This Persian Inspired Zesty Chickpea Soup is one of my favourite recipes from the Effortless Vegan Cookbook! It’s bright, citrusy and made with feel good ingredients that will warm you up from the inside out. While traditional Persian soup usually takes a few hours to cook, this one will only take around 30 minutes!

How to Make this Chickpea Soup

This soup is quick, easy and made all in one pot:

1. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes then add the turmeric and chili flakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
2. Stir in the rice and chickpeas – coat well in spice.
3. Add the vegetable stock on lemon juice and simmer until the rice is fully cooked.
4. Add the spinach and cook a few minutes until it’s wilted and mixed into the soup then mix in your fresh herbs.
5. Taste and season as you see fit and enjoy!

Additions and Substitutions

The great thing about a simple recipe like this is that you can go a long way with adding or substituting ingredients here and there to spruce it up or make it your own. A few swaps, additions or substitutions you can make:

• Use fresh turmeric instead of ground turmeric. Use about 1 inch of fresh, peel and chopped turmeric in place of 1 teaspoon ground.
• Add ginger. Add ground or fresh ginger when you add the turmeric for a boost of fire and flavour.
• Use any type of onion. Brown, yellow or even red onion can be used in place of white. Keep in mind that red onion will make for a darker, less golden soup.
• More herbs. I kept the herbs to a minimum with just cilantro and parsley. If you’re someone who hates cilantro you can leave it out. I love adding fresh mint to my soup when I have it in. Dill and chives are also great additions.
• Kale or chard in place of spinach. No spinach? Add whatever leafy greens you have in!

Serving Suggestions

When it comes to soup you can go wrong with a fresh, slice of homemade gluten free bread. If you really want a next level meal, enjoy this soup with a side of gluten free flatbread or maybe even manakish.

Yield: 4 servings about 1 1/2 cups

Persian Inspired Zesty Chickpea Soup

4.8 Stars (12 Reviews)

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Print

• Email

Rate

Bright, citrusy and made with feel good ingredients that will warm you up from the inside out. While traditional Persian soup usually takes a few hours to cook, this one will only take around 30 minutes – so it won’t be long before you can dig in for yourself!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
• 1 cup (150 g) white onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon, about 3 large cloves (9 g) garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 (15 oz [425 g]) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup (45 g) dried white rice
• 4 cups (960 ml) vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoon (30 ml) lemon juice plus more to taste
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup (15 g) fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup (4 g) fresh cilantro, chopped

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large cooking pot over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sauté for 3- 4 minute to soften.
2. Stir in the garlic, turmeric and chili flakes and cook another minute until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Add the chickpeas and rice to the pot and mix well coating the chickpeas and rice in the golden onion mixture.
4. Pour the vegetable stock and lemon juice to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat down so that the soup maintains a gentle simmer and let cook about 10-15 minutes or until the rice has cooked.
5. Stir in the spinach, parsley and cilantro and cook another 5 minutes. Taste the soup and season with more salt and lemon juice if needed. Don't be afraid to add more lemon juice - it really makes this soup pop!
6. Serve warm and topped with additional fresh herbs if desired and enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 376Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 781mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 8gSugar: 23gProtein: 16g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Soups & Stews Cuisine: Persian