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Home » Recipes » Vegan Soups

Chickpea Orzo Soup

Published: Dec 26, 2021 · Modified: Jan 19, 2025 by Emily · 8 Comments

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This recipe for Vegan Chickpea Orzo Soup is extra comforting if you're feeling under the weather! Cozy up to a bowl of it to warm up this winter. It's filled with comforting orzo, warming vegetable broth, hearty chickpeas, & bright turmeric for a simple, fast, and healthy weeknight dinner.

two bowls of vegan chickpea noodle soup on a black tile table with fresh bread
Jump to:
  • Inspiration for Making Chickpea Orzo Soup
  • Ingredients Needed for this Recipe
  • How to Make Chickpea Orzo Soup
  • Possible Substitutions + Ways to Customize
  • What to Serve with This Recipe
  • More Cozy Vegan Soup Recipes to Try
  • Chickpea Orzo Soup

Love soup? Check out all of my favorite vegan soup recipes!

Inspiration for Making Chickpea Orzo Soup

This brothy recipe is inspired by classic chicken noodle soup, a go-to comfort food when feeling under the weather. It came to fruition when I was just beginning to recover from my COVID booster shot (I am very grateful to have had access to it, the side effects hit me hard but only lasted a day or two). I was not in the mood for anything, particularly flavorful but was ready to eat something besides toast. Additionally, I had a feeling my body would appreciate some vegetables and plant protein.

This soup is made with pantry-friendly ingredients. Dried pasta, canned chickpeas, broth, and ground spices make up the bulk of this dish, while an onion, some celery, and carrot (all long-lasting produce items) round it out. This means it is great when you may not have many ingredients on hand or are struggling to come up with a well-rounded weeknight dinner (= me, always). Furthermore, as detailed below, many of these ingredients are easily customized to whatever you may have in your cupboard. But more on that later.

Ingredients Needed for this Recipe

  • 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
  • 1 large carrot, sliced into rounds
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, optional
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • One can of cooked chickpeas, drained (1 ½ cups)
  • 8 oz dry orzo pasta (or other small pasta, like ditalini or pearl couscous)
  • ¼ cup parsley, minced
  • 7 cups vegetable broth
  • 1-2 cups kale, chopped (or other dark leafy green, like chard or spinach)
  • Lemon juice, to taste
silver ladle in a pot of vegan chickpea orzo soup with kale

How to Make Chickpea Orzo Soup

1. Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot and heat over medium. Next, add chopped onion and salt and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.  Toss in celery and carrots and cook a few minutes more, stirring to prevent burning. Add garlic, black pepper, turmeric if using, curry powder, and bay leaf. Let cook for 30 seconds.

2. Pour in drained chickpeas, pasta, parsley, and vegetable broth. If using low-sodium broth, you'll want to add a pinch more salt at this point. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and let cook for 10 minutes or so, until pasta is cooked through.

3. Stir in kale, letting it cook for 1 minute or so to wilt. Juice ½ of a lemon to brighten things up. Remove from heat.

4. To serve, garnish with more black pepper, parsley, lemon juice, and cashew parmesan. Enjoy!

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Can this recipe be made in advance or frozen?

Yes, this recipe can be made completely ahead and kept for 4-5 days in a sealed container in the fridge. However, the pasta will begin to absorb the liquid so the dish will become less broth-y over time. I often add water and a pinch of salt when reheating to get some of this back.

Feel free to freeze this recipe for eating later. For best results and pasta texture, I recommend preparing the soup base without adding pasta (it can absorb quite a bit of liquid as it sits). When you pull this out of the freezer, feel free to defrost it on the stove and then cook the orzo right in the soup, adding more broth or water as needed.

bowl of vegan chickpea orzo soup on a table with a grey cloth and a piece of multigrain bread

Possible Substitutions + Ways to Customize

  • Out of Orzo? No problem! If so, feel free to substitute any other small pasta shape such as pearl couscous, ditalini, or even macaroni. Be sure to follow package instructions for recommended cooking time in case they differ from the 10 minutes specified here.
  • If you do not want the pasta to absorb the liquid in this recipe after sitting, feel free to prepare it separately (like usual, in its own pot) and store it by itself in the fridge.
  • Use any kind of dark, leafy green in place of kale.
  • Next, if you have any bagged vegetables hanging out in your freezer, this soup will happily accept additions such as riced cauliflower, peas, or even broccoli.
  • Vegetable broth does make up a sizable amount of this recipe, I have oftentimes found myself without any in stock (ha-ha). To omit the broth, substitute an equal amount of water with a few additions of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. This is not exactly the same but will work in a pinch, especially if you add more garlic and curry powder when preparing the soup base.

What to Serve with This Recipe

This soup is a perfect pair for a light and fresh salad, like this Arugula Fennel Salad with Citrus. Additionally, it would also be delicious for lunch next to a Vegan Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam. As you can see in these photos, one of the easiest and most delicious pairings is a loaf of crusty multigrain bread.

If you like orzo, be sure to try one of my favorite recipes for Crispy Orzo with Peas and Garlic Butter!

More Cozy Vegan Soup Recipes to Try

20-Minute Spicy Peanut Noodle Soup

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Easy and Creamy Tomato Soup

spoon in a bowl of vegan chickpea orzo soup
bowl of vegan chickpea orzo soup on a table with a grey cloth and a piece of multigrain bread

Chickpea Orzo Soup

Emily
This recipe for Vegan Chickpea Orzo Soup is extra comforting if you're feeling under the weather! Cozy up to a bowl of it to warm up this winter. It's filled with brothy orzo, hearty chickpeas, & bright turmeric for a simple, fast, and healthy weeknight dinner. 
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 6 bowls
Calories 217.6 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 stalks celery sliced thinly
  • 1 large carrot sliced into rounds
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric optional
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 can chickpeas drained (1 ½ cups cooked)
  • 8 oz dry orzo pasta or other small pasta, like ditalini or pearl couscous
  • ¼ cup parsley minced
  • 7 cups vegetable broth
  • 1-2 cups kale chopped (or other dark leafy green, like chard or spinach)
  • Lemon juice to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot and heat over medium. Add chopped onion and salt and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add celery and carrots and cook a few minutes more, stirring to prevent burning. Add garlic, black pepper, turmeric if using, curry powder, and bay leaf. Let cook 30 seconds.
  • Pour in drained chickpeas, pasta, parsley, and vegetable broth. If using low sodium broth, you'll want to add a pinch more salt at this point. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and let cook for 10 minutes or so, until pasta is cooked through.
  • Stir in kale, letting it cook for 1 minute or so to wilt. Juice ½ of a lemon to brighten things up. Remove from heat.
  • To serve, garnish with more black pepper, parsley, lemon juice, and cashew parmesan. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 217.6kcalCarbohydrates: 29.2gProtein: 7.1gFat: 8.5gSaturated Fat: 1.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7.3gSodium: 430mgFiber: 4.9gSugar: 5.2g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Beet Carrot Ginger Soup

Comments

  1. SWH says

    December 05, 2022 at 1:35 am

    5 stars
    A perfect soup when you’re feeling under the weather! It came together so quickly and the flavors are great

    Reply
    • Emily says

      December 12, 2022 at 12:03 am

      Thank you so much for rating + reviewing!!

      Reply
  2. Falon says

    February 14, 2022 at 11:28 am

    5 stars
    This looks so good! Can’t wait to try! Thank you:)

    Reply
    • Emily says

      February 16, 2022 at 11:29 pm

      Thank you so much Falon!

      Reply
  3. Sue0523 says

    December 27, 2021 at 2:29 pm

    Perfect antidote to holiday over-indulgence!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      January 02, 2022 at 5:00 pm

      I hope you love it, thanks for reading!

      Reply
  4. Suzy Callahan says

    December 27, 2021 at 2:03 am

    5 stars
    This was so quick and easy. Also, the family loved it! Thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      January 02, 2022 at 5:00 pm

      Thanks so much for commenting, Suzy!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Emily! I have been a plant-based food blogger since 2017. Garlic Head is a recipe website for anyone who wants to easily, affordably, and sustainably incorporate more vegetables into their diet. I am a lifelong vegetarian and 10+ year vegan.

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