Tuscan Kale & Chickpea Soup

This hearty chickpea soup is filled with Tuscan kale, Italian herbs, and potatoes. It’s the easiest soup to make and every bite is rich in flavor and full of healthy veggies!

This cozy chickpea soup is the ultimate vegetable soup! It consists of hearty potatoes, accents of diced vegetables, and lots of fresh herbs for flavor. This soup is rich in flavor and is perfect for any season! Spring, summer, fall – it’s an all year kind of recipe. 

I made this recipe after being inspired by a similar soup I purchased at a local organic grocery store. I loved the simple ingredients and fresh flavor! So I made my own version of it.  

What I love about this soup is: it’s vegan and plant-based, is full of nourishing veggies, and you can easily customize the recipe with whatever vegetables that you have on hand. 

Ingredients – What You Need

Below you’ll find all the ingredients you’ll need to make this vegetable soup.

Chickpeas: you’ll need cooked chickpeas – you can soak and cook them yourself or save time and use canned or jarred!
Kale: any type of kale works, I like Tuscan because it’s a softer leaf. You can also swap for spinach!
Celery: for flavor and to add some veggies.
Carrots: adds richness to the broth and a pop of color.
Onions & garlic: the base of all soups to create deep flavor!
Potatoes: for heartiness and to make the soup more satisfying.
Diced tomatoes: we love using fire-roasted.
Tomato paste: slightly thickens the broth.
Herbs: use thyme sprigs to infuse flavor while the soup simmers, then oregano and basil to season at the end.
Curry powder: this may seem odd but it’s a secret ingredient that packs SO much flavor into the broth. And don’t worry, the soup won’t actually taste like curry.
Vegetable broth: the base of the soup!
Oil: for sauteeing the vegetables.

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

In a large pot, saute onions until soft with oil (about 2-3 minutes).

Then add celery, carrots, and garlic with a pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes.

Then add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and stir together. Cover and simmer until potatoes are soft (about 20-25 minutes), stirring often.

Stir in kale when the soup is finished cooking and let it soften/cook for about 2 minutes. Then season with salt & pepper to taste along with chopped fresh herbs, and serve!

Tips for Success & FAQs

• Don’t soak the potatoes – usually, for recipes that use potatoes, you would soak them in water to remove unwanted starches. But those starches are perfect for thickening up the soup! Skip the soaking and add them straight to the pot.
• Add herbs at the end – whenever using fresh herbs, I like to add them at the very end so the flavor is super fresh!
• Swap spinach for kale – if you don’t like kale, you can also swap it with spinach instead!
• Garlic + garlic powder – I know, I know. This recipe calls for both garlic cloves AND powder, but it’s not a mistake. Both of these joined together will pack a punch with flavor! You can omit one over the other, but together they work beautifully.
• Do I need to peel the carrots and potatoes? Nope! I personally like to keep the skin on for these vegetables. A lot of the nutrients are in the skin, so if the skin is edible I leave it on!

What to Serve it With

We love serving this vegetable soup with our 10-minute naan pizzas or a simple homemade bread like this no-knead cranberry walnut bread! If you’re looking for a healthier option, you can pair it with a veggie-filled salad like our Summer farro salad or this simple Greek cucumber and tomato salad.

More Vegetable Soups to Try

Love soups that are rich in vegetables such as this one? You may also be a fan of these delicious recipes.
Vegetarian Pasta E Fagioli
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Hearty Italian Minestrone Soup