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a-bowl-of-soup-made-with-canned-ganrbanzo-beans-and-orzo
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4.50 from 6 votes

Quick & Easy Garbanzo Bean Soup

This hearty, comforting and nutritious soup with chickpeas and short pasta is ready in under 30 minutes and is a fabulous weeknight fall meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time16 minutes
Course: Main Course, Mains
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
Servings: 6
Calories: 154kcal

Equipment

  • 1 6 qt Instant Pot or a similar capacity heavy bottomed pan for stove top cooking
  • 1 sharp knife
  • 1 chopping board

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onions
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped finely
  • 3/4 cup diced carrots
  • 3/4 cup sliced celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped green beans
  • 1 can canned chickpeas Drain chickpeas and use in soup. (15 oz can used here)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 14 oz can used here
  • 1/4 cup orzo
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil torn roughly
  • 2 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 3 tsp cracked black pepper or adjust to taste
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup water to adjust consistency

For finishing

  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped

Instructions

Instant Pot Soup

  • Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot. Plug in the Instant pot and press SAUTE-NORMAL. Set the timer to 8 minutes.
  • When the display reads HOT, add the extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and saute till it begins to brown.
  • Now, add the finely chopped onions and fry till onions are pink and translucent.
  • Immediately, tip in the chopped green beans, diced carrots and chopped celery. Stir to mix.
  • Drain the canned chickpeas in a colander, rinse once and add them to the inner pot. Now, add the orzo.
  • Add the fresh basil followed by the canned diced tomatoes.
  • Pour the stock over this mixture. Stir once or twice to deglaze the pot and combine everything well.
  • Add the dried oregano, dried parsley, dried thyme and dried oregano. Stir well to combine.
  • Tip in the salt and freshly cracked pepper. Stir once. PRESS CANCEL.
  • Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted properly into the Instant pot lid. Close the lid and turn the VALVE to SEALING.
  • Press PRESSURE COOK-HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 5 minutes. Wait for the cooking cycle to complete. Once the cooking cycle has completed, press CANCEL and do a controlled quick pressure release by turning the VALVE to VENTING.
  • Open the lid and add the baby spinach leaves. Stir to combine.
  • Press SAUTE MODE-NORMAL and set the timer to 2 minutes. Add 1 cup water to adjust the consistency. Allow the soup to simmer through the SAUTE cycle. When done, garnish with fresh basil and parsley.
  • Serve hot with preferred toppings.

Stovetop soup

  • Heat a heavy bottomed 5 quart pan (such as a Dutch oven) with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic and when it begins to brown, add the onions.
  • Saute the onions till they are pink and soft. Tip in the chopped veggies and drained chickpeas. Stir to combine.
  • Add the canned diced tomatoes along with the broth, dried herbs, spices and salt. Mix well and allow this to come to a boil.
  • When ready, add the orzo, stir well and cook till the pasta is al dente. This takes roughly 8 to 10 minutes. Please refer the package for more information on cooking time.
  • Once the pasta has cooked, garnish with fresh basil and parsley. Serve hot with toppings of your choice.

Notes

  1. This soup is a spin off of the Italian style Pasta e Ceci , which is a rustic stew with loads of veggies and pasta. But this is not the authentic version since authentic versions use wine and cheese.
  2. You can make this soup in the Instant pot or on the stove top. Either way, all we need is one pot. Please refer to the Method section for more details.
  3. Since we are wary of salt, I have used low sodium vegetable stock to make this recipe. You can also use vegetarian bouillon cubes for this soup. Combine 2 vegetarian bouillon cubes with 2 cups hot water and use this in place of the stock.
  4. If you want a cheesy flavor to this soup, add 2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes to this vegan chickpea soup recipe.
  5. Add the baby spinach only at the end after the soup is cooked. We do not want to over cook the spinach here.
  6. Do not forget to stir everything up after you add the broth. This helps in deglazing and preventing BURN signal in the Instant Pot.
  7. For stovetop cooking, I recommend making this soup in a heavy bottomed pan like a Dutch oven. I love my trusted 5 quart Dutch oven for this.
  8. We love herbs like fresh basil in our soups. If you cannot source fresh herbs, use dried ones. A word of caution here- dried herbs are more potent than fresh ones. So use only 1/3 of the recommended amount of fresh herbs. This applies to most recipes. For example, if 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil is called for in a recipe, you will need one 1 tsp of dried basil.
  9. Since this soup is thick like a stew, I added a cup of water to adjust the consistency and make it soupy. You can skip this step if you prefer it to be thick.
  10.  
 

For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes

Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.

Disclaimer

Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 560mg | Potassium: 451mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3644IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg
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