Hearty Chickpea Noodle Soup (Easy + 1 Pot)
Forget chicken noodle soup, this vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup is loaded with protein-rich chickpeas, veggies, hearty pasta & flavorful herbs. Plus, it’s easy to make in 1 pot and ready in 30 minutes!
I love veganizing classics and this chickpea noodle soup has all the comforting qualities you’d expect in a classic chicken noodle soup, minus the chicken of course.
This hearty vegan soup is just as comforting and tastes just as good, with all the healthy benefits of wholesome plant-based ingredients!
May I also add that this recipe requires minimal chopping, uses mostly pantry ingredients, and is budget-friendly, making it an easy and accessible soup to make.
The recipe is low fat, well-balanced, and includes an oil-free option. And we think it will is sure to be a new healthy favorite for the meal rotation!
Ingredient Notes
In this recipe, carrots, celery, and onion are sauteed and simmered with vegetable broth, herbs, chickpeas, and pasta for a hearty and delicious vegan soup.
Here is everything you will need:
- Veggies – The veggies are the usual staples of carrots, celery and onion. This flavorful mirepoix is all you really need, but I don’t doubt a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach at the end of cooking would be nice too!
- Pasta – Use whole grain or regular pasta. I used rotini, but any bite sized pasta will be great. See below for GF option.
- Chickpeas – Not much to say about this one, except I ♡ chickpeas!
- Herbs – Herbs can be versatile using what you have on hand. I’ve used a combination of dried basil, oregano and thyme, but really any one or two of these will be fine. The bay leaves are subtle, you can do without those if needed. Finally, the parsley at the end adds fresh, bright flavors and is SO good!
- Liquids – This chickpea noodle soup calls for 10 – 12 cups of liquids, which can be water, vegetable broth or combo of the two. I used water with about 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon – No Chicken Base (affiliate link) with delicious results. Start with the lower amount, using more as needed.
How To Make Chickpea Noodle Soup
Get out your best, biggest stockpot because this soup makes enough to feed a small crowd!
- Saute the onions, carrots, celery and herbs for 5 minutes (shown above left).
- Add the herbs and saute for 1 minute more, or until fragrant.
- Next, add the bay leaves, chickpeas, and vegetable broth (shown above right).
- Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle boil, and let it all cook for 6 – 7 minutes, or until the noodles are to your liking (shown below).
And that’s all it takes – 30 minutes, one pot, and full, happy bellies!
How To Store + Meal Prep
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: Chickpea noodle soup is freezer friendly and can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags (remove as much air as possible before zip locking). Let thaw before reheating.
- Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.
- Meal prep: This easy vegan soup is great for make-ahead meals. You can easily make a batch on the weekend and fill a few leak-proof containers for grab n go meals. I was able to fill 4 – 4 cup meal prep containers for healthy to-go lunches that are tasty and satisfying.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: This soup is also great with homemade Artisan Bread or soft and chewy Vegan Naan Bread for dipping!
- Salad: Serve with a simple leafy green salad with Creamy Ranch Hemp Dressing, Vegan Ranch, or Healthy Flax & Evo Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions
- Gluten-Free: You can use gluten free pasta, but you’ll want to cook the pasta separately (many gluten free pastas cook differently than wheat pastas and don’t do well in one pot recipes. To do this, cook the soup as directed without adding the pasta and reduce the liquids to half, about 4 – 6 cups instead of 10 – 12 cups. Cook the pasta according to package directions and add it to the soup when the soup is just about done cooking. Add more liquids as needed.
- Oil-Free: In place of oil during initial saute, use 1/4 cup of water instead.
More Easy Soup Recipes!
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
- Creamy Potato Leek Soup
- Rustic Cabbage, Potato & White Bean Soup
- A Very Good Split Pea Soup
- Smoky Lentil & Quinoa Soup
- See all vegan Soup recipes on TSV!
If you try this noodle soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintHEARTY CHICKPEA NOODLE SOUP (VEGAN)
Healthy and hearty, this chickpea noodle soup is made in one pot, ready in 30 minutes, and delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 – 8 1x
- Category: Entree, Soup
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water for water saute
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery, sliced (some leaves ok)
- 1 teaspoon EACH dried thyme, basil and oregano
- 2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 12 – 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 10 – 12 cups water or vegetable broth (or combo)
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- mineral salt & pepper, to taste
- lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
Saute: In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, carrots, celery and herbs, cook for 5 – 6 minutes, stirring frequently.
Simmer: Add the chickpeas, pasta, and liquids to the pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for 6 – 7 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
Season: Finally, stir in the chopped parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve: Ladle into individual bowls and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing. The lemon is highly recommended and will add a delicious spark of flavor, trust me! Add a little more fresh parsley to garnish.
This soup is perfect with homemade Artisan Bread or Vegan Naan for dipping!
Serves 4 generously, or 8 smaller portions.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days. It’s also freezer friendly and can be kept for up to 2 – 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
If you don’t have all three herbs on hand, use 1 tablespoon of whichever herb you have on hand. Or if using 2 herbs, use 1 1/2 teaspoons each.
Looking to make this gluten free? You can use gluten free pasta, but you’ll want to cook the pasta separately (many gluten free pastas cook differently than wheat pastas and don’t do well in one pot recipes).
- To do this, cook the soup as directed without adding the pasta and reduce the liquids to half, about 4 – 6 cups instead of 10 -12 cups. Cook the pasta according to package directions and add it to the soup when the soup is done cooking.
Nutrition information is calculated using 3 cups veggie broth.
FOLLOW TSV on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or RSS for more updates and inspiration!
I made this for dinner tonight. Served with fruit salad and green salad. Sooo good. I used medium shells instead of rotini pasta. Chick peas hidden inside shells! This is a keeper. Will pass recipe to family and friends.
Last night we needed a quick and easy dinner and I was craving soup. It was delicious and filling. Thank you.
Made this last night and it was a big hit. I used seitan instead of chickpeas and added vegan poultry seasoning for depth of flavor. The lemon was a really nice complement. Thank you!
Yay, your subs sound delicious! Thanks for sharing, Erin!
This soup is incredible and easy to make! It’s one of our go-to recipes now.
So glad to you love it as much as we do! Thanks for sharing, Hanna!
This is so good! I just made a pot and I’m bringing my mouth eating it now haha. I wasn’t planning on trying the fresh lemon juice but I decided why not. I’m glad I did, it really complements the soup!! I’ve only been a plant based vegan for 5 months now and I started getting into a rut already and not eating as well rounded as I should. Now that the weather has changed to fall I though I would give some soups a try in order to get more vegetables. This will be a staple in my diet from now on! Thank you!!
This was delicious. The squeeze of lemon really does kick up the taste, too. Thanks for sharing it.
So glad you enjoy it! Yes, the lemon is the best and brightens the whole soup beautifully. Cheers, stay well and healthy! :)
I’m always looking for a meatless “chicken” style soup for when I’m sick. When I have a cold or the flu like I did this year, my go to is chicken soup because I haven’t found a plant based equivalent until now. What caught my eye on this recipe was the use of a lemon and a beautiful light broth. When I had the flu this year, I added lemon to my chicken soup and it was full of flavor and so refreshing. When I saw your recipe, I wanted to try it and yes, it’s just as comforting as my healing chicken soup. The only thing I added was red pepper flakes because that’s what I add to my chicken soup when I’m sick, This is a fantastic recipe!
Used 16 oz whole wheat rotini with 14 c of water plus bouillon powder. I like it brothy. Mine made about 17c of soup. 3 cups is about 400 calories. Delicious, easy, healthy!
Did you take skin off the garbanzo beans ?
Hi Marco,
No, I don’t remove the skins for this recipe. The skins will naturally fall off a few of them as you cook and stir the pot. If that bothers you by all means remove them, but they do add fiber! :)
Thanks
I absolutely loved this soup. My daughter was feeling a little ill from a sinus flare-up (possibly allergies – doctor said there was no infection). She asked that I make something to soothe her throat. I remembered getting a soup recipe emailed to me (as part of my subscription to the blog). I logged into my email, printed and made this very easy one pot recipe. It was my first time making something from your site. We devoured it. it’s tasty recipes like this that make proud to be on a whole food plant-based vegan. I water sauteed the veggies instead of using oil, which is important to us since we are trying very hard to be “oil free.” I had to sub a different pasta, but remained true to all the directions and the rest of the ingredients. I cannot say enough good things about this yummy soup. We will be making it again very soon.
Awe, I hope she’s feeling better. I get those nasty sinus flare-ups too, and they are no fun! And thank you so much for such a lovely comment, it truly makes my day to know you loved it and was able to make it to suite your needs! I love these simple, easy recipes… they are our new vegan classics. Enjoy the soup often, and I hope you love everything else you try on the site! Cheers :)