easy spicy chickpea noodle soup

The greatest sneeze cure in the history of ever, spiced up and made vegetarian. Bring it on, rhinovirus season.

Actually I take that back, please don’t bring it on. Just walk away, you nasty snot-inducer. Quit bugging us.

Ever since I perfected my Comforting Classic Chickpea Noodle Soup last year, it’s been the go-to for when one of us is under the weather. An actual, legitimate craving. We typically have most of what’s required on hand minus the celery and carrots, and as with many soups it’s a cinch to whip up in health emergencies. And, as science and anecdote say, it does make us feel better.

This soup is a spin off my original recipe, with a kick of spice and a touch of cream to up the ante on the cozy. A vegetarian standby for anyone who needs some down-home comfort, whether to nullify sickness or cure nostalgia. Not to mention waaaaaay better than anything in a can.

A Bowl of Home

This is an easy soup, as the title suggests. A good amount of chopping, sure – if you feel like it, you can also cheat and buy a pre-diced mirepoix blend of carrots, onion, and celery from the store – but the process is seamless and unfussy to follow.

Start with those aforementioned veggies and a bit of butter. Saute until nice and soft, then stir in an ass ton of fresh garlic, sage, thyme, and finally your dry spices. Smoked paprika is really important here because it adds an almost meaty undertone to the soup. J agreed that it tasted sort of like ham. Perhaps it’s how the butter and the smoke combine, but don’t listen to me because I don’t know shit.

Osh Posh, B’Broth

It’s called a slant rhyme, people.

Pour in lots of veggie broth next, give it a swirly swirl, and bring it to a nice boil. Plop in your egg noodles – these are traditional in chicken noodle soup and its cousins, but if you only have another type of short cut pasta around, that’s fine to use – and cook until al dente. Usually packages recommend anywhere from 8-10 minutes, but follow the directions from the brand because they’re more in tune with their noods than I.

Finish your pot o goodness with chickpeas, coconut milk, and parmesan. Stir it around until the cheese melts, then push the pot off the burner (but not on the floor, Jesus Christ) and chuck in some fresh parsley. Here you can taste and add more salt and pepper if you please.

I could eat this crap bowl after bowl and not get sick of it. I wish I had four stomachs like a hobbit so I could house all this goodness in one go. Wise? No. We can suspend our disbelief for a few minutes, though.

Now, a few notes:

If you want leftovers, keep in mind that cooking the noodles directly in the soup will result in the noodles absorbing a lot of broth over time. If you want to prep the soup to eat for a few days sans the extreme obesity of the noodles, cook them in a separate bot of boiling water and add to individual servings.

To make vegan, omit the parmesan, find vegan egg-style noodles, and use vegan butter. You can try a vegan parmesan, but I don’t find them very melty so you’ll probably have chunks of soy cheese floating around. Not my idea of a good time.

This soup is great with white beans, too, if you’re like two of my friends who have a chickpea allergy. Which is such a weird allergy, but apparently it’s a thing!

All that said: cook this up and slurp it down. Winter sickies, begone!

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Souper duper:

Creamy Green Chile Rice Soup

Healthy Italian Pesto Gnocchi Soup

30 Minute Creamy Chickpea Tortellini Soup

easy spicy chickpea noodle soup

Classic flavors given a boost with smoky seasonings and a touch of milk for a bit of extra cozy.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups short-cut egg noodles
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 3/4 cup canned full-fat coconut milk, or whole milk
• 1/2 cup fresh parmesan, grated
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

 

• Melt the butter in a large pot of Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the onion, carrot, and celery until soft, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, sage, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and a big pinch of salt and pepper until very fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil on high heat. Add the egg noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, according to package directions, until al dente. Lower the heat back to medium and stir in the chickpeas, coconut milk, and parmesan until the cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
• Divide soup into bowls and serve with fresh herbs and additional parmesan, as desired.

Notes

*Noodles: If you want to keep the noodles and the soup base separate, boil the noodles in a different pot an add to your bowl as you serve. Store separately in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Keyword chickpeas, comfort food, main course, noodles, one pot meal, soup, spicy, vegetarian, winter