Chickpea & Tomato Soup Recipe

Prepare chickpeas (if using dried)

If using dried chickpeas: place 1.5 cups dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with at least 3 inches of cold water. Soak 8–12 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, then transfer to a large pot. Cover with 6 cups fresh water or vegetable broth, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until tender, 45–60 minutes. Drain and reserve cooking liquid. If using canned chickpeas (about 3 cans drained), skip soaking and cooking; drain and rinse and set aside. Reserve 1–2 cups broth or water for thinning the soup later as needed.

Sweat the aromatics

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped onion (1 cup), diced carrot (1 cup) and diced celery (1/2 cup). Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic (4 tablespoons) and cook 30–60 seconds more until fragrant, taking care not to brown the garlic.

Build the tomato base

Stir in the tomato paste (2 tablespoons) and cook 1–2 minutes to deepen flavor. Add the crushed tomatoes (28 oz) and stir to combine. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add chickpeas and seasonings

Add the cooked or canned chickpeas to the pot along with dried oregano (1 tsp), dried thyme (1 tsp), bay leaf (1 piece), smoked paprika if using (1/2 tsp), salt (1.5 tsp) and black pepper (3/4 tsp). Pour in up to 6 cups water or vegetable broth — enough to cover the solids by about 1 inch. If you reserved chickpea cooking liquid, use that for extra flavor.

Simmer

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer gently for 30–45 minutes to allow flavors to meld and for chickpeas to absorb tomato flavor. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if soup becomes too thick.

Adjust texture (optional puree)

For a creamier soup, use an immersion blender to puree 1/3–1/2 of the soup directly in the pot until slightly thickened but still chunky. Alternatively, transfer 3 cups to a blender, puree until smooth, and return to the pot. If you prefer a fully smooth soup, puree more of it—retain some whole chickpeas for texture.

Finish and balance

Remove bay leaf. Stir in fresh lemon juice (1 tablespoon) and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or a pinch of sugar if tomatoes taste too acidic.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle each bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 teaspoon per bowl) and sprinkle red pepper flakes (optional, 1/8–1/4 tsp) to taste. Garnish with remaining chopped parsley.

Serve hot with crusty bread or simple grilled flatbread. Leftovers keep refrigerated up to 4 days and freeze well for up to 3 months.