The perfect vegetarian version of a classic comfort food. It is not chicken noodle soup. It is chickpea noodle soup.
I have been writing this little blog for over two years now and have posted countless breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes over these past 26 months. I have a feeling, however, that some of my favorite recipes have gotten a bit lost in the shuffle, especially those that I shared within the first year of Clean Eating Veggie Girl’s existence. After much thought, I have decided that it would be fun to start looking back on some of my favorite older recipes. I don’t have any set plan on how often or when I will be posting these “Recipe Revisited” posts, but you can expect them now and then- mostly after I have gotten a craving for a specific dish and made the recipe!
The first recipe that I am going to revisit with you is one of my all-time favorite soups from here on CEVG. And that is saying a lot because I have quite a few soup recipes. And what better timing for a soup revisit than the month of October when the chilly weather really hits?
I first shared my “No Chicken” Noodle Chickpea Soup back in November of 2012. I created it when I was still living at home with my parents and received great reviews. We all agreed that it tasted like chicken noodle soup, but without the chicken!
My go-to chicken replacement in 95% of the recipes that I make is always a can or two of chickpeas. No it is not because “chickpeas” and “chicken” are almost the same word. It is actually because the texture and taste of chickpeas are quite similar to that of chicken- or at least what I somewhat remember chicken tasting like.
Trust me when I say that the chickpeas completely suffice for the chicken in this recipe. Chicken noodle soup is a classic and this chicken-less soup tastes like the classic. I promise this will become a Fall and Winter staple in your house.
“No Chicken” Noodle Chickpea Soup
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
water, for cooking
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into half-moons
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into half-moons
3 stalks of celery, cut into half-moons
2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can of no-salt-added corn, drained and rinsed
6 cups of water
7 tsp of Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base
3/4 of a tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of dried thyme
1/4 tsp of dried basil
1/2 tsp of dried parsley
1/2 tsp of fine sea salt
1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning
16 oz package of frozen egg noodles
Directions
1. Line a large soup pot with a thin layer of water. Heat the water on medium-high heat until very hot. Add in garlic and onions and cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add additional water, if necessary.
2. Add parsnips, carrots, and celery to the soup pot. Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add chickpeas, corn, water, soup base, and seasonings to the mix. Stir, return heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
4. Once the soup is boiling, add frozen egg noodles. Return to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, rice cakes, or bread. Or heck, all four if you are feeling crazy!
I like to go heavy on the noodles and veggies, and light on the “chicken” broth. I am a chunky soup kind of girl. In fact, I would be perfectly happy just eating the noodles and veggies if it were not for the fact that I need the broth as a good excuse to eat copious amounts of crackers and bread. Soup broth calls for major carbohydrate dippage.
Please share your favorite Fall and Winter soup recipes in the comments!
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This sounds delicious. I’m waiting for the weather to cool down here before I get into soup, but my favorite is a butternut squash, sweet potato, and red pepper soup I made last year. It was so good!
Butternut squash, sweet potato, and red pepper sounds like a killer combination!! I LOVE sweet potatoes and squash… maybe a little too much.
I love making soups and I love chickpeas, I think I will make this for my kids’ lunches.
I bet they would really enjoy it! Kids LOVE noodles right? I sure do, so I guess I am a “big kid!” 😉
It’s always soup weather in my book! Thanks for this new version to try.
Same here! I am definitely guilty of making soup during the middle of July 😉
Oh I would eat this RIGHT now! (for breakfast haha) I’m a chunky soup kind of girl too! I bet chickpeas are a great substitution. When my brother in law was experimenting with vegetarianism, he used them for EVERYTHING!
They are SO good! They are definitely my go-to substitution when it comes to chicken!
Love this recipe! If you used a boxed broth instead of the bouillon how many cups do you think you’d need? 6?
Yes, you are spot on! It would be 6 🙂
I made a no-chicken noodle soup a year or so ago, need to revisit that. I forget all about chicken soup as a vegetarian LOL. Love adding chickpeas to soups and stews!
Chickpeas are the best replacement for chicken! They are SO amazing in soups, too 🙂
My daughter always leaves the chicken in the bowl of soup and will happily eat a bowl full of chickpeas, so your version seems like it would be a much better idea for our family!
Oh it sounds like this would definitely be perfect! She sounds like a smart little girl 😉 haha
Do you have any suggestions for making this in the crock pot??
I would think you could throw everything in except the noodles and then add them in for the last 30-45 minutes of cooking time. Let me know if you try it!
This looks awesome! My mother in law has a seitan “chicken” soup she makes me for me sometimes when I’m sick, but I’d love to have another option in the repertoire. Especially since my kiddo likes chickpeas. Stumbling this post!
Thank you Skye! It sounds like your kiddo is smart. Chickpea lovers are the best… though I might be slightly biased 😉 Do you have a recipe for the seitan “chicken” soup? That sounds great!
Sadly she’s one of those “I just make it” people, no recipes! 🙁
I feel the same way about my older recipes! They are all tasty but get lost in the archives!
LOVE the sound of this soup. Chickpeas are my favorite – I always always have some in the house. This soup sounds so comforting!
You and me both! It’s an empty pantry if it doesn’t have chickpea in it! 😉
This is simple enough that I should really make it for my son. I know I know, I should eat it too but ugh, I just never crave a bowl of soup. But then I eat soup and say wait a second, I like this!
Haha!! Well it sounds to me like you should make it for your son… and then snag one bowl for yourself 😉
This looks so delicious!
Thank you Jessica! I hope you will give it a try 🙂
I love the idea of a no chicken noodle soup! I loved chicken noodle soup when I was a kid, but after going vegetarian I haven’t seen an alternative that I like. Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to try this!
That is exactly the reason why I created this! Us vegetarians shouldn’t have to miss out on the comfort food classics!
Yay I now have soup to make Josh when he’s sick! Thank you so much!!
You are SO welcome! I hope you both enjoy it. It is definitely a great soup for when you aren’t feeling so hot.
Oh my gosh, that soup looks so good! I’m constantly looking for new soup recipes during the fall and winter 🙂
You and me both! I normally make soup at least once per week because it is warm, delicious, and makes TONS of leftovers!
Oh my gosh, this recipe look so good! I LOVE hearty soups with lots of noodles. Looks like a fantastic spin on the classic chicken noodle! YUM.
Let’s be honest… the noodles are the BEST part, right? 😉
This looks so yummy! What brand of frozen egg noodles do you use? I’ve never seen those!
I used the frozen Aunt Vi’s brand, but Mrs. Reame’s brand would also work well too!! They are delicious!
Warm or cold, soup is perfect eaten during any season! I’m glad you decided to bring back to this recipe for all of us who may of forgotten about it or never seen it in the first place.
I am totally with you on eating soup year round. I definitely make it during the hot months in July. When you love soup you just LOVE soup!
This look so comforting and delicious!
This would be a perfect winter meal! I love eating warm soup while watching the snow fall =)
I adore chickpeas, and this is a fantastic idea to make such a classic go meat-free! I’m not a strict vegetarian, but for health reasons my husband and I have been eating more meat-free meals the past year or so. And, we’ve been perfectly happy and haven’t felt deprived at all! We would both love this soup. Thanks for posting!
YUM! I love the addition of chickpeas to a classic soup! Great recipe!
Thank you, Katie! The chickpeas are definitely the PERFECT replacement for chicken in this soup. Let me know if you try it!