homestyle pesto chickpea noodle soup
Chickpea noodle soup? Chickpea noodle soup.
With a marathon looming in three weeks and everyone + their mother falling with some sort of debilitating upper respiratory infection, a big bowl of classic-flavored soup was in order. I rarely get sick anyway but I am not risking being bed-bound with such a pivotal race coming up.
And, you know, being sick just sucks.
I’ve three versions of chickpea soup on the site: The OG, spicy, and creamy. Today, we’re adding Homestyle Pesto Chickpea Noodle Soup. It’s the ultimate comfort bowl, flavored with pesto and lemon and loaded with Italian flavors. A piping hot bowl on a cold winter’s night? Can’t think of much better.
Be sure to pick up your favorite loaf of baguette from the neighborhood bakery (or, you know, Publix) for dunking into the flavorful, cozy broth.
Like Grandma Made
10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cook time. Not much frill to this pot, methinks.
Not that kind of pot.
Anyway.
The base of this soup is what’s called mirepoix. Trader Joes actually sells a pre-packaged, pre-diced blend of onion, celery, and carrot, so if you want to slash down prep time even more, pick this up or similar if your own local store carries it. I’m all about shortcuts.
Melt some butter in your Dutch oven or soup pot, then stir in the miracle trio and saute until soft. Then, toss in some garlic and Italian seasoning (use your favorite blend) until nice and fragrant.
Pour in vegetable broth and drop in a couple parmesan rinds and a big helping of egg noodles. Hearty homestyle noodles are my favorite. Simmer, stirring occasionally, just to let the noods soak in the broth and the light cheesy flavor of the rind.
If you’re worried about the noodles absorbing leftover soup if you plan to refrigerate a few portions, you are absolutely correct: pasta loves liquid and will eat it before you do. An option is to boil the noodles separately in a pot of salted water, for the time indicated on the package, and scooping out a portion at a time for each bowl. I don’t bother with this, but it is feasible, and possibly smart if you’re less lazy than me.
Finish your soup with a heap of basil pesto, lemon juice, and a can of chickpeas. Taste for salt and pepper. I added some pepper but didn’t need any extra sodium, and ya’ll know I do love my NaCl in my food.
I serve my soup with crusty bread, maybe a big side salad if I’m feeling like making one. Hit or miss, that is. If you want more protein you can definitely throw in some shredded rotisserie chicken, or faux chicken. Methinks I’m gonna do that tonight.
The soup will freeze well if you consult the aforementioned method of cooking noodles on the side; thawed noodle soup will be weirdly soggy. The broth and veggies will keep well, sealed in the freezer, for up to 3 months. I recommend reheating frozen, or even refrigerated soup, in a small saucepot on the stove until it reaches a good temperature for eating. Add more broth if needed to loosen up the soup!
Temps in the 30s, soup on the stove…Yep, we’re off to a good start this week!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Warm up and cozy down:
Creamy Bacon Potato White Bean Soup
Creamy Lemon Pesto Chickpea Orzo Soup
homestyle pesto chickpea noodle soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 parmesan rinds
- 2 cups wide egg noodles
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1/3 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- crusty bread, for dipping
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Saute the onion, carrot, and celery for 6-8 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the parmesan rind and egg noodles. Heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chickpeas, pesto, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Sometimes I like to go real ham with the lemon and just add the whole damn fruit. Well, the juice from it, not the lemon itself.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread for dipping.
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