This spicy chickpea tomato soup is super easy to make and consists of simple vegan pantry staples. Inspired by Mexican tortilla soup, it’s flavored with cumin, lime, and cilantro.
For a long time, I steadfastly held on to the belief that I don’t like soup. Growing up, my mom would force-feed it to us, night after night, as the first course of dinner. (This Soviet habit was born out of poverty, since soup is a great way to stretch a small amount of ingredients to feed a lot of people, thanks to the addition of our good [and free!] friend, water.)
Her intentions were good, of course, but most of the time, I just wanted to skip to the solid food. While some of those soups I loved (i.e. pea soup), others I wasn’t crazy about (sorry, borscht).
When I moved out and started cooking for myself, there was – understandably – no soup in sight. It wasn’t until years later that my childhood trauma subsided and I made a conscious decision to experiment with it on my own terms. These days, I’m happy to report it’s a regular part of my repertoire.
This Mexican-inspired chickpea tomato soup is flavorful, filling, and a bit spicy. Homemade tortilla crisps and creamy diced avocado turn it into a complete meal.
What’s In This Soup
This healthy Mexican-inspired soup has a classic mirepoix base (onion, carrots, celery) along with lots of garlic, ground cumin, and chili flakes. The broth is made of crushed tomatoes and veg stock. Chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) and potatoes thicken the soup and add texture. It turns out tangy (thanks to tomatoes and lime), a bit spicy (from chili flakes), and fragrant with cumin and garlic.
The secret to striking the balance between creamy and chunky here is puréeing half of the soup (whether in a standard blender or with an immersion blender), then combining the blended and chunky halves back together. This results in a thick, velvety soup that still has some texture.
How to Make Chickpea Tomato Soup
Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Make the Base
Heat some oil in a medium pot and add the onions, carrots, and celery, plus salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. The goal is just to “sweat” the veg, not brown them. Then add the garlic and spices, and cook for a few seconds more.
Step 2: Add the Liquids
Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and lime juice. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Then add the potatoes and chickpeas, and simmer gently – with the lid ajar – until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, about 30 minutes.
Step 3: Make the Tortilla Crisps (Optional)
While the soup simmers, brush a few corn tortillas with oil and cut into thin strips. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake until they’re golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.
Step 4: Finish the Soup
Ladle about half of the soup into a separate container and set aside. Purée the soup remaining in the pot with an immersion blender, or in a standard upright blender (see safety instructions in the recipe card below). If you don’t have any blender, you can leave the soup unblended for a thinner texture.
Lastly, stir both halves of the soup back together, taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed.
About the Tortilla Crisps
Fresh tortilla crisps (corn tortillas brushed with oil, sliced into strips, and baked) are nutty, crunchy, and totally irresistible. If you have a few minutes to spare, don’t skip them! They are the ultimate soup garnish.
You can sprinkle them on your bowl to give this soup some textural contrast, or stir them into the pot and let them hang out for a while so they get soggy for a tortilla soup vibe. Both are equally delicious. For a speedier option, use store-bought tortilla chips (although they’ll be a lot saltier).
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
This vegan soup is perfect for meal prep since it keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer term storage, cool completely, transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container (like a deli container), and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before re-heating.
More Delicious Plant-Based Soups…
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
The Full Recipe
Print
Chickpea Tomato Soup
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This spicy chickpea tomato soup is inspired by Mexican tortilla soup.
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 small (or 1 large) celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, diced
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Fresh cilantro and diced avocado, for serving
For the Tortilla Crisps (optional)
- 4 taco-size corn tortillas
- About 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- A pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add the carrots, celery, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
- Add the tomatoes, 4 cups broth, and 2 tablespoons citrus juice. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the potatoes and chickpeas, and simmer with the lid ajar until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, make the tortilla crisps (optional). Heat the oven to 350ºF. Place 1 tortilla on a cutting board and lightly brush both sides with oil. Place another tortilla on top of the greased one and brush the top with oil; continue stacking and brushing all tortillas. Slice the stack into 1/3-inch strips. Transfer to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until the tortillas are lightly brown and crispy, flipping once halfway through baking, about 15 minutes.
- When the soup is ready, ladle about half into a separate container and puree the half remaining in the pot with an immersion blender (see below for upright blender instructions). Combine both halves, taste, and adjust the seasonings, if needed. (If you don’t have a blender, you can leave the soup unblended).
- Serve topped with cilantro, avocado, and tortillas.
Notes
Upright blender safety: Since the soup is hot, it’s important that the steam has a way to escape the blender while you purée. Remember to take out the removable center of the blender lid before blending. If the steam is trapped inside, the lid will blow off when you start blending and you may burn yourself (not to mention, get soup all over your ceiling).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe – without toppings
- Calories: 180
- Fat: 4.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 7.5 g
- Protein: 6.1 g
Sofia Chernova says
With the weather so cold in NYC, I’m on a soup kick so was very excited to make my second soup from your recipes. The directions are so clear and the ingredients were very simple to find and work with. The soup turned out delicious and it’s even better on the second day! Highly recc!