Chickpeas sound like a bit of an unusual base for a soup. On their own, they can be a little bland, but just look what happens when you whizz them up with a few special ingredients to make hummus? So delish! (BTW, we’re loving this Halloween Hummus and Veggie Platter right now). This soup has the hummus effect too. Cooked and blended together with sweet potato, chilis and lime, the flavor is amazing. It’s also “accidentally” vegan, making it a great lunch when you have any vegan buddies coming over! And a quick tip: Don’t throw away the liquid (called aquafaba) in your canned chickpeas. You can actually use it in recipes for amazing results (check out our aquafaba recipes).
Ingredients:
Serves 3
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 brown onion, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 red chili pepper (we used Fresno chili), finely chopped (keep the seeds if you like it hotter!)
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- (1) 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 and 1/2 pints hot vegetable stock (water plus stock cubes are fine — Kallo do a vegan version)
- juice of 1 lime
Smokey Chickpea Topping:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 of a 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
To Serve:
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- small bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions:
- Start by making the smokey chickpea topping. Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the chickpeas and cook on a medium-to-high heat for 2 minutes until they start to brown slightly. Add the salt, pepper and smoked paprika and stir together. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Next, make the soup. Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and cook on low for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the chili pepper, sweet potato, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and chickpeas. Stir together and cook for a further minute until the spices start to release their fragrance.
- Add the stock, stir and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 25 minutes. Once the soup is ready, turn off the heat and carefully blend using a hand blender. Pour in half the lime juice, stir and test the soup — you can then add more lime juice and seasoning according to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve topped with smokey chickpeas, chili flakes and cilantro. Serve with extra lime wedges if you like.
Start by making the smokey chickpea topping. Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the chickpeas and cook on a medium-to-high heat for two minutes until they start to brown slightly. Add the salt, pepper and smoked paprika and stir together. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Next, make the soup. Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and cook on low for five minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the chili pepper, sweet potato, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and chickpeas. Stir together and cook for a further minute until the spices start to release their fragrance.
Add the stock, stir and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 25 minutes. Once the soup is ready, turn off the heat and carefully blend using a hand blender. Pour in half the lime juice, stir and test the soup — you can then add more lime juice and seasoning according to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve topped with smokey chickpeas, chili flakes and cilantro. Serve with extra lime wedges if you like.
You could also make the soup go further by serving in little mugs.
