Chickpea Vegetable Soup With Parmesan, Rosemary and Lemon
Updated Jan. 30, 2026
- Total Time
- 1½ to 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1whole clove
- ½onion, sliced root to stem so it stays intact, peeled
- 1pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
- 1sprig rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped leaves
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 2fresh bay leaves or 1 dried
- ⅓cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste
- 1small Parmesan rind, plus ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
- 2medium carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 2celery stalks, sliced ¼-inch thick
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
484 calories; 21 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 475 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Insert the clove into the onion. Put the onion in a large pot with the chickpeas, rosemary sprig, garlic, bay leaves, olive oil, salt and cheese rind. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about an hour, or until chickpeas are tender.
- Step 2
Add the tomatoes, carrots and celery, cover loosely, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 25 minutes longer. While soup simmers, mix the chopped rosemary, grated Parmesan, lemon zest and pepper in a small bowl.
- Step 3
Season the soup to taste and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan mixture.
Private Notes
Comments
what happens if you use canned chickpeas?
Instead of dried or canned chickpeas, I use frozen chickpeas, found in the organic foods section (of my grocery store). The canned get mushy, the dried take forever to get soft, but the frozen, imo, are perfect.
I added canned beans between steps 1 and 2. Not at all mushy. I also added some leftover spinach and arugula at the last minute. Delicious!
Great recipe! I basically doubled the recipe and used vegetable stock instead of plain water. I also used canned chickpeas and added some cooked sausage, and at the end added some ditalini pasta.
Could someone please comment about what texture the chickpeas should have when the soup is done? Thanks.
Thanks to the commentors who recommended the pressure cooker. It did not save on time (my unsoaked chickpeas took 85 min in the pressure cooker!) but the flavor of the bean broth was remarkable. I did this step one day in advance, so then needed additional broth—so I added 4 C more veg broth to extend the base. (The bean broth was substantial enough to accommodate an extra 4 C liquid.) I then skipped the carrots and tomatoes—too much like a dozen other chickpea recipes—and simply added kale. With the parm mixture topping, it was a fabulous soup, loved by even the carnivores at the table. This is a keeper!