A classic feel good simple soup made vegetarian! Chickpea Noodle Soup (vegetarian ‘chicken’ noodle soup) recipe comes together quick and in one pot. Full of flavor and easy to make this vegetable noodle soup will keep you warm and cozy. This recipe is vegetarian and vegan.
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A Simple Soup Recipe We All Know and Love
We all know and love it. A comforting and healing soup many of us grew up on. I’d never considered homemade noodle soup until I adopted a vegetarian lifestyle. Up until that point I’d only known the canned variety, and so I started exploring ways to make a vegetarian chicken noodle soup that was reminiscent of the traditional recipe.
But the game changer in this vegetarian noodle soup recipe was in the broth. All the prepared vegetable broths I’d tried before didn’t offer the flavor or color I was after for this particular recipe. I really wanted that golden hue and rich flavor I loved from chicken noodle soup, without the chicken. Homemade vegetable broth was closer, but I rarely make homemade broth, let alone have it on hand.
How to Make Noodle Soup Vegetarian?
Omitting chicken and adding chickpeas is an easy swap. It was the broth that had me wanting. But then I tried prepared no-chicken broth. Have you tried it? I find it to be the key ingredient to this rich and comforting chickpea noodle soup. It’s vegetarian and vegan, rich and satisfying.
Ingredients For The Soup
A pantry friendly recipe since the ingredients are pantry staples and long storage veggies, here’s what you’ll need to whip up this easy vegetable noodle soup recipe (see recipe card for full details):
- Yellow Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Fresh Garlic
- Dried Herbs like bay leaf, thyme, and oregano.
- Ground black pepper is a must! It adds depth and a bit of spice.
- No-Chicken Veggie Broth – I like Imagine brand because it’s organic. Find it at your well stocked grocery or Amazon.
- Ditalini Pasta – the smaller noodle size here doesn’t slip off the spoon. It’s neat and tidy!
- Chickpeas – aka garbanzo beans, use canned or home-cooked here.
- Baby Spinach – optional, but tossing in a few handfuls at the end of cooking helps us eat more greens.
- Lemon – a squeeze at the end of cooking brightens this vegetarian noodle soup.
What is Ditalini Pasta?
Ditalini pasta is small pasta shaped like little short tubes. They’re a perfect addition in soups and stews where a smaller pasta is appropriate. Find it in other recipes such as minestrone and pasta e fagioli. It’s also fantastic in pasta salads!
Find more pantry friendly recipes like this Vegetarian Noodle Soup on my Pressed For Time Mains page.
How to Make Vegan and Vegetarian Noodle Soup
Pressed for time? This vegetable noodle soup recipe comes together quickish making it a weeknight easy dinner. In summary, here’s how to pull this simple soup together (see recipe card for details):
- First, in a soup pot saute the onion, carrot and celery, just until the veggies begin to soften.
- Second, add the garlic and bay leaves, then pour in the broth and stir in the herbs.
- Third, bring to a boil, then stir in the pasta.
- Next, once the pasta is cooked, stir in the chickpeas.
- Last, warm through, then if using, stir in the spinach and give it a squeeze of lemon. Taste for salt.
I love sharing this vegetable noodle soup recipe with a big salad or grilled cheese. It’s hearty enough on it’s own too, especially with added spinach.
A Few Recipe Notes
- Freezer Friendly? Yes Please! Vegan and vegetarian noodle soup freezes with ease. Allow soup to cool completely, then transfer to a lidded freezer container for longer storage. Thaw in the fridge overnight and gently reheat stovetop.
- Gluten Free? While I’ve not tried it, I’d suggest cooking gluten free pasta separately from the soup and adding it to the soup pot after it’s done cooking. Check to make sure the broth is gluten free as well. Imagine vegetarian no-chicken broth indicates on their product page, their broth is gluten free.
- The Ditalini pasta soaks up a lot of broth in this chickpea noodle soup recipe, so if you feel the soup could use more broth, add up to an additional cup.
More Hearty Soup Recipes to Love
- Smoky White Bean and Wheat Berry Stew
- Tuscan Chickpea Tomato Soup
- African Peanut Stew
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
the recipe
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1 C (145g) Celery sliced thin, about 4 ribs
- 1 C (145g) Carrots sliced in coins, about 3 carrots
- 1/2 C (60g) Yellow Onion diced small, about 1/2 an onion
- 3 tsp Minced Garlic about 3 medium cloves
- 7 C (1 3/4 Qt / 1.6 Kg) No-Chicken Veggie Broth plus another cup (233g) if needed, *see note
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp fine Sea Salt
- 1/2 C (70g) Ditalini Pasta
- 1 (425g) Can Cooked Chickpeas drained and rinsed, about 2 cups
- 1/2 Lemon
Optional Ingredients:
- 3-4 Handfuls of Baby Spinach optional
- Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley chopped fine
Instructions
- In a 4 Qt Dutch oven or heavy bottom soup pot, add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the celery, carrots and onion. Turn the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally for 6-7 minutes, or until the veggies just begin to soften.
- Add the garlic, stir and cook for about one minute. Pour in the veggie broth. Add the bay leaves and sprinkle in the oregano, thyme, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, stir in the pasta and cook, uncovered until al dente, or about 10-15 minutes. Stir occassionally to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the pasta is tender, turn the heat to medium low. Stir in the chickpeas and warm through, about 4-5 minutes. If desired, add another cup (233g) of broth. [optional] If using, stir in the spinach, adding one handful at a time. It will wilt quickly. Remove from heat. Squeeze in a bit of lemon juice. Stir. Taste for more lemon and seasoning adjustment. Add more salt if needed.
- Ladle into soup bowls, add a few grinds of fresh black pepper and garnish with parsley if desired.
- To Freeze: Allow soup to cool completely, then freeze in a lidded container for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then gently reheat on stove top.
This was so good!! I got this in my email this morning and had everything on hand. It came together quickly and hit the spot on a rainy night…thanks for the delicious vegan recipe!
Hi Delin! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. Hooray to having everything on hand!
i made the soup this week and first, it was easy to make and delicious. Shared a portion with a friend who immediately asked for the recipe. I had tiny elbow macaroni pasta and used that in a pinch No worries as it was filling and perfect for the cold days in SF Bay Area. I’m always on the search for soup recipes, that are easy to make and this fits the bill with great flavor.
Hi JC Louie! Thank you for coming back, leaving a note and sharing the recipe with your friend. Sounds like the tiny elbow mac was a hit!
Perfect, simple, cozy soup! My whole family would love this one with a sourdough on the side :) Looks great!!
Yes to sourdough on the side…. how about a grilled cheese sourdough?! Thank you Katherine!
I’m making this tonight. Love ya, Traci!
Hiii Deb! SO happy to hear! xo
What a great idea to add the chickpeas Traci! Makes this soup even more of a meal. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Thank you Mare! Such an easy swap and they’re so hearty!