Chickpea Noodle Soup with Stovetop & Slow Cooker Methods

Modified: Aug 29, 2022 by Addison LaBonte · This post may contain affiliate links · 38 Comments

Chicken noodle soup gets a gluten-free and vegan makeover with this nutrient-rich, one-pot chickpea noodle soup. Packed with fiber, protein and a ton of vitamins and minerals, this vegan noodle soup is a hearty and satisfying meal you'll want to enjoy over and over again. Easy to make on the stovetop or in a slow cooker and with an oil-free option.

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Why use chickpeas for chickenless noodle soup?
What's unique about this vegan noodle soup recipe?
How to make chickpea noodle soup
Ideas for serving
Storing and reheating leftovers
More soup recipes
Chickpea Noodle Soup

Why use chickpeas for chickenless noodle soup?

Chickpeas make an awesome replacement for chicken in all kinds of dishes like my Chickpea Veggie Loaf, Buffalo Chickpea Burgers, Buffalo Chickpea Meatballs...and of course, this chickpea noodle soup!

I mean what's not to love about chickpeas, amirite? 😉

soup in a white bowl on a wooden board with a spoon next to it with half of another bowl of soup showing behind it

In fact, they pack a good deal of protein, fiber and iron into this soup in addition to a slew of other nutrients such as vitamin B-6, magnesium, folate, manganese, zinc, selenium and potassium.

And they add a nutty, buttery flavor to the dish, which is even better the next day!

What's unique about this vegan noodle soup recipe?

I chose to use a lentil/rice blend pasta as my gluten-free noodles of choice for this soup.

Depending on the brand, a 2-ounce serving of lentil pasta can contain about 12-14 grams of protein, 3-6 grams of fiber and 3 milligrams of iron.

two bowls of soup on a wooden board with spoons next to them

Of course, you can use any gluten-free pasta of your choosing or wheat-based if you are not avoiding gluten.

To keep the protein up, you could also try using chickpea pasta instead of lentil.

closeup overhead of chickpea noodle soup in a white bowl with a spoon in it

How to make chickpea noodle soup

For the stovetop method

Start by heating olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and season kosher salt.

Cook on medium until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally (approximately 7-8 minutes).

For the oil-free option, add veggies, salt and dry white wine to soup pot and then turn the heat to medium.

Cook on medium until veggies are tender and wine has evaporated, stirring occasionally (approximately 7-8 minutes).

Cooking carrots, celery, onions and garlic in a soup pot

Stir in broth, thyme, parsley and turmeric...

Broth with thyme and parsley in soup pot

...as well as the chickpeas.

Scooping chickpeas, veggies and broth with a wooden spoon

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-high.

Cook on medium-high for 15 minutes.

Season with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Stir in pasta and freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional) and cook on medium-high until pasta is tender.

two bowls of soup on a wooden board with a spoon in the front one

For the Slow Cooker Method (Oil-Free)

Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and chickpeas to your slow cooker.

chickpeas, onion, carrots and celery in slow cooker

Add broth, parsley, thyme and turmeric and stir.

broth and seasonings added to slow cooker

Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.

Stir in additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Stir in pasta and optional freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Turn the slow cooker to high if it had previously been on low.

Continue to cook until pasta is tender (approximately 10-15 minutes).

soup after cooking in slow cooker with gluten-free pasta added

holding scoop of soup in a ladle over the slow cooker

Ideas for serving

Enjoy this soup alone as is or topped with some nutritional yeast or our oil-free vegan Parmesan cheese.

Serve alongside your favorite bread or try it with our gluten-free garlic bread (not oil-free) or almond flour biscuits (oil-free).

It also pairs well with a simple side salad.

Storing and reheating leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat refrigerated leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months; however, the pasta may break apart and get mushy during reheating.

If frozen, defrost completely in the refrigerator before use. Once defrosted, reheat on the stovetop, and be sure to bring the soup to a boil.

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closeup overhead of soup in a white bowl with a spoon next to it

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5 from 16 votes

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup gets a gluten-free and vegan makeover with this nutrient-rich, one-pot Chickpea Noodle Soup. Packed with fiber, protein and a ton of vitamins and minerals, this vegan noodle soup is a hearty and satisfying meal you'll want to enjoy over and over again. Easy to make on the stovetop or in a slow cooker and with an oil-free option.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chickpeas, gluten free, one-pot, soup, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 200kcal

Author Sireesha A.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil or ¼ cup vegan Pinot Grigio for the oil-free option (omit for slow cooker method)
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large ribs celery, chopped
¼ cup diced yellow onion (approximately ½ small onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt or kosher salt to taste
8 cups gluten-free *vegetable broth, low sodium if desired (use 6 ½ cups for slow cooker method)
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (substitute 1 teaspoon dried parsley if desired)
½ teaspoon dried thyme
⅛ teaspoon turmeric
4-6 oz. gluten-free pasta - I used a lentil/rice blend (use 4 oz. if you like more broth in your soup and up to 6 oz. if you prefer more pasta; feel free to use wheat-based pasta if not avoiding gluten)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon (optional)

Instructions

FOR THE STOVETOP METHOD

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic, and season with salt to taste. Cook until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally (approximately 8-10 minutes). For the oil-free option, add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, salt to taste and ¼ cup wine to a soup pot. Turn heat to medium and cook until veggies are tender and wine has evaporated, stirring occasionally (approximately 8-10 minutes).
Stir in broth, chickpeas, parsley, thyme and turmeric and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Stir in pasta and freshly squeezed lemon juice (if using) and cook over medium-high until pasta is tender (approximately 10 minutes).

FOR THE SLOW COOKER METHOD

Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and chickpeas to the slow cooker. Add broth, parsley, thyme and turmeric and stir.
Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
Stir in additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Stir in pasta and freshly squeezed lemon juice (if using). Turn the slow cooker to high if it had previously been on low. Continue to cook until pasta is tender (approximately 10-15 minutes).

(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)

Suggested Equipment/Tools

Slow Cooker

Notes

*Note that the color of the soup will vary depending on the brand of vegetable broth you are using.

**To remove the skin from a chickpea, simply rub it gently between your fingers and the skin will fall right off.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat refrigerated leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months; however, the pasta may break apart during reheating. If frozen, defrost completely in the refrigerator before use. Once defrosted, reheat on the stovetop, and be sure you bring the soup to a boil.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition was calculated based on using 4 oz. of a lentil/rice blend pasta. Using more or a different pasta will change the nutritional information. The olive oil option was also used to calculate nutrition. Using wine for the stovetop method or omitting entirely for the slow cooker method instead will change the calculation.

Nutrition

This post originally appeared on Watch Learn Eat on November 23, 2018. It has been republished to reflect both recipe and photo revisions. Changes to the story were also made.

©Watch Learn Eat. All content and images are copyright protected. Recipes and images are not to be used or republished without prior permission. If you adapt this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, and link back to this post for the original recipe.

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