This one-pot vegan chickpea noodle soup recipe is hearty without being heavy. It's Protein-rich thanks to chickpeas and chickpea pasta. Loaded with comforting flavor, no one will miss the meat! Vegan and gluten-free.

I almost never get sick…almost. But, laid up with a fever after my second Covid booster shot, the one comfort food that sounded just right was hearty chickpea noodle soup. The calming warmth of a steaming bowl of soup is, as they say, good for the soul.

The quality of your vegetable stock or broth is the foundation for creating flavorful chickpea noodle soup. I have made this soup both with homemade stock and with store-bought veggie broth. Each works well in its own way. I found that a richer stock or broth made with a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, and herbs, produces the most flavorful results. If you’re curious about the difference between veggie stock and broth click here.

In this one-pot chickpea noodle soup recipe, you cook the pasta right in the soup, adding it at the end. This saves a step from cooking the pasta separately. All those good, comforting flavors from the broth soak into the pasta without overcooking it. Chickpea pasta or chickpea/lentil pasta holds up really well in a hot soup, even when stored in the fridge overnight. This is great for gluten-free pasta lovers…and for leftovers!

The flavors intensify as the soup sits in the fridge (leave the bay leaves in!), making it excellent for cooking ahead or freezing for later. This hearty chickpea noodle soup is so comforting and delicious, I definitely won’t wait until I get sick to make another batch!

Why you’ll want to make hearty chickpea noodle soup:

Hearty without being heavy
Cooks all in one pot
Protein-rich and veggie-packed
Vegan and comforting
Great for making ahead or freezing for later

Here’s everything you need to make this recipe:

Ingredients for Hearty Chickpea Noodle Soup

1 large yellow onion, small diced (2 cups)
3 tablespoons of olive oil (divided
3 teaspoons of kosher salt (divided)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots (1½ cups) scrubbed and cut into half moons
2 celery stalks (1 cup) diced
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
8 cups (64 oz. – 1,892 ml.) of **vegetable stock or broth**
3 small yellow potatoes (2-2½ cups) skin on and diced
15 oz. can (425 g / 1½ cups) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 teaspoons of dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
8 oz. (227 grams) of **chickpea spiral pasta**
1 tablespoon of **apple cider vinegar**
¼ cup of chopped parsley

Makes 6 servings

Instructions for making Hearty Chickpea Noodle Soup

Steps 1-3:

1. In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil sprinkled with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Dig a little hole in the onions and pour in 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Plop in the garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute more.
3. Add the carrots, celery, 1 more teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Sauté the vegetables until tender but not mushy, 5-7 minutes.

Step 4:

4. Pour in the vegetable stock. Add the potatoes, chickpeas, maple syrup, thyme, bay leaves, and a final teaspoon of salt. Give the soup a stir and bring it to a lively simmer. Cook until the potatoes are barely tender, 8-10 minutes.

Steps 5-6:

5. Add the chickpea spiral pasta and stir to combine. Cover and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente, according to the package directions.

6. Finish the soup with parsley and vinegar. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve nice and hot with a side of cornbread to soak up some of that gorgeous golden broth!

Notes:

Keep the skin on your potatoes. This prevents them from disintegrating in the broth as they cook.
To prevent soggy noodles, cook the chickpea pasta in the soup until barely al dente, before sliding the pot off the heat.