This richly spiced chickpea and kale soup, redolent of cinnamon, saffron, and ginger, is as delicious as it is good-for-you. Two words: TRY IT.
If it seems to you like I’ve been making lots of soup lately, you’re right. Not that it’s been especially cool here, but once there’s even a hint of Fall nip in the air, I crave nothing more than a hot bowl of soup. I haven’t wanted to even glimpse a salad; give me all my veggies immersed in a comforting bowl of broth!
I firmly believe that simmering in soup is one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables. Unlike boiling or even steaming, to a certain extent, all of the nutrients remain in the broth to be eaten along with the vegetables.
And did you know that cooking actually increases the nutrients available in some vegetables, including carrots? Lightly cooking carrots breaks down the cell walls, increasing the amount of absorbable beta carotene.
This particular soup is a nutritional powerhouse. The carrots provide beta carotene, the chickpeas offer protein, and the kale…well the kale is a powerhouse all on its own. It’s rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, potassium, copper, manganese, and calcium. Plus, it’s one of the cruciferous vegetables proven to reduce the risk of a number of cancers as well as heart disease. Eat more kale!
But don’t try this deliciously different chickpea soup because it’s good for you; try it because it’s delicious: sumptuously seasoned with cumin, saffron, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice, yet not overwhelming or hot-pepper spicy.
And I hesitate to say this because I know my daughter’s tastes aren’t always in line with other 10-year-olds’, but she couldn’t get enough of it, even though her first look made her go, “Yuck.” But after the first bite, she was draining the entire bowl. We all were.
I count this one among my family’s favorite recipes. Do yourself a favor and give it a try!
Be sure to check out all my interesting soup recipes!
North African Chickpea and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 carrots sliced or diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- generous pinch saffron lightly crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 cans, drained and rinsed
- 8 cups vegetable broth or water plus bouillon
- 1 large bunch kale at least 8 cups, thick center ribs removed discarded, leaves chopped
- about 2 cups water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the onion and carrot and cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to brown (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the spices, including bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat them with the spices. Pour in the 8 cups of vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the chopped kale and stir. If necessary add water to cover the kale and cook until it is tender, about 10-25 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your kale. Check frequently to see if it is becoming dry and add water as needed. Add salt to taste and serve.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Original 2007 photo
atlanta woman
March 31, 2011 at 8:56 pmI liked this soup, i had to use up a bag of chopped washed mustard greens so that was my first sub. Then i added sliced button mushrooms for a meaty bite. Thanks, this was good and comforting, uber healthy.
Liane Blanco
April 8, 2013 at 8:07 pmActually, mustard greens sound pretty good to me too!
MIA
May 28, 2011 at 4:46 pmJust finished making this for the first time & it turned out delicious! I left out the saffron, as I’m not fond of it. I also added half a cup of quinoa (uncooked) when the kale was added as it just seemed to fit and would make it even more of a meal. It is really delicious and filling. I think it could even have handled a full cup of quinoa! Mmmmm…
Suzanne
July 26, 2011 at 2:04 pmI planted kale for the first time in my garden and it absolutely exploded and took over. I’ve been looking for recipes that are freezable and this did the trick. It was easy, smelled delicious, and had a hearty yet light taste. I didn’t have all the spices called for, so I used Chinese Five Spice powder, along with the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cumin, and ginger. It was delightful, and is now in my freezer awaiting the cold of winter.
Michelle B
September 6, 2011 at 12:17 pmI wanted to make something for a lunch meeting later today. This soup sounds perfect, especially because I have loads of kale in my garden. It’s simmering on the stove now and it smells DIVINE! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Julie & Marty
September 20, 2011 at 11:54 amThis smelled wonderful and was very tasty. Maybe I put in too much kale though. The leftovers will be even more flavorful, I believe.
Ana
October 27, 2011 at 6:01 pmThe saffron probably makes it delicious, but I didn’t have any and used turmeric instead. I also put in 1/2 cup of quinoa. The flavor was absolutely incredible.
Amy
December 19, 2011 at 11:58 amDelicious soup. I cut the kale down to about 3 cups, and didn’t need the extra water, since I have a tough time digesting too many greens. It still came out great!
Lori Lynn
January 18, 2012 at 10:42 amI have loved your site since my husband and I went vegan in June of 2011. My success rate with your recipes far exceeds that with any of my dozen vegan cookbooks.
This is my first attempt at trying kale and thanks to this delicious and wonderful recipe, I am now a kale fan. I made it exactly per directions. I am still not crazy about chickpeas, but this soup is so good that I hardly notice them anyway. I have a feeling this recipe will make it onto our regular dinner rotation menu. Thanks for this recipe and thanks for this site!
Robyn
January 20, 2012 at 11:27 amEating it now and it is very delish! I need to buy saffron because I do not have any and I had no stock so I used miso paste so I did make a few changes, but still really good. Thanks!
drmomwhohs
January 23, 2012 at 4:57 pmmade this tonight (though I only had white beans and fresh spinach…) and it is amazing – the flavors are just wonderful! thank you! 🙂
lisa
January 23, 2012 at 11:22 pmThis was really really nice. My husband asked to add rice next time (even though I added some of the quinoa) BUT, as is… it brought me back to the trip I took to Morocco a few years ago. Good call.
Mia J
February 9, 2012 at 11:22 amThis is possibly my favorite soup of all time, and I am a soup fiend. That is all.
Sue Baker
February 13, 2012 at 5:22 pmThis soup is delicious. It will also become one of our favorites.
Adeline
March 2, 2012 at 2:24 pmHi!
I really need to thank you for all your work on this site. Every one of your recipes that I have made are delicious, and I especially love the smoked spices you suggest, they really make a huge difference in taste. One thing I notice with the soups, is that your serving sizes seem especially large. Am I adding too much? It seems like my 6 quart Lodge Dutch oven (looks to be the same one in your okra sweet potato recipe) is about 3/4 or so full when I am done. Is that about right- serving sizes are about 2+ cups? Thanks.
Susan Voisin
March 2, 2012 at 2:34 pmHi Adeline, I use large soup bowls and serve soups as the main dish (often the only dish of a one-pot meal), so 2 cups per serving is probably about right. I like the soups fairly thick and don’t add too much extra water or broth.
Maria
March 7, 2012 at 5:15 pmOh, Susan! I just made this soup for the first time and I proceeded to STUFF myself. Exotic spices but not over spiced. And I didn’t expect to be able to taste the saffron in all that other stuff, but it really does add an unexpected delight. This is about to be a standard go-to. Easy and sooo delish! Especially now that saffron has been added to my pantry. Thanks again!
Christina
March 24, 2012 at 6:25 pmWOW! This soup was amazing! Made two pots last week and going to make again this week! Didn’t change anything in the recipe. One person here commented it was flat tasting??? Try adding salt. Veggie broth can be very low in sodium depending which one you buy and salt is a must as long as your’re not trying to cut back.
Susan, I can’t tell you how much this blog has helped me become vegan. Every recipe I’ve made from here has been fantastic! Keep up the fantastic job you do here you are a wiz in the kitchen!! Thank you!
Maryanne
April 1, 2012 at 1:07 pmI must admit, i was a bit unsure about this recipe…had most of the ingredients in my fridge and wanted to make something easy for a rainy sunday afternoon. I eased on the veggie stock (sodium) and mixed in more water. Loved the ease of making, and even involved my little 4yr old in the cooking. Apart from a slight bitter after taste in the soup, invented the éat while you dance’ strategy and she managed to finished all her soup.
Shawn Wells
April 3, 2012 at 10:58 pmThank you for your hardwork in writing down all your recipes and actually keeping track of amounts etc., I am from the the nothing ever turns out the same twice school of cooking because I am too lazy to follow a recipe or write it down. I admire your dedication!
Abra
April 9, 2012 at 10:09 pmThis was so delicious. I thought about it early enough where I had enough time to use dried garbanzos. I did use kale but I also used chard as I didn’t think it equaled eight cups. (as you can tell I’m not so hot with the measuring ). It went really well with matzah. So, this is perfect for a meal during Passover.
Brenda
May 20, 2012 at 3:30 pmAmazing! Kale is my new favorite vegetable and I’ve been working my way through your kale recipes. The kale and tofu scramble and this soup are both really delicious. Thanks!
chamaeleonsky
June 19, 2012 at 12:46 pmi love this recipe so much but I’m really not feeling a hot soup in the summer. Any suggestions on how to modify it for summer cooking? Would leaving out the broth still be good? I feel like a lot of flavor is in the broth and doesn’t get terribly soaked up!
Maria
November 2, 2012 at 10:16 pmHi ! 🙂
I left a Facebook comment today about this soup.. I made it with lentils instead of chickpeas and added dried porcini mushrooms and porcini powder too. It all went into my Tefal Soup & Co blender and was done in 35 min’s. Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Julie
November 3, 2012 at 6:17 pmOh my goodness! Made this tonight and it is incredible!!! This may just become my go to cool weather soup. I added the quinoa, but didn’t have saffron. It is still heavenly! Can’t wait to make it again with saffron. Thanks for sharing.
heidiknow
November 28, 2012 at 11:18 amIf you use a commercial vegetable broth, what brand do you find the best? I’m thinking this would make a big difference in the outcome of the soup? There are so many kinds and the prices vary a lot.
Thanks! I’m looking forward to trying this.
Susan Voisin
November 28, 2012 at 12:19 pmI use two kinds: Imagine’s No-Chicken broth in the liter container and Edward & Sons’ Not Chick’n bouillon cubes. Both of these taste better to me than any of the strictly vegetable broths.
Heidi
November 28, 2012 at 2:46 pmThanks Susan.
I can’t recall seeing those in the store, but I will look for them.
I love your recipes! You’ve become the go-to website when I am looking for something new to try.
Christin
January 5, 2013 at 6:22 pmSeriously, this is the best soup I have ever had. I was excited to find a soup that had greens in it, not your typical root vegetables as the main ingredient! I didn’t have chic peas so I replaced them with butter beans (and was out of saffron). Next time, I’ll try it with the chic peas. A scrumptous surprise!!!
Arlinda
January 16, 2013 at 10:45 pmSuper delicious even without saffron! I didn’t have any and am definitley planning on making this again with some.
Jennifer
February 13, 2013 at 8:09 amLove the crockery and the stunning fresh colours- this dish is screaming ‘eat me!’
Many thanks
Jennifer
Liane Blanco
April 8, 2013 at 8:01 pmSusan, can you be more specific as to “generous pinch?” I’m going to order a gram of saffron – how many “pinches” do you think would be in a gram? This stuff is pricey!
Susan Voisin
April 8, 2013 at 9:17 pmI get a lot of pinches out of my gram of saffron. I’ve never counted, but I would guess 15-20.
Allie
June 13, 2013 at 6:26 amSuch a delicious recipe. Perfect for winter. Cheers!
wendy
July 9, 2013 at 6:49 pmI made this last night and it is amazing! I can’t describe how yummy the broth is. Bravo!