Easy Healthy Kale and Chickpea Soup

This easy one-pot kale and chickpea soup is packed with protein and nutrients. It is a rustic soup that pairs perfectly with crusty bread. To make it vegetarian or vegan, just use vegetable broth. Ready in less than thirty minutes, it is a quick delicious dinner. The perfect cold-weather soup, it is full of earthy flavors that will keep you warm and satisfied.

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Tips for Delicious Soup Flavor

I love this soup not just for the taste, but because of the simplicity of it. With only a few key ingredients, here are some tips to get the best flavor.

Use a Homemade or Good Quality Stock or Base

If you can make your own stock, it will be worth it! The Kitchn has a popular recipe to make your own vegetable stock. If you don’t have time to make your own stock, there are some great alternatives. Choose a high-quality low sodium stock or base. My favorite is Minor’s sauteed vegetable base or chicken base, which can easily be mixed with water to create a delicious tasty broth. This stuff also lasts forever, and can also be added to flavor sauces or rice.

Transform Your Flavor with a Parmesan Rind

One of the best soup tricks is adding a parmesan rind for flavoring. Freeze your parmesan rind when you are done with it for occasions like these. No need to defrost, just add it to the soup base for even more flavorful broth. I recommend using a medium size rind so it will be easier to remove after it has simmered for a few minutes.

Kale Adds More Texture and Nutrition

Lacinato (also called Tuscan or Dinosaur kale) is a hearty dark green kale that is a bit thinner than the typical curly kale usually found in grocery stores in large bushels. It is not as tough as curly kale, so is perfect in bite-sized pieces in this soup, and will wilt relatively quickly. If you can’t find Lacinato kale, any kale will do, just ensure the pieces are bite-sized and cook long enough so they are not tough.

Quick Soup Tips: Use Immersion Blender

This soup is rich rustic texture by blending the carrots, onions, celery, and chickpeas. If you do not have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender. If you choose a regular blender make sure the liquid is cool enough when you transfer it, and blend lightly so the soup is thick and not totally smooth.

However, I recommend using an immersion blender to save time and reduce the number of dishes to wash. I’ve had this Mueller Astria immersion blender for a year and it is still going strong. It is so easy use, just dip it into the liquid and press the blend button. To clean, the bottom blade easily detaches. I highly recommend it if you are in the market for an affordable immersion blender.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Easy Healthy Kale and Chickpea Soup

A rustic easy and filling chickpea soup that is perfect for cold weather. To make vegetarian, simply use vegetable stock.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Calories: 250kcal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup diced carrot about 2 small carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery about 1 large celery
• 1 small diced onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cans (15.5oz) chickpeas
• 4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock if not vegetarian
• 1 small parmesan rind optional but recommended
• 1 small bunch torn kale about 2 cups, lacinato if available
• salt and pepper as needed
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• shredded parmesan as needed for topping

Instructions

• Dice mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion). Add olive oil to a large pot (6qt+) and saute mirepoix for 4 minutes until soft and fragrant.
• Rinse canned chickpeas in a colander and add to the pot. Add vegetable (or chicken if using) stock and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend chickpeas and mirepoix until it is a thick rustic consistency. Soup will not be totally smooth, and might have some small chunks of vegetables and chickpeas.
• Add parmesan rind if using (highly recommend) and turn on the heat to medium to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add torn bite-sized kale to the pot and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until they wilt. Remove parmesan rind and add thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve topped with shredded parmesan and a side of crusty bread.

Notes

Calories per a serving are estimated based on listed ingredients and do not include side of bread.

Related Healthy Recipe Posts:

• Easy Miso Mushroom Soup
• Vietnamese Summer Rolls
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

What are your favorite cold weather recipes? If you try this soup, let me know your thoughts!