Vegan Chickpea Soup with Swiss Chard

Winter calls for soup! And chickpea soup is hard to beat: a satisfying meal in a bowl, with protein and plenty of love.

This rich, spicy chickpea soup is loaded with good things. It delivers plant-based protein in a light, comforting bowl.

This is my slightly different take on harira (a traditional Moroccan soup). This time, I left out the other legumes and gave chickpeas the spotlight. I love them, and honestly, what's better than a chickpea so tender it practically melts in your mouth?

My advice: add 2 tablespoons of rice to your bowl, or serve it with a slice of fresh, crusty whole-grain bread. Add a vegetable salad on the side, and you've got a wonderful, nourishing dinner.

You won't need any stock here. The chickpea cooking liquid becomes the broth, bringing flavor and some of the nutrients released during cooking. You can use canned chickpeas, but I prefer cooking them from scratch, both for the flavor and because I personally prefer to avoid concerns about substances migrating from can linings into food.

Each serving of soup contains:

125 calories

6.7 g protein

1.25 g fat

162 mg calcium

45 mg vitamin C

Haggai Leffler — The Vegan Athlete. Written in collaboration with Noam Becher (an Israeli nutrition consultant and fitness instructor).

Vegan Chickpea Soup with Swiss Chard

A comforting chickpea soup with plant-based protein and plenty of flavor. Serve this bowl of pure happiness with fresh bread and a salad for dinner, or as a starter when friends come over.

Prep Time 1 minute

Total Time 1 minute

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight in plenty of water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped (including the white stems) 7-8 leaves
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika if you like some heat
• 1/2 teaspoon hawaij for soup (a savory Yemenite spice blend popular in Israel)

Instructions

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas in a colander and rinse well.
2. Place the chickpeas in a pot with 5 cups water and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or impurities, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about an hour. Keep an eye on the pot—it can boil over!
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a wide pot and cook the chopped onions until golden. Add the chopped Swiss chard and grated carrot. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the chard has completely wilted and turned a very dark green.
4. Add the spices, garlic, and lemon juice to the vegetables, then transfer everything to the chickpea pot. Don't drain the chickpeas—their cooking liquid is your soup broth.
5. Simmer everything together over low heat for about 10 more minutes. Serve hot.