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This creamy and hearty chickpea soup is incredibly delicious and warming. Made with chickpeas, fresh rosemary and garlic it’s packed with flavour and better yet ready in only 20 minutes! When it comes to staying cosy you can’t beat a big bowl of soup!
I love recipes with chickpeas, they have so much flavour and creaminess and you don’t need much to make them into a satisfying and filling meal.
Take this chickpea flatbread recipe for example, it’s a classic Tuscan recipe that’s literally only chickpea flour, water and a tiny splash of oil yet it’s the most delicious, crispy but creamy flatbread.
This simple, rustic soup recipe is another example of a flavour packed meal using chickpeas and a few simple but powerful flavours!
Are Chickpeas the Same as Garbanzo Beans?
Yes. Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are exactly the same fibre and protein-rich legume.
In Italy, they are known as Ceci and in Spain, they are referred to as garbanzos either way if you see or hear garbanzo beans being used in a recipe know it is referring to chickpeas.
For this soup try to use the highest quality chickpeas possible, I like to use the ones that come in glass jars rather than cans. The higher the quality the more flavour you’ll get with this soup.
Should You Use Dried Chickpeas or Canned?
For this chickpea soup I use canned or jarred chickpeas.
If you can get high-quality chickpeas often sold in glass jars you’ll find that they’re extra creamy and delicious.
If you prefer to use dried then you can just make sure to soak and boil them in advance before starting this soup.
How to Make Tuscan Chickpea Soup
Finely chop the garlic and add it to a large pot with a large sprig of rosemary and 1 tbsp of olive oil (photo 1).
Fry the garlic and rosemary for a few seconds until the garlic starts to take on colour.
Add the chickpeas to the pot, stir to combine then add the stock with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil and simmer (photo 2).
Remove the sprigs of rosemary and discard. Using a hand-held blender blitz the soup to a smooth consistency (photo 3).
Adjust it to Your Liking
This chickpea soup is fairly thick and creamy and I love it that way but if you’d prefer a thinner consistency simply add more stock or water.
Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
This Tuscan chickpea soup is the kinda soup I crave on chilly days and evenings. It’s thick, warming and comforting and perfect with some fresh crusty bread for dunking.
What to Serve with Chickpea Soup
I love to serve this soup with fresh crusty bread for dunking or a freshly baked rosemary focaccia.
If you’re looking for a side salad then Tuna Panzanella, Fennel, Courgette Salad with Smoked Scamorza or Zucchini Ribbon Salad would all work great!
Top Tips for Making Tuscan Chickpea Soup;
- Make sure to use the highest quality chickpeas you can get your hands on. I love to use chickpeas sold in glass jars (that’s what I always used in Italy) because they have a delicious creaminess and flavour.
- When choosing chicken stock go for a low sodium brand so you can control the amount of salt that goes into the soup. If you can use homemade then even better!
- The soup will thicken quite quickly as it cools so you may need to add more water or stock to loosen it if you make it in advance or want to reheat leftovers.
- This soup will last for up to 5 days in the fridge or can be frozen in suitable containers. Thaw and reheat as needed.
More Italian Soups You Might Like;
- Pasta Fagioli Soup – Pasta & Beans
- Pastina Soup (Italian Chicken Noodle Soup)
- Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup – Creamy and Healthy
If you’ve tried this Tuscan Chickpea Soup or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Tuscan Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cups (1.5 litres) chicken stock, , low sodium
- 3.5 lbs (4 cans/1.6 kg) cooked chickpeas, , canned
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 6 cloves garlic, , chopped
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic and add to a large pot with the rosemary and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Fry the garlic until it starts to take on colour but not browned.
- Add the chickpeas, stock with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Remove the sprigs of rosemary and set aside. Using a hand-held blender blitz the soup to a smooth consistency then add the lemon juice. Adjust the thickness by adding extra water or stock to your liking.
- Add extra seasoning if required, serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- Make sure to use the highest quality chickpeas you can get your hands on. I love to use chickpeas sold in glass jars (that's what I always used in Italy) because they have a delicious creaminess and flavour.
- When choosing chicken stock go for a low sodium brand so you can control the amount of salt that goes into the soup. If you can use homemade then even better!
- The soup will thicken quite quickly as it cools so you may need to add more water or stock to loosen it if you make it in advance or want to reheat leftovers.
- This soup will last for up to 5 days in the fridge or can be frozen in suitable containers. Thaw and reheat as needed.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The recipe did not say to drain or rinse the chickpeas, but I am assuming you were supposed to as my soup came out very watery (and I only put in 2 cups of broth because it was obviously too much liquid).
Hi Katie, sorry for the confusion, yes, the chickpeas are drained first.
I am so looking forward to making your Tuscan Chickpea soup. I do have one question: when you list “half lemon juice, does that mean half of a lemon or some other measurement?
Hi Sherry, yes, juice from half of a lemon. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Thank you for this recipe my family loved it!
So happy you enjoyed it!
This recipe is absolutely devine. Flavors are beautifully balanced and it takes no time at all (big bonus). I will be making this soup again and again. I did make mini whole wheat croutons to sprinkle on top to give another texture to the soup. So quick and easy to do and such a good result. I also made the flatbread on this website to go with. Didn’t really have the right pan, but the flatbread did come out crispy around the edges. I’m thinking next time I’ll try making mini sized “pancakes” to see if I can get them crispy all over.
Hi Linda, I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, great idea to add the croutons on top, yum!
I just made your Chicken soup. So delish. I had a can of organic chickpeas, dried rosemary (did not have fresh on hand) garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and zero sodium chicken powder and water. I used too much water and it still is wonderful. The lemon puts it over the top I think. Thank you so much for this great recipe.
Hi Marion, thanks so much for your lovely comment I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Emily x
It’s almost like a hummus soup! I’m always collecting soup recipes during the colder months. Yum!
Ha yes it is a thick soup! The first time I tried it was at a friends house and they served it very thick, I prefer to add a little water to loosen it a little. Either way, it’s so delicious!
I have never seen chickpeas in jars here but I would love to. I am a big fan of them too. And I think this recipe looks both elegant and delicious.
Thanks so much Jeni!
I love garbanzo beans and can’t believe Ive never thought to have them in a soup! This will be on our table VERY soon!
I hope you like it, it’s super easy!
This looks incredible and I love how simple the recipe is! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Katie!
This sounds hearty, comforting, and delicious! Garlic and rosemary sound like the perfect additions. I also would love to try the chickpea flatbread you described – yum!
The flatbread is one of my favourite snacks, definitely try it. Thanks so much Monica!