Slow Cooker Chickpea Soup
This Slow Cooker Chickpea Soup is a nutritious, easy slow cooker soup packed with garbanzo beans, hearty vegetables, and Italian flavors. It's perfect for healthy, comforting meals.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 10 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian version)
- 8 ounces orecchiette pasta
- 1/2 bunch Tuscan kale, chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- Lemon wedges and grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large bowl of cold water, ensuring they are covered by several inches. Drain and rinse well.
- Place the chickpeas, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme into your slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Pour the chicken stock over the ingredients. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours.
- At the 4-hour mark, stir in the orecchiette pasta. Let cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- In the last 10 minutes, fold in the kale, lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh rosemary. Cook until the kale is bright green and tender.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Use vegetable stock and omit Parmesan for a vegan version. Substitute gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free option.