During Lent, our church has three soup luncheons that benefit a local organization that helps the homeless and poor. A variety of soups are served and they are delicious. I signed up to make one of them, but they needed a vegetarian/vegan option. Viewing my options on NYT Cooking, I came across a Chickpea Noodle Soup which sounded like a Vegan version of Chicken Noodle Soup. This should be perfect to serve the hours preceding the upcoming blizzard. Considering the rave reviews stated in the comments, I thought I would give it a try taking into account some of the suggestions. This doubled recipe could easily halved it if you wanted a smaller quantity.
The Prep:
Prep everything first before beginning. As stated above, this NYT Cooking recipe which was doubled for a crowd, can be easily halved. Listed at the end of this post are some possible garnishes.
Onions: The recipe called for 1 large onion, but how many cups is that, I wondered. The answer is about 1-1/2 cups per one large onion. Since I was doubling the recipe, I chopped 2 large onions until I reached 3 cups. I saved any extra onion for another use.
Carrots: The recipe called for 2 medium carrots which is about 1 cup, so I doubled it to 2 cups.
Celery: Two stalks is about 1 cup, so I sliced 4 stalks which yielded about 2 cups.
Garlic: Garlic wasn’t included in the NYT recipe, but one of the comments suggested using it. I used 1 tablespoon of finely minced garlic.
Dill: Remove the fronds from the stems and loosely pack into a 1/4 cup measing cup. Gently chop on the cutting board and set aside.
Parsley: Remove the leaves and lightly pack into a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Finely chop amd set aside.
Thyme: I used 2 large sprigs of thyme. These will be removed before serving, but the aromatic flavoring wil remain along with some of the leaves which will fall off the stems.
Nutritional Yeast: This is a new ingredient for me to use, but I’ve always wondered about its purpose. It actually provides a savory cheese-like flavor. Vegans often swap this for parmesan cheese. Besides its flavor, it’s known for being a great source of B-vitamins. It’s also high in protein and rich in fiber. Perhaps I should incorporate this in other things I make. Look up your options! I was delightfully surprised with its flavor within this soup.
Bay Leaves: I added 2 bay leaves to the soup along with the broth. ( I had added the bay leaves in the pic below before I realized they should not be sauteed . They were removed for their infusion into the broth later.)
Vegetable Broth: I heated up 8 cups of water then added 8 teaspoons of the Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base . Whisk to dissolve and just set it aside until needed.
Chickpeas: I opened, drained and rinsed 4-15.5 oz cans of chickpeas. Now they are ready to go when needed.
Pasta: I cooked 8 oz of angel hair pasta separately from the soup. I broke it into small pieces, about 1-1/2 inches each, a perfect size to fit onto a soup spoon. Because pasta tends to absorb a lot of the broth when it’s cooked with the soup, or while stored as leftovers in the fridge, these noodles are kept separate until serving. Just add how many noodles you prefer into your bowl first, then ladle the hot soup over them.
The Initial Saute:
Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs, parsley, dill in the olive oil along with the salt, pepper and turmeric. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes as veggies begin to soften.
Sprinkle on the nutritional yeast and continue to stir occasionally for about 5 more minutes. Vegetables should be softened and juicy. Enjoy that savory aroma!
The Finishing Step:
You are almost done! Add the water along with the broth, bay leaves and the chickpeas. Bring to a boil over HIGH heat. Remove the bay leaves and what remains of the thyme sprigs. Adjust seasonings, if needed.
Serving:
Add desired amount of noodles to the bowl first, then ladle soup broth over them. Store cooked noodles separately from soup in refrigerator.
Possible Garnishes:
- More fresh dill
- a slice of lemon to squeeze over soup to brighten flavors
- curry powder (with lime juice?)
- your favorite non-vegan additions
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
- 3 c diced yellow onion
- 1-3/4 c peeled, sliced carrots
- 1-3/4 c celery, sliced
- 1 T garlic, finely diced
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1/2 t turmeric
- 1/2 c nutritional yeast I used Bob's Red Mill brand.
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 c fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/2 c parsley, finely chopped
- 3/4 t sea salt
- 1/2 t black pepper, freshly ground
- 8 c vegetable broth Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base-8 c hot water w 8 t veg base
- 4 c water
- 4 (15.5 oz) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Pasta:
- 8 oz angel hair pasta broken into small pieces
Garnishes:
- 1/4 c fresh dill, finely chopped
- lemon sections
- curry powder
Instructions
- Prep all the vegetables and herbs as described. Drain and rinse chickpeas in a colander.Heat 8 c of water and dissolve vegetable base in it.Cook pasta separately and drain. Place in a separate bowl to add to soup servings.
- Place EVOO in a large Dutch oven or stock pot.
- Add in the chopped onions, celery, carrots, garlic, tumeric, thyme sprigs, dill, parsley salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle on the nuritional yeast and continue for another 5 minutes.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and water along with 2 bay leaves and the chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to simmer.
- Before serving, remove the bay leaves.Add noodles separately, if desired. This is to avoid the noodles absorbing all the broth when added to the soup while cooking or storing for leftovers later.
