Chickpea Vegetable Soup With Parmesan, Rosemary and Lemon
Updated Jan. 29, 2026

- Total Time
- 1½ to 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1whole clove
- ½onion, sliced root to stem so it stays intact, peeled
- 1pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
- 1sprig rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped leaves
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 2fresh bay leaves or 1 dried
- ⅓cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste
- 1small Parmesan rind, plus ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
- 2medium carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 2celery stalks, sliced ¼-inch thick
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
- Step 1
Insert the clove into the onion. Put the onion in a large pot with the chickpeas, rosemary sprig, garlic, bay leaves, olive oil, salt and cheese rind. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about an hour, or until chickpeas are tender.
- Step 2
Add the tomatoes, carrots and celery, cover loosely, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 25 minutes longer. While soup simmers, mix the chopped rosemary, grated Parmesan, lemon zest and pepper in a small bowl.
- Step 3
Season the soup to taste and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan mixture.
Private Notes
Comments
what happens if you use canned chickpeas?
Instead of dried or canned chickpeas, I use frozen chickpeas, found in the organic foods section (of my grocery store). The canned get mushy, the dried take forever to get soft, but the frozen, imo, are perfect.
I added canned beans between steps 1 and 2. Not at all mushy. I also added some leftover spinach and arugula at the last minute. Delicious!
Recipe has been on constant rotation, now with several add-ins. It is a perfect method without fuss. I have made it with lentils and white beans, adding fennel and leeks. White beans work well but won't keep their shape as well as chickpeas - less cooking time. I will try changing the spice profile with time too but the original is very aromatic. Canned legumes won't give the same depth to the broth but are a quick hack. Try using chicken broth and less salt.
Outstanding, Loved the addition of the parmesan rind. Also used a whole onion and a a few more cloves. Great and easy dish.
Very tasty and filling!
