Meatless Monday Special: Chickpea Noodle Soup

What You Need

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small shallot, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly shredded
• 6 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
• 2–15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 10 ounces medium shells pasta
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• Freshly shaved parmesan for topping
• Freshly torn cilantro for topping
• Freshly minced chives for topping

What You Will Do

For The Soup:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add in the pasta. Cook until al dente, about 5-7 minutes, and place aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot, carrots and thyme. Sauté until soft and you can see through the shallots, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable or chicken stock and chickpeas and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Scoop out half of the chickpeas and puree them in a food processor before stirring back into the pot.
5. Stir in the pasta and let the soup simmer for 5 minutes so that all of the flavors can combine.
6. Allow to cool and top with freshly torn cilantro, freshly minced chives and the toasted chickpeas, please see below for details.

For the Chickpea Topping:

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F, drain and rinse your chickpeas.
2. Spread the chickpeas on a kitchen towel and gently pat them dry. It’s essential to make sure they’re totally dry before you cook them - damp chickpeas won’t crisp up in the oven.
3. Transfer the chickpeas to a foil-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet and toss them with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, and generous pinches of sea salt. Spread evenly on the baking sheet.
4. Transfer the baking sheet to your preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy.
5. Remove from the oven and while the chickpeas are still warm, toss with more salt and pepper to taste.