We learned this soup from my good friend from graduate school who now lives in Switzerland. She’s a vegetarian, like my son, and so this magnified her magical hostess qualities - in his eyes especially - on our trip there in 2019. One of the meals she prepared for us, in a slow cooker, all day while she took us sightseeing in Germany, no less, was Chickpea Noodle Soup. My son, 7 years old at the time, was as tickled as I was by the name.
Rachel and Chef Laura, 2019, overlooking Bern, Switzerland
When we got home, we started making our own fast cooking version. I use two pots – one for the soup and one to cook the pasta, separately so that both soup and pasta better maintain their integrity. I like orzo for its rice-like shape and a size that works perfectly with the other components of this soup. Pastina would be another great choice. Whenever we make this soup, we regret not making more for leftovers and to more generously serve visitors who drop in. So, heed my warning and double it.
If you do have leftovers, though, store soup and orzo separately to prevent the orzo from soaking up all of the broth.
Serves: 6-8
What You Need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots or 1 medium onion, diced
Kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme or 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary or 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 ¾ cup cooked or 1 can, drained and rinsed chickpeas
4-6 carrots, sliced into half moons
3 stalks celery, diced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ cups orzo pasta
What You Do:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots or onion with a few pinches of salt and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
Add the garlic powder, thyme and rosemary and sauté for about 30 seconds.
Add the chickpeas, carrots and celery and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chickpeas and carrots are tender.
Meanwhile, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil. Salt generously. Cook the orzo for about 5-6 minutes or until al dente.
Right before serving, add the orzo to the soup.