Vegetable Rice Soup with Chickpeas (Vegetarian)

Two bowls of chickpea vegetable rice soup and toppings with text overlay.

5 from 6 votes

Vegetable Rice Soup with Chickpeas (Vegetarian)

This vegetable soup starts with a foundation of onion, celery, carrot, and Serrano pepper. Next comes broth, rice, potatoes and herbs. It's finished with partially smashed chickpeas to add some vegetable protein and creaminess (without the cream) and a secret ingredient. It's a total comfort soup.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Any

Keyword: vegetable rice soup

Servings:

Calories: 244.4kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Chef's knife
Vegetable peeler
large soup pot such as a Le Creuset Dutch oven

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ large yellow onions diced
3 celery stalks diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 Serrano chile seeded and minced
12 cups vegetable broth see Ingredients Notes
2 large russet potatoes peeled and diced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
15 ounce can of chickpeas drained
1 large avocado
2 limes juiced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Prep all of the vegetables in advance except for the potatoes and combine the onion, leek, shallots, Serrano, celery, and carrot in a large bowl.
Warm the olive oil in a heavy, large pot suitable for making soup over medium heat. Add the onions, leek, shallots, chili, celery and carrot.
Sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
Peel the potatoes while the veggies sauté.
Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes and add the potatoes. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Mash the chickpeas so that some are left mostly whole or in pieces and ⅓ of the chickpeas are completely mashed. You can can do this using a fork, immersion blender, or potato masher.
The mashed chickpeas add a creamy texture to the soup without using any cream. The more mashed they are, the creamier the texture.
Mash the avocado using a fork.
Add the mashed chickpeas and avocado to the soup and stir in the lime juice and Parmesan cheese. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Serve piping hot with crusty bread on the side.

Notes

Slow Cooker Instructions:

Sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and Serrano pepper on the stove top. Some slow cookers have an insert that can be used on the stove top and then re-inserted into the slow cooker. Otherwise, perform this step in a skillet.
Add everything else except the lime juice and Parmesan cheese. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2 ½-3 ½ hours.
Stir in the lime juice and Parmesan cheese and serve.

Instant Pot Instructions:

Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE. Warm the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and Serrano pepper until softened.
Add everything else and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Set it on HIGH and cook for 15 minutes. Allow a Natural Release for 10 minutes.

Tips for Success

Many markets sell pre-diced celery, carrot, and onions in their refrigerator cases in the produce department if you prefer to eliminate that meal prep work.
The heat of the Serrano chile comes from its seeds and pith. For less heat, be sure to cut away all of the pith and remove the seeds.
Use either a fork, immersion blender, or potato masher to partially mash the chickpeas.
The cooking time will be faster using white basmati rice vs brown rice.

Options for Meat Eaters

Replace the chickpeas with 2 cups of shredded roast chicken for meat eaters at the table. I purchase chicken already roasted at my market for my husband.

Nutrition