Thanks for your comments on my recap of Oprah’s Vegan Challenge. Even though it is a deeply personal subject, I respect that we can share all kinds of viewpoints on the matter. Whether you liked the show or not, the show created a buzz and it has brought attention to an area that I think needs to be explored in more depth. I would love to see a follow up show explaining the vegan lifestyle and showing all of the wonderful recipes that you can make free of any processed fake products. That would be great!
Hummus lovers, this soup is for us.
When I saw this recipe for Garbanzo bean soup over at Kalyn’s Kitchen, I knew that I had to make it immediately. After wiping the drool from my face and reading over the ingredients, I concluded that it is basically hummus in soup form and I suspected it would bring my addiction to a whole new level.
I thought, Yes, this is just what I need to stop spoon feeding myself homemade hummus straight from the food processor.
Then I made this soup and I realized that I was now spoon feeding myself hummus soup straight from the blender…
I guess there is really no hope for me when it comes to hummus in any shape or form.
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Garbanzo Bean Soup
Creamy, smooth, and comforting hummus in soup form. ‘Nough said.
Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen.
Yield: 3.5 cups (2 good servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (made 1 cup)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus reserve the rest for garnish
- Two 15 oz cans of chickpeas (about 3-4 cups), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable stock (I used full-sodium)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp tahini (probably optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- Olive oil + paprika + lemon juice + lemon zest, to garnish before serving
Directions:
1. In a large skillet, add in 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Add in the 1 cup of chopped onion and heat over medium for several minutes, stirring often. After a few minutes, add in the minced garlic and stir. Reduce heat to low if necessary to avoid burning.
2. After about 6-8 minutes of cooking the onion and garlic, add in 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 2 bay leaves, black pepper, and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Stir well and continue to cook over low-medium heat for another 4-5 minutes.
3. Now add in the 1 cup of vegetable broth (full sodium), 1 cup water, 1 tbsp tahini, and 2 cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas. Stir well and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to simmer for another 5-7 minutes or so.
4. After simmering, remove from heat and let stand for a couple minutes to cool down slightly. REMOVE BAY LEAVES. Carefully pour the soup mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Be careful not to burn yourself if it splatters!
5. Pour into two bowls and garnish with lemon zest, additional lemon juice, olive oil, and paprika. Serve immediately. Makes 3.5 cups.
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The first time I I made this soup, I followed the original directions exactly, but I found the procedure very lengthy and time-consuming. For this second version, my goal was to simplify the recipe as much as possible. I am really happy with how it turned out.
The first thing you do is sauté the onion and garlic for about 7-8 minutes.
Add in the kosher salt, cumin, bay leaves, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice.
Stir well and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
Now add in the 2 cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas, 1 cup veggie broth, 1 cup water, and 1 tbsp of tahini. The tahini is probably optional by the way. I added it in because my favourite hummus has tahini in it.
I’m sure it would still taste good if you don’t have any!
I used full-sodium vegetable broth. If you use reduced-sodium, you will likely have to use more than a 1/2 tsp kosher salt, so always adjust to taste. If it tastes bland, you need more salt and seasonings.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for several minutes.
As I was cooking this, I thought, This soup is nothing special at this stage. It tastes OK and doesn’t really have any wow factor.
BUT…remove the bay leaves and then,
Pour it into a blender…
Throw on some fun toppings. Garnish with paprika, lemon juice + zest + wedge, and a drizzle of oil.
and the soup comes to LIFE!
It all made sense to me when I took my first bite.
It is creamy, smooth, and if you enjoy hummus you will love this soup. It goes lovely with a big hunk of bread too, but I’m sure that goes without saying!
It didn’t last a day in this house. I really have a problem.
Spoon feeding is highly encouraged. ;)
Oh and by the way, it is amazing warm and poured over a salad. It is almost like a vegan Caesar salad (if it had more garlic!).
Something tells me I have some shoveling to do…
We must have both had chick peas on the brain today. I roasted chick peas for lunch and they were delicious. I actually ate my lunch while reading this post. Yum!
So glad you enjoyed the soup! I am completely with you on the love for hummus (in fact all things garbanzo bean are good for me!)
All I had to see was the title and I was like, “yes please!” You’re a genius.
So you are shoveling soup & snow huh?! That soup sounds tasty; I might leave some of it not blended so I can scoop it up with pita!
mmmmmmmm…. I love hummus so much too. I love to make it when the beans are still warm and have warm hummus sandwiches, so this soup is right up my ally! If you get the chance check out my holiday hummus it is so beautiful you have never seen hummus like this before! It is in my recipe index at www.jodiecope.com
I love to eat my hummus warm! So this soup is right up my ally. By the way I have another hummus variation you may just love! Check out my holiday hummus if you like, in my recipe index on my site. You may want to make the hot pink hummus for Valentines day!
By the way I made the avacado pasta!!! OOOOOOOh my goodness I am in luhhhhhh huuv!!
If I didn’t use my last can of garbanzo beans to make bean patties for lunch today I SO would’ve made this for dinner!
Too bad I’m snowed in and can’t leave the house to get more! :(
hummus soup, i love the idea!
Must try this….
Also, I made some chewy balls based on your recipe, using peanut butter, barley malt, puffed millet, sesame seeds, hulled hemp, shredded unsweetened coconut, and chopped pure (no sugar) chocolate. SO GOOD! Thanks for the inspiration. PLUS, seeing as millet is so nutritious, I can down two of these and know my body will thank me!
Hummus is my absolute favorite, I am sure I will love this soup.
This sounds incredible! I’ll be moving to Israel in less than a week where chickpeas are an overflowing commodity at the Tel Aviv street markets. This will give me something new and unique to share with my new roommates!
Delicious! I’ve made a hummus type soup before, very similar to this… although yours looks much much more appetizing. ;)
What an interesting concept. I never thought of garbanzo beans in a soup form.
My first thought when I saw this soup was that it looked like a giant bowl of hummus. :D Love this idea!
Yum! I can’t wait to satisfy my hummus addiction with this too.
I just made a HUGE batch hummus over the weekend and it’s long gone! This is a great way for me to get my hummus fix! YUM :)
That. Looks. AMAZING!
I am not the hugest hummus fan, but I do like garbanzo beans (does that even make sense?). I am going to make this soon!
I didn’t reply to the Oprah post, but I’ll add a little one here:
I think awareness should be made into the production and farming of ALL foods. Pesticides, poor slaughter practice, and preservatives in foods need to be explored and exposed to the public. I believe that people are intelligent enough to understand where they food comes from and how, but are autonomous enough to make decisions on their own dietary habits.
That being said, I don’t think a “meat-free society” is realistic. It’s easy to stake that claim when you live in luxury and have finances to buy groceries. If you lived in a very rural setting or lived in poverty, you wouldn’t want restrictions put against you on what you can and cannot eat.
I find this very personal because I come from an aboriginal heritage, where hunting and gathering is in my blood. If someone came up to me here and insisted we were wrong for hunting and fishing creatures that have sustained us for thousands of years, I would be deeply offended. Just as I am sure a vegan would be insulted if I stated they were “missing out” by not eating meat.
I like that options are discussed and created. For example, I love the recipe you have posted and will definitely make it. I may eat it alone, I may eat it with fish. I appreciate the variety, but I don’t want to hear gospel on how one diet is better than another when the issue isn’t the food…it’s the quality of the food.
Yum, hummussy goodness in a bowl.
I have a recipe for hummus-type pasta sauce which is similar to this.
Except it has spinach, and parsley i think. :)
Such a neat idea! I don’t think I like hummus enough to eat it completely by itself, but still. Doesn’t seem like you can go wrong with this one!
Considering I eat hummus by the spoon…everyday…I think that there is a HIGH possibility that I will make this soup! =]