Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
There is nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of vegan chicken noodle soup. I use chickpeas in place of chicken for protein and a soft texture, tender rotini pasta simmered in broth and fresh herbs to create a soup that holds its own against traditional recipes. It comes together in just 35 minutes and is a great one-pot dinner meal.
Servings: 5
Calories: 158kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped sweet or yellow onion
- 1 drizzle oil or broth, to saute
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill add more if you like dill
- 2 bay leaves
- 1- 1½ teaspoons sea salt start with 1 and add more if needed
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups veggie broth low sodium if needed
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas about one 15 ounce can
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1½ cups dry pasta gluten free, if needed
Instructions
- Sauté onion over medium heat with oil or broth until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, dill, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Sauté until the carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add chickpeas, lemon and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10-15 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking you can cook the pasta if you want to keep it separate.
- If you want to cook the pasta in the soup, then add it about 10 minutes in and cook until soft.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this vegan chicken noodle soup recipe is to cook the noodles directly in the soup if I plan on serving it immediately. The pasta absorbs the herb-infused broth as it cooks, which gives the entire soup more flavor and makes the noodles taste much richer than if they were boiled separately.
- Keep cuts uniform: I chop the carrots and celery into similar-sized pieces so they soften at the same rate, and fill each spoonful nicely.
- Use fresh herbs: Fresh herbs make a noticeable difference in the broth. Dried herbs can work in a pinch, but the flavor is usually flatter. If I use dried herbs, I like to rub them between my palms to activate the oils before adding them to the soup.
- Remove husks: I use canned chickpeas, and always make sure to soak and place them in a bowl of water first, and give them a gentle rub to remove the husks. The outer shells should float to the top of the water, which I scoop off, before draining and adding my chickpeas to the soup.
- Reserve some lemon juice: To reawaken all the flavors, I add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the soup and stir it through, just before serving.
- Remove bay leaves: Bay leaves do not cook down, and they should always be removed before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 824mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g