil, go figure!).

I guarantee you will love this soup so much, you'll be eager to make it again. I enjoyed it to the point where I made it several days in a row, one day I even made it twice, for lunch and dinner. I could be fair and tell you it serves two-three people, but there has been an instance when it served only one;) I won't bore you with more praises, so here's the recipe:

Creamy Chickpea Soup
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 cup finely grated carrot (1 medium carrot)
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped (using red onion instead of white does make a difference in taste)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (from a 400 g/14 oz can), thoroughly rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup tahini (original recipe calls for 1/3 cup but I found the store-bought tahini to be too sharp, so I used less with great results)
  • 3 cups warm water (to save cooking time)
  • 1/2 vegetable stock cube
  • 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 Tb fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 3/4 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • pinch of smoked paprika (original recipe calls for cayenne, which I didn't have, but smoked paprika was a great addition)
  • salt to taste


Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the carrot, onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender. Cover with the lid to retain moisture and soften faster. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile in a bowl add 1 cup warm water and the half veggie cube to soften. Put the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and the water with veggie cube in a blender or food processor and blend for a few seconds until smooth.


Add the remaining 2 cups water to the saucepan and stir in the chickpea-tahini paste. Add the remaining ingredients (except parsley) and season with salt. Cook on medium-low heat for a few minutes until heated thoroughly and thickened (last time I cooked it on low for about 10 minutes). Stir frequently. Don't let it simmer/boil, as it will begin to separate. Add parsley after turning the heat off or when serving.

Creamy Chickpea Soup

I greatly enjoy this soup as it is, with bits of veggies in it, but if you prefer a smooth texture or if you have a kid who isn't fond of veggies you can just blend it using an immersion blender (or do it in batches using a countertop blender or food processor). See the pictures below for the smooth version.

Creamy Chickpea Soup

Creamy Chickpea Soup

Serve the soup plain or garnished with pita croutons for a bit of crunch.

Enjoy and spread the magic!:)


I put a lot of time, effort and passion into each recipe I post. My greatest satisfaction comes from your feedback. If you made this recipe, please take a minute of your time to leave a comment below. And if you like it, please share it so that others have access to it as well. Thank you all in advance!

10 comments:

Vijitha

One pot full of goodness. I like meals like these where we get all the nutrients in one time. Yummy soup and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing it.

Vegan Magic

I love this soup for the same reasons. It's cooked for a short time under boiling point so it retains its nutritious value. Thank you so much for the comment:)

Allison

I made this soup and it was delicious! I did alter the ingrediants I added some finely chopped celery and cooked it with the carrot, onion and garlic. I feel that celery gives food a nice flavour and all I added was a small piece. This soup is very filling and wholesome just perfect on a cold winters night, no leftovers so I will be making it again

Vegan Magic

WOW Allison, what timing:) I was having a bowl of this chickpea soup just as I was reading your comment. I love celery and will definitely add it next time I make this. Sounds really yummy:) Thank you kindly for your comment and suggestion.

macroyoga

Lovely soup - thank you very much....eating macrobiotically, I added some miso paste instead of the stock cube....otherwise twas fantastic!!

Vegan Magic

Thank you very much for the feedback, Shirley:) I'm happy that you enjoyed it and were able to adapt it to fit your diet. I've never tried miso paste, but I'm tempted to, especially having your confirmation that it worked in this soup. So thank you for sharing your version:)

Tammie

This is delicious. I just made this and I'm eating it now. Next time, I'll add celery as suggested by another reader. I'm glad to have found this!! Thanks for sharing

Vegan Magic

Tammie, thanks so much for making this recipe and for sharing your experience with it. The soup is indeed very delicious, one of the best creamy soups I've ever made. Definitely a keeper. Celery would surely add more flavour, I'll also try this next time. Hoping you find more inspiring recipes on my blog to try:)

Katerina Fiore

How many servings do you get? Would it be alright to add less tumeric and add paprika instead? Thanks

Vegan Magic

Hi Katerina, thanks for the comment. You get 3-4 servings and you can definitely reduce the turmeric and use paprika. I'm a fan of smoked paprika, so I would use that if I were to make the change. Hope you enjoy the soup:)

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