In the winter, we have soup a couple times a week. It’s a great plant-based meal option and you can pack so many vegetables into one pot of soup. This vegetable-filled chickpea soup is a great easy empty-shelf recipe, and delicious, too.
Serve this with brown rice or a nice crusty spelt sourdough for a full meal. Leftovers keep really well (more on that below) and it makes lots, so you can save some for later or freeze for another day.
This recipe is adapted from this carrot, red lentil, and spinach soup.
Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chickpeas: I always use cooked chickpeas (you can find a cooking guide in my book) but canned work just as well.
- Ginger: if you don’t like pieces of garlic, grate it with a very fine grater rather than mincing.
- Canned tomatoes: diced, if possible. Whole or cherry work too, but you might want to break whole tomatoes up with a wooden spoon in the pot while cooking.
- Vegetable broth: or water. It doesn’t matter as long as you season properly.
- Greens: fresh or frozen. Pictured is rucola (rocket/arugula), but kale, chard, and spinach are all good options.
- Lemon: optional, but if you find that the soup tastes a bit flat, it probably needs a bit of acidity – a squeeze of lemon will solve it.
Recipe Notes
If using canned chickpeas, I always do a double rinse method. Rinse, then soak in cold water for at least ten minutes, then rinse again. They taste so much better this way.
It is possible to use fresh tomatoes for this recipe, but I’ve never tried. This is more of a winter recipe and canned tomatoes are better than imported greenhouse tomatoes.
The lemon is optional because canned tomatoes are sometimes very acidic. It’s best to taste before serving and check for seasoning rather than adding everything at once. A very small splash of white wine vinegar can be subbed for lemon.
The amount of broth/water used is twice the amount of tomatoes. If using water, simply use the can from the tomatoes to measure (two full cans).
How to Store
Storage: this soup will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about three days.
Freezing: freeze for up to a month. I freeze in 500ml glass canning jars and this is just about perfect for one serving. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove.
Newsletter
More Chickpea Soups and Stews
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Cauliflower, Sweet Potato, and Chickpea Curry
Moroccan Spiced Carrot Chickpea Stew
Chickpea Pumpkin Curry
If you make this Chickpea Vegetable Soup or any other vegetarian soup recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 small onion diced
- 300 grams carrots, in 1cm slices 3-4 medium
- 300 grams potatoes, in 1cm chunks 2 medium
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cm ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes optional, to taste
- 400 grams canned diced tomatoes
- 800 ml vegetable broth or water
- 300 grams chickpeas cooked or canned, rinsed well
- 70 grams hardy greens fresh or frozen
- Lemon optional
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat.
- Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes, reducing the heat if the onions start to brown too quickly, until translucent.2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 small onion
- Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.300 grams carrots, in 1cm slices, 300 grams potatoes, in 1cm chunks
- Add the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and hot pepper flakes. Stir to coat the vegetables in the spices and cook for another 30 seconds or so.3 cloves garlic, 3 cm ginger, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- Stir in the canned tomatoes and broth or water. Add the chickpeas, then cover and increase the heat to high. Once the soup starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.400 grams canned diced tomatoes, 800 ml vegetable broth, 300 grams chickpeas
- Check to make sure the carrots and potatoes are cooked through. Stir in the greens. If using frozen, cover for 5 minutes to thaw fully. Taste for seasoning and add salt and a squeeze of lemon as needed.70 grams hardy greens, Lemon
- Serve hot. Leftovers will keep well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and can be frozen for up to a month.
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

Occasionally Eggs
If you’re looking for approachable, seasonal vegetarian recipes, you’re in the right place! Occasionally Eggs is all about healthier plant based recipes that follow the seasons.
Find vegetarian staples, refined sugar free desserts, and hundreds of vegan recipes. All OE recipes are vegetarian, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
Leave a Reply