This cozy chickpea noodle soup can be made on the stove top or Instant Pot and is ready in no time at all using pantry staples and dry chickpeas. It's just like your childhood favorite but vegan!
Chickpea noodle soup is one of those meals that perfectly fits the definition of "healthy comfort food". It's a play on chicken noodle soup, with chickpeas as the main protein (just like chickpea salad).
This soup is loaded with veggies and beans and a flavorful, herby broth that's sure to warm you up.
Why this recipe works
- Diet-friendly: vegan, vegetarian, soy-free and gluten-free optional
- Instant Pot and stove-top instructions
- Flavorful, herby broth
- Uses inexpensive pantry staples
- No pre-soaking needed
Main ingredients
Broth: Choose your favorite broth. I usually go for a low-sodium option for more control over the salt. Water can be used in a pinch but if you do this I recommend double the seasonings.
Pasta: Use a medium size pasta like fusilli. Long strand like fettucine or spaghetti will also work if broken to fit in the Instant Pot, but they may stick together a bit while cooking. I recommend cooking longer pasta on the stove then adding it to the pot.
Herbs: I use dry herbs for convenience. One teaspoon dry herb can be replaced with one tablespoon fresh chopped herb.
Dry chickpeas: The chickpeas do not need to be soaked because they are cooked for a while in the Instant Pot. You can use up extra chickpeas in this instant pot chickpea curry.
Recipe instructions
- Sauté. Start by sautéing your onions, carrots, and celery in a bit of olive oil until the onions are translucent and starting to brown. Sprinkle with salt.
- Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more, until aromatic and browned.
- Seasonings. Next, add the chopped fresh herbs: rosemary, parsley, sage, and thyme. Add the paprika. Bloom for 30 seconds, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Deglaze the pot by stirring in a small amount of broth to remove any stuck on bits. This step is very important to prevent the burn error!
5. Add remaining ingredients except for the pasta. Mix in the dry chickpeas, vegetable broth, and water.
6. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. Test your chickpeas for doneness. If they're not as tender as you'd like, you can cook on high pressure for 2-3 more minutes. The Instant Pot will reach pressure quickly since the soup is already hot.
7. Cook the pasta. Cook the chickpea soup and noodles on high pressure for 4 minutes, then release the pressure manually. Alternately, cook your pasta on the stove and add to the soup once the chickpeas are done.
8. Stir in the cooked spinach. Season with lemon juice and black pepper. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQ and expert tips
- All of my Instant Pot recipes are made in a 6 qt DUO60 Instant Pot. This recipe can be double if using a 6 quart or 8 quart pressure cooker.
- Serve with freshly baked garlic knots or crumbled jalapeno pimento cornbread.
Yes! Follow steps 1 through 3, sautéing veggies over medium-high heat. Add two 15 ounce cans drained chickpeas in place of dry chickpeas. Decrease total liquid to 5 cups. Add in the pasta at this time as well. Bring up to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and simmer uncovered until the pasta is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and taste for seasonings.
Yes! This soup freezes well. Let cool to room temperature before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Leave at least one inch of room at the top of the container. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Let the soup cool to room temperature before transferring to a closed container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days. Reheat individual bowls in the microwave in about 2 minutes or reheat on the stove, uncovered, over medium heat.
Yes. You can cook pasta separately and add it with the spinach after the chickpeas are cooked.
Yes, just add an equal amount of your favorite gluten-free pasta. I recommend cooking the gluten-free pasta separately then adding it to the Instant Pot because cook times vary.
Looking for more vegan soups?
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Instant Pot Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry chickpeas rinsed and sorted
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dry parsley see note #1
- 1 teaspoon dry rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon dry sage
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 and ½ cups dry fusilli pasta
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach cooked according to package instructions
- juice of one lemon
- black pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Once it reads "hot", drizzle in the olive oil. Add the celery, onions, and carrots and sprinkle of salt. Sauté in the olive oil for for 5-6 minutes, or until onions become translucent.
- Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more, until golden and aromatic.
- Add the dry rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage and paprika. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Drizzle in about ¼ cup of vegetable broth to deglaze the pot. Stir to remove any stuck on bits.
- Pour in the remaining vegetable broth, water, and dry chickpeas. Lock the lid in place and set the vent to sealing.
- Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. Once the 35 minutes is up, allow the pressure to release naturally; this takes 15-20 minutes.
- Once the pressure is released, remove the lid and add the dry pasta to your Instant Pot. Reseal the lid and place the vent to sealing.
- Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes then manually release the pressure. Careful, hot steam will come out; I usually wear an oven mit when I manually release the pressure.
- Stir in cooked spinach. Taste for salt and seasoning with black pepper, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Dry herbs can be replaced with one tablespoon chopped fresh herbs.
- Pasta: If you are short for time or want to use a bigger pasta, like linguini or fettucine, I recommend cooking the pasta on the stove according to package instructions. Long pasta can be cooker in the Instant Pot but it may be unevenly cooked or need to be broken to fit in the pot.
- Chickpeas not done? Older beans may need more time. Just reseal the lid and heat on high pressure for 2-3 more minutes. Release pressure naturally. Repeat as needed.
- Stove top instructions: Follow steps 1 through 3, sautéing veggies over medium-high heat, adding herbs and deglazing the pot. Add two 15 ounce cans drained chickpeas in place of dry chickpeas. Decrease total liquid to 5 cups. Add in the pasta at this time as well. Bring up to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and simmer uncovered until the pasta is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and taste for seasonings.
- Freezing instructions: Let cool to room temperature before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Leave at leas tone inch of room at the top of the container. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Leftovers and reheating: Let the soup cool to room temperature before transferring to a closed container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days. Reheat individual bowls in the microwave in about 2 minutes or reheat on the stove, uncovered, over medium heat.
- Gluten-free option: I recommend cooking the gluten-free pasta separately then adding it to the Instant Pot because cook times vary.
Jen
Can’t wait to make this. I’m a littles shocked at the fat content per cup. Makes no sense. The only da it’s olive oil and for an entire pot of soup, it’s not that much
Cassidy Reeser
The chickpeas actually 12 grams of fat in 1 cup dry. Minimal amounts come from other ingredients like the pasta, and of course fat from the olive oil like you said. These are just estimations and definitely vary depending on what products you use!
Mariah
I have made this recipe several times now and just love it! I have noticed that sometimes I need to add an extra couple minutes to the chickpeas and sometimes I don't. I also usually use dry herbs because that is easier. Overall I love this recipe so much, thank you!!!
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks so much for the review!
Aidan
I just made this for the first time and again, my family adores it. Your food is exactly what they want. I can't thank you enough! I couldn't find dry chickpeas to save my life but canned worked great for 4 minutes in the IP. Perfection
Cassidy Reeser
Thank you so much for the review! Happy to hear that canned chickpeas work.
Emily
This looks delicious! I just got an Instant Pot and can't wait to try this. I only have canned cooked chickpeas on hand - can I add those at the same time as I would dry, or do you recommend adding them at the end? Thanks in advance.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
I haven't tested this myself, but I think it should work if you skip the 35 minute pressure cooking step and instead add the canned chickpeas when you add the dry pasta for 4 minutes. You will need ~3 cups of cooked chickpeas in place of the 1 cup dry. Hope you enjoy!
Emily
Perfect! Thanks so much for the help!
Audrey Gillette
How would I make this without an instapot?
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
I haven't had a chance to try this recipe without an Instant Pot but think it could work if you use canned chickpeas instead and simmer all ingredients together. Let me know if you try it out!