Greek Chickpea Soup
Greek chickpea soup is filling, simple and so easy to make! This healthy Greek chickpea lemon soup is packed with veggies, made in one pot and super budget friendly! This vegan chickpea soup uses pantry ingredients you almost always have on hand to create a super delicious and lemony soup the entire family will love.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – this Greek chickpea soup is pretty easy to make and most of the cooking time is hands off.
- Simple ingredients – most of the ingredients for this chickpea rice soup are pantry ingredients that you probably always have on hand. This is a great meal to make instead of heading out to the store or ordering take out! You can find all the ingredients in any grocery store and the soup is naturally gluten free, dairy free, vegan and a great plant based Whole30 soup!
- Leftovers are great – you can enjoy leftovers for days with this soup. You will likely have to add some extra broth to the soup when reheating, but the flavor is great for days.
- Great way to use up veggies at the end of the week – this lemon chickpea soup is super versatile. Almost any of your leftovers veggies would work in this soup! Either sauté them with onions, carrot and celery or add them at the end with the kale (or instead of the kale).
Ingredients
- Onion, garlic, celery, carrots – these veggies create the base of flavor for the soup. In French cooking, the onion, celery and carrots are referred to as mirepoix and is a very traditional flavor base for soups. Garlic helps to give the dish even more flavor.
- Vegetable broth – vegetable broth helps the soup taste like it’s been cooking all day long. Vegetable broth (or stock) is packed with flavor and such an easy way to infuse flavor into any dish. You could also use chicken broth or stock if you are not vegan/vegetarian.
- Water – water helps create the perfect consistency so you don’t have to add more stock.
- Chickpeas – I use canned chickpeas or precooked chickpeas in this recipe to help it cook faster. Dried chickpeas can take over an hour to cook so I preferred canned. You could also use any other white bean you have on hand (cannellini, butter beans, great northern white beans, navy beans).
- Rice or orzo – you can use brown rice, white rice, orzo or any small pasta you have on hand. The brown rice will take the longest to cook followed by white rice than the pasta. I used a brown jasmine rice but have also made this with gluten free orzo. Be sure to rinse the rice well before adding it to the soup (especially white rice).
- Spices: Salt, garlic powder, oregano, bay leaves – these spices help to elevate the flavors. The oregano gives it that traditional Greek flavor and the bay leaves help to add a deep intensity to the flavor of the soup. Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving.
- Kale (or spinach) – the addition of kale helps to add more color to the soup and also helps to give the soup a very earthy flavor. You could also use spinach, chard or thinly sliced collard greens. If you don’t love greens in your soup, you can omit them.
- Lemon – this recipe uses the zest and the juice of the lemon. Be sure to zest the lemon before juicing it! Start with one lemon then add more if needed (it’s easy to add more, it’s hard to fix the soup once you decide it’s “too lemony”). The lemon zest is full of essential oils and really gives a deep lemon flavor.
How to make greek chickpea soup
Start by chopping the veggies – finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Tip: you can use a mini food processor to quickly chop your veggies (except for the garlic). You can use a garlic press to make chopping garlic a breeze.
Preheat a large pot over medium heat. When hot, spray with olive oil and add the onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes then add the garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, water, chickpeas (rinsed and drained), rice (rinsed) and spices. Stir well and cover the pot. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to simmer and cook the soup 20-30 more minutes (until the rice is fully cooked). Note: if you are using orzo or pasta, bring the soup to a boil first then add the orzo/pasta and only cook the soup for as long as the box indicates or the pasta will start to fall apart.
While the soup is cooking, chop the kale. Be sure to remove the thick stems then chop into bite size pieces. Once the rice (or orzo/pasta) is fully cooked, turn off the heat. Add the kale and stir well.
Zest the lemon into the pot. Add the lemon juice and carefully taste for seasoning. If you need more lemon, add the juice of another lemon.
Top tips
- You will need to add some water or broth to leftovers, as the rice or orzo will absorb the liquid as it sits in the fridge.
- Start with the juice of just one lemon and taste for brightness. Depending on how big your lemons are and how juicy they are, you may only need 1 lemon.
- If you want to thicken the soup, blend about 1/4 of the soup with an immersion blender or in a high speed blender.
- Time saving tip: Chop your onion, celery and carrots in the food processor to chop them quickly. Use a garlic press to quickly chop the garlic.
Other additions
- Veggies: Finely chopped zucchini, summer squash, spinach, green beans, finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower, bell peppers, roasted red peppers
- Fresh herbs: Add fresh parsley, dill or oregano
- Spice: Add crushed red pepper flakes
- Creaminess: Blend some of the soup with an immersion blender or add in 1/2 cup cashews blended with 1/3 cup water
- Protein: Add shredded chicken or shrimp
What to serve with chickpea rice soup
- Salad – Greek Salad with Kalamata Olive Dressing, Cruciferous Crunch Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing or Broccoli Salad with Lemon Dressing,
- Crusty bread or homemade crackers
- Appetizers: Roasted veggies with lemon tahini dip, fresh veggies with creamy white bean pesto
Common questions
What can you use besides rice?
- Orzo – this is a small rice shape pasta that cooks up in 10-20 minutes. I love using this gluten free orzo in recipes like this (it’s made with quinoa).
- Quinoa – be sure to rinse the quinoa well before adding it to the soup
- Small pasta like elbow or shells
- Cauliflower rice (reduce the liquid to just 4 cups of broth, no water)
Can you use other beans besides chickpeas?
This Greek rice and bean soup works well with any kind of beans you have on hand. It would be great with cannellini beans, great northern white beans, butter beans (fava beans) or navy beans.
You could also use pinto beans, black beans, lentils (cooked) or red kidney beans, however the soup will look slightly different.
Can you use dried chickpeas?
This recipe was written to use canned (or precooked) chickpeas. If you have dry chickpeas, you will need to cook them first.
- Dry chickpeas typically need to be soaked overnight before they can be cooked. Once soaked, you drain the soaking liquid and cook the chickpeas over medium heat for 1-1.5 hours.
- You can also cook dry chickpeas in the instant pot without soaking in advance. Add 6 cups of water for every 1 pound of chickpeas, cook for 30 minutes at high pressure, let pressure naturally released.
Do you have to peel the chickpeas before adding them
You do not have to peel the chickpeas before adding them to the soup. Typically, you will see this step in hummus recipes, as the skins can make hummus a little gritty. For this recipe, you don’t need to bother with removing the skins.
What equipment do you need to make this greek chickpea lemon soup
- Microplane
- Lemon juicer
- Mini food processor (optional)
- Large pot
Storing leftover lemon chickpea soup
- Fridge – store any leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I like to store individual servings in mason jars (they are easy to pour out into the pot for reheating).
- Freezer – freeze leftover Greek chickpeas soup for up to 3 months. Be sure to let the soup cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe container to freeze. Be sure to put a label with the name, date and use by date on the bag/container.
- Tip: I like to use Soupercubes to portion out individual servings before freezing. This way when I’m ready for leftovers, I can simply heat up one portion at a time. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container.
Reheating leftovers
- Stove – add ¼-1/2 cup of water to the soup when reheating (the rice will absorb most of the extra liquid when stored in the fridge). Reheat over medium low heat, covered until warmed through. You can reheat from frozen the same way, it will just take longer.
- Microwave – cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also reheat from frozen in the microwave, however it will take longer.
Substitutions
- Onion– you can also use green onion, shallots or omit the onion if needed. You can also add about 3 tablespoons dried minced onion if you don’t have fresh onion on hand.
- Celery – if you don’t have celery on hand, simply omit it.
- Carrots – carrots add a sweetness to the dish. If you don’t have them, you could use a red, orange or yellow bell pepper in their place or omit the carrots.
- Garlic – you can use fresh garlic, jarred garlic or frozen garlic in this recipe. You can use 1-2 tablespoons dehydrated or dried minced garlic if you don’t have fresh on hand. If you cannot tolerate garlic or onions, you can use a garlic infused olive oil to cook the carrots and celery in.
- Vegetable broth – the veggie broth really adds a depth of flavor. You can use vegetable broth or stock or chicken broth or stock. If you don’t have vegetable broth, you can also use a bouillon cube and water.
- Chickpeas – if you don’t have chickpeas on hand, you can use any legume you have. White beans, lentils, black beans, kidney beans or pinto beans. Be sure these are already cooked before adding to the soup. The exception is the lentils. If you want to cook the lentils from dry, add 1 cup lentils and 2 cups extra water to the soup before bringing to a boil.
- Rice – use brown rice, white rice, orzo or small pasta (elbow, shells) in this recipe. If you want this to be lower in carbs, you can omit the rice or pasta and use cauliflower rice or no rice at all. Reduce the cooking liquid by 1 cup (omit the water) if you are not adding rice or pasta.
- Spices – if you don’t have garlic powder, you can use onion powder. If you don’t have oregano, you can use italian seasoning. If you don’t have bay leaves, simply omit them.
- Kale – use any kind of greens you have on hand. You could use spinach, chard, collard greens or even green beans (cut into bite size pieces).
- Lemon – if you don’t have lemon on hand, you could use limes or 1-2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
If you love this recipe, you should try
- Tomato Gnocchi Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup
- Spicy White Bean Stew
- Vegan Rice Soup
- Brown Rice Lentil Soup
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Greek Chickpea Soup
Greek chickpea soup is flavorful, filling and so easy to make. This lemon chickpea soup uses budge friendly, pantry ingredients. Made in just one pot, this meatless meal is packed with veggies and is naturally vegan, gluten free, dairy free and Whole30 plant based.
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Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 3 medium celery stalks
- 2 medium carrots
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 cans chickpeas
- 1 cup dry brown rice (or orzo)
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 2 medium lemons, juiced (zest of 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic.
- Place a large pot over medium heat. When preheated, spray the pot with olive oil then add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes. Add carrots, celery and garlic to the onions and cook 4-5 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, water, spices, chickpeas and brown rice to a pot and turn the heat up to high. Cover and cook until boiling. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the rice is tender. Note: if you are using orzo or pasta, bring the soup to a boil first then add the orzo/pasta and only cook for as long as the box indicates or the pasta will start to fall apart.
- Chop the kale and when the rice is tender, turn off the heat and add the chopped kale. Stir well.
- Zest a lemon and then add the juice to the soup. Stir well and taste the soup. Add the juice of another lemon if needed.
Notes
Top tips
- You will need to add some water or broth to leftovers, as the rice or orzo will absorb the liquid as it sits in the fridge.
- Start with the juice of just one lemon and taste for brightness. Depending on how big your lemons are and how juicy they are, you may only need 1 lemon.
- If you want to thicken the soup, blend about 1/4 of the soup with an immersion blender or in a high speed blender.
- Time saving tip: Chop your onion, celery and carrots in the food processor to chop them quickly. Use a garlic press to quickly chop the garlic.
- Veggies: Finely chopped zucchini, summer squash, spinach, finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower, bell peppers, roasted red peppers
- Fresh herbs: Add fresh parsley, dill or oregano
- Spice: Add crushed red pepper flakes
- Creaminess: Blend some of the soup with an immersion blender or add in 1/2 cup cashews blended with 1/3 cup water
- Protein: Add shredded chicken or shrimp
- Fridge – store any leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I like to store individual servings in mason jars (they are easy to pour out into the pot for reheating).
- Freezer – freeze leftover Greek chickpeas soup for up to 3 months. Be sure to let the soup cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe container to freeze. Be sure to put a label with the name, date and use by date on the bag/container.
- Tip: I like to use Soupercubes to portion out individual servings before freezing. This way when I’m ready for leftovers, I can simply heat up one portion at a time. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container.
- Stove – add ¼-1/2 cup of water to the soup when reheating (the rice will absorb most of the extra liquid when stored in the fridge). Reheat over medium low heat, covered until warmed through. You can reheat from frozen the same way, it will just take longer.
- Microwave – cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also reheat from frozen in the microwave, however it will take longer.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
270
Fat
4
g
Carbohydrates
53
g
Fiber
7
g
Sugar
5
g
Protein
11
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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