Hearty plant-based chickpea soup made in less than 30 minutes. Tender chickpeas, vegetables and orzo are infused in a lemon and herb flavored broth; inspired by Mediterranean flavors. Perfect to serve it for lunch, dinner or as a side.
INGREDIENTS
8cups vegetable broth
2canschickpeasrinse and drain
¾cuporzo pastauncooked
⅓cuplemon juicefresh
2inchstrip of lemon peel
1 ½tablespoonvegan butter
1tablespoongarlic pasteor minced
1tablespoonwhite miso paste
⅓cupnutritional yeast
1cupceleryfinely chopped
1cupcarrotsfinely chopped
1cuponionsdiced
1cuptuscan kalechopped
2tablespoondried oregano
1teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
3tablespoondillfinely chopped
METHOD
Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, onions and lemon peel. Cook for 5 minutes till softened with occasionally stirring.
Add garlic and miso paste. Cook for 30 seconds while stirring to avoid garlic or miso from burning.
Next add nutritional yeast and stir to combine everything.
Stir in the broth and turn up the heat to medium-high. Once the soup starts to bubble, add chickpeas, orzo, kale, lemon juice, salt, pepper and oregano.
Cook soup for another 15 minutes until orzo is al dente.
Remove from heat, and stir in fresh dill. Take out the lemon peel before serving. Serve soup with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a garnish of crushed black pepper. Note: Always taste and adjust seasoning if needed before serving.
NOTES
Simmer: Make sure to let the soup simmer for a solid 15 minutes. This will ensure the orzo properly cooks and give the flavors time to meld together.
Taste and adjust: Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving to ensure they suit your preferences.
Fresh chickpeas: For the best flavor and texture, I always recommend cooking chickpeas from scratch. You will just need to account for the added time.