Golden Chickpea Noodle Soup

This Golden Chickpea Noodle soup is chock full of vegetables and flavor. Brimming with vegetables like butternut squash, kabocha and parsnips, the flavor is deep and complex. Browning the veggies before adding water allows them to become more fragrant and amplifies the flavors.

This recipe comes to us from Sara Tercero of Better Food Guru. Sara is a Meatless Monday Culinary Ambassador.

For more recipes with chickpeas, click here.

Serves 6-10

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped small
• 4 rainbow carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in rounds
• 1 golden beet, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
• 1 cup kabocha squash, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 2 cans chickpeas ,drained
• 2 tbsp. turmeric
• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 large ginger root (about the size of two fingers), cut in half
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 8 cups water
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound shell pasta

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until fragrant and browning, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the celery, carrots, parsnips and beets and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add butternut squash, kabocha and sweet potato and cook 5 more minutes ,stirring often.

4. Add the water, chickpeas, salt, turmeric, smoked paprika and ginger. Bring to a rolling boil and then turn to a simmer.

5. Simmer until all veggies are fork tender. Taste for salt and adjust to your preferences.

6. Cook pasta separately and add to bowls when serving. Do not add pasta to soup when storing, as the pasta will blow up and have an unpleasant texture.

7. Garnish with cilantro and black pepper.