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–+ servings

Perfect Chickpea Soup

5 | 14 reviews
I first learned how to make this soup in Sicily, where I had it at an olive farm and immediately had to ask the cook (an older Sicilian woman = good sign) on how it was made. Her answer shocked me, it's really just simple ingredients, a lot of good olive oil, and time. And the time is worth it, because even after days in the fridge, these are the most perfect chickpeas I've ever had.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Soaking Time 12 hours
Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 12-ounce bag of dried chickpeas
  • 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 3 fresh sage sprigs
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 medium parmesan rind
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil , plus more for serving
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, diced
  • 3 celery ribs, diced
  • 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half if using Morton's
For serving
  • Freshly grated parmesan
  • Crusty bread

Instructions 

  1. Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and cover them with at least 3 inches of water. Let these soak overnight, up to 24 hours.
  2. Drain the chickpeas and add them to a 7-quart pot or Dutch oven. Add the rosemary, sage, thyme, parmesan rind, extra-virgin olive oil, and 8 cups of water.
  3. Bring this to a simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cover and simmer for 45-55 minutes, until the chickpeas are al dente.
  4. Uncover the pot and skim any foam off the top of the soup. Remove the herbs and parmesan rind.
  5. Add in the diced onion, carrots and celery. Stir. Cover and simmer another 45-60 minutes. Taste and add up to 1 tablespoon of salt, as needed.
  6. Cover and simmer another 45 minutes or until the broth is cloudy and the chickpeas are supremely tender.
  7. Taste and season with salt and pepper as preferred. To serve, grate on some parmesan, drizzle a bit more olive oil, grind on some pepper, and serve with crusty bread.
Serving: 1 cupCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 14gFat: 18g