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person holding bowl and dipping spoon into chickpea soup on a table.
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Lemony Chickpea Soup

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 484kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup (65 to 70g) long-grain white rice (see Note 1)
  • ¼ cup (56g) extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 medium carrots, scrubbed and finely diced
  • 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 (15-ounce / 425g) cans chickpeas, divided
  • ¾ cup (12g) fresh dill (no thick stems), chopped and divided
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (½ for a kick)
  • 4 cups (960 mL) vegetable broth
  • 3 ounces (85g) baby spinach or baby kale (can add more, see Note 2)
  • ½ cup (120 mL) creamy unsweetened plant-based milk, such as full-fat oat milk or canned “lite” coconut milk
  • 1 large lemon zested + 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
  • ¼ cup (20g) nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon white miso

Instructions

  • Add the rice to a fine-mesh sieve and rinse a few times until almost clear, then drain.
  • Drain and rinse one can of chickpeas and put it aside for step 5. Drain and rinse the other can of chickpeas and transfer to a food processor or small-capacity blender for step 8.
  • In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the carrots and onion. Season with a few pinches of salt. Stir occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, deglazing the pot with a splash of broth if a lot of food sticks.
  • Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste plus spices (oregano, coriander, turmeric, and red pepper flakes). Stir almost constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the tomato paste is a darker red brick color.
  • Add the rinsed rice and toss to coat for 1 minute, deglazing with a splash of broth as needed. Add one can of drained chickpeas, plus ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Pour in the broth, followed by half of the chopped dill. Bring to a boil.
  • Cover the pan, and reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the rice is soft.
  • While the soup simmers, roughly chop the spinach and make the chickpea puree.
  • Chickpea Puree: To the chickpeas in the food processor or blender, add the milk, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, nutritional yeast, miso, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Blend until pureed and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt as needed.
  • Stir the Chickpea Puree into the soup, then add the chopped spinach. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the soup thickens and greens slightly wilt.
  • Off the heat, stir in the remaining dill and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste, adding salt/pepper or more lemon juice as desired. Transfer to bowls and drizzle each bowl with a bit of good-quality olive oil for richness.

Notes

  1. If using brown rice, you’ll need to quick-boil it first. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and season with a pinch of salt. Stir in the brown rice and gently boil without stirring for 10 minutes. Drain the rice in a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
  2. For a nutrition boost, feel free to go up to 5 ounces (140g) of baby spinach (1 standard-sized bag).