Italian Chickpea Soup with Tomato and Rosemary
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This simple Italian chickpea soup recipe with tomato, spinach, and rosemary is healthy, nutritious, comforting and easy to make. Low in calories, and can be made vegan, this gluten free soup will be a hit with the whole family!
I don’t think there is anything more comforting than a big pot of Italian soup on a cold winter day. It warms you from the inside out. It’s like a big hug!
It’s also easy and quick to pull together, full of healthy vegetables, and packed with lean protein. This healthy Italian chickpea soup is so satisfying and full of flavor, yet totally healthy and nutrient rich!
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Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, add protein to this vegetarian soup, while the added spinach, carrots, and tomatoes add a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
The flavor of this easy Italian Chickpea Soup is so delicious – it’s like Italian comfort food! It makes a great option for lunch or serve it with some crusty bread and a salad for an easy weeknight meal. With the added spices this is a one of the true Italian classics!
This soup is full of goodness and low in calories – enjoy!
👩🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Healthy and Nutritious
- Easily Made Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Simple Recipe
- Hearty and Satisfying
- Warm and Comforting
🥘 Ingredients
Olive Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables.
Vegetables: This soup has a well rounded array of vegetables including red onion, garlic, chunks of carrots, celery, and spinach. However, you can add more veggies, or work around what is seasonal. Instead of spinach, consider adding swiss chard or kale.
Vegetable Broth and Crushed Tomatoes: The broth of the soup is made from a combination of vegetable broth and a large can of crushed tomatoes.
Spices: You’ll need salt and black pepper to taste, plus dried Italian herbs, red pepper flakes, fresh rosemary, fresh basil, and bay leaves.
Canned Chickpeas: You’ll need two 15 ounce cans of chickpeas drained and rinsed. While you can use dry chickpeas, they take much longer to cook, so I recommend using canned to save time.
🍽 Equipment
- Cooking Spoon
- Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot
- Chopping Knife
- Cutting Board
- Ladle
📖 Variations
- Toppings: Add a dollop of sour cream, or Greek yogurt for additional creaminess.
- Vegan Soup: All you have to do is omit the parmesan cheese and this Italian chickpea and spinach soup will be vegan friendly!
- Make it gluten-free: Serve with gluten free bread on the side (the soup itself is already naturally gluten free!)
- Italian pasta and chickpea stew: Serve over al dente pasta or add any type of cooked small pasta into the soup when it’s done cooking! This will turn your soup into the classic Pasta e Ceci you’ll see at many Italian restaurants!
- Make it creamier: For a creamy texture, place a portion of the soup in a food processor and blend, or blend a portion of the soup with an immersion blender. Then stir into the pot of soup.
- Change up the protein: Try any type of white beans instead of the chickpeas like cannellini beans or navy beans.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Heat oil on medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Sauté until tender and fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Step 2: Add the broth, canned tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper. Add the rosemary, basil and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Add the spinach. Cover and simmer until wilted, about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese if desired.
❓Recipe FAQs
Is chickpea soup good for you?
Typically, yes! And this Italian chickpea soup is no exception. Here’s what makes this soup healthy:
1) Low in Fat and Calories: One serving of this hearty soup has only 254 calories and 5 grams of fat.
2) Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients: The carrots, celery, tomatoes and spinach are nutrient dense foods. Carrots contain Vitamins A, K, Potassium, and B6. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene (an antioxidant). And spinach is a superfood, loaded with potassium, calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, Vitamin E, C, K and Iron.
3) High in Plant Protein: Chickpeas are an excellent replacement for animal protein. Once serving of this soup has 12 grams of protein. That’s about 30% of your recommended daily protein intake.
4) High in Fiber: Chickpeas are also high in fiber. With 12 grams of protein you’re getting half your daily recommended fiber. Fiber is important to include in your diet as it helps with digestion, and keeps you feeling fuller longer.
What other recipes can you make with chickpeas?
Chickpeas are delicious in soups as in this recipe, but they are an extremely versatile and healthy addition to many recipes. Here are some ideas of other recipes you can make with chickpeas: hummus, curries, buddha bowls, and salads!
Will kids enjoy this Italian Chickpea Tomato Soup?
Kids will enjoy the subtle flavors in this delicious food. The herbs give it a well balanced flavor that isn’t overpowering with spice. It’s loaded with veggies so you’ll feel good about the kids eating a few servings of their recommended veggies in just one bowl of this comforting soup. My kids enjoy dipping whole wheat bread and sopping up the broth.
👪 How To Serve
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese on top and serve with crusty whole wheat bread. This soup would go perfectly with a winter spinach salad or grilled cheese sandwich on sprouted wheat bread – lovely!
❄️ How to Store
Refrigerator: This soup tastes even better the next day when all the flavors have time to meld together. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze: The soup can be frozen easily. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use the freshest veggies you can, and organic if possible.
- Dice the vegetables fairly small so that they soften quickly. Smaller cut veggies also makes it easier for kids to enjoy this soup!
- If the soup broth seems too thick add some tomato sauce to thin it out.
- Make sure you remove the bay leaf and fresh rosemary sprigs before serving.
- Top with some Parmesan and add some fresh herbs as a garnish, if you like another layer of flavor.
🍲 More Healthy Soup Recipes!
- Chunky Black Bean Soup
- Tuscan Chickpea Soup
- Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup
- Tomato Soup With Canned Tomatoes
- Curried Lentil Soup
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📋 Recipe Card
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Italian Chickpea Soup with Tomatoes and Rosemary
This easy Italian Chickpea Soup is healthy, nutritious, comforting and easy to make. It can be made on the stove top or in your Instant Pot (or slow cooker).
Servings: 8
Calories: 254kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 4 carrots diced
- 5 celery stalks diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 30 oz canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp salt more to taste
- ½ tsp pepper more to taste
- 2 tsp dried italian seasoning
- 1 sprinkle crushed red pepper
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 4 cups baby spinach shredded
- Shredded parmesan cheese for garnish about 1 tbsp per bowl
- Serve with crusty bread or whole grain garlic bread on the side
Instructions
Directions – Stovetop
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté until tender and fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper. Add the rosemary, basil and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Add the spinach, cover and simmer until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves, and rosemary sprig. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese if desired.
Directions – Instant Pot
- Turn your instant pot onto saute on low. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté until tender and fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, salt, and pepper. Add the rosemary, basil and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, natural release.
- Remove the bay leaves, and rosemary sprig before serving. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Top tips for making Chickpea Tomato Soup
- Use the freshest veggies you can, and organic if possible.
- Dice the vegetables fairly small so that they soften quickly.
- The soup can be frozen easily (will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months), or kept in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days.
- Make sure you remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs before serving.
- Top with some Parmesan and add some fresh herbs as a garnish, if you like another layer of flavor.
- Add a dollop of sour cream, or Greek yogurt for additional creaminess.
- To make vegan, omit the parmesan cheese.
- To make gluten-free – serve with gluten free bread on the side (the soup itself is already naturally gluten free!)
Nutrition
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 817mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 12g
This was delicious! I halved the recipe and still used 2 c broth, I didn’t have a red onion so I used 1/2 a regular onion and a shallot. I also didn’t have fresh rosemary so I crumbled dry rosemary,about a 1/2 tsp into the soup. My husband loved it!
Yay!! So glad you liked this recipe Lynne! 🙂
so delicious – i’m definitely making this again – tomato soup from scratch is so much better!
I know right?? This one makes a regular appearance in our house too!
I was drawn to this soup because of the color and it tasted just as amazing! Love how flavorful it was!
Thanks so much MJ! So glad you liked it!
I’m Italian and this soup is delicious! We make it often and our family loves it!
So happy to hear that Stella! 🙂
I was so happy to see the Instant pot instructions as well as stovetop! Thanks for the perfect recipe for fall!
Of course!! Enjoy! 🙂
I’m not vegan but made for a friend whose adopted a vegan diet for serious health reasons. I love this soup! I make soup all the time (always with meat) however, this recipe will definitely stay in my repertoire..
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that Tara! 🙂
This is right up my street – I love this style of soup so much.
Awesome! So happy to hear that Angela!
I am always looking for new soups to add to our dinner menu and this was perfect! The kids asked for seconds it was so good!
Hooray!! I’m so happy to hear that! My kids loved it too 🙂
An amazing dish for my vegetarian friends. Looks so comforting and yum.
Definitely!! It’s super comforting and perfect for the season!
My whole family will love this easy soup recipe. It looks amazing.
Yay!! Thanks Sandi! I can’t wait for all of you to try it!
Such a delicious and comforting soup packed with so much flavor. Thanks for sharing, Anjali!
Aw thank you so much Sapana! 🙂