Pesto Chickpea Soup

By Carolina Gelen

Published May 20, 2025

Pesto Chickpea Soup
Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(111)
Comments
Read comments

If you constantly find yourself searching for the next no-fuss pantry meal to make after a busy day at work, this pesto chickpea soup is for you. It requires just a handful of ingredients and minimal effort; slicing two shallots is the most difficult thing this 20-minute recipe will require. The modest but mighty recipe relies on store-bought or homemade pesto as its main flavor source. The steps are as simple as can be: The shallots cook in the pesto’s fragrant oil until softened. Next, canned chickpeas are added to the pot and crushed, then simmer in vegetable broth until thickened. Finally, a second dose of pesto gets swirled in the stew alongside fresh spinach, preserving their radiance for a bright boost of flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1(6-ounce) jar store-bought pesto or about ¾ cup homemade pesto
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
  • 2small shallots, thinly sliced into rounds 
  • 2(15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed 
  • 4cups vegetable stock
  • Salt and black pepper 
  • 2packed cups baby spinach
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

519 calories; 26 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 1199 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a medium pot over medium. Pour the oil from the top of the pesto jar into the pot; you should have about 3 tablespoons, but can add more olive oil as needed to reach the desired amount. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the chickpeas to the pot. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush about half of the chickpeas against the sides of the pot. Adjust the heat to high. Add the vegetable stock and season lightly with salt and a few cracks of black pepper. (Keep in mind that pesto can bring a hefty amount of salt to the stew, so start with a minimal amount of salt and add more as needed, after incorporating the pesto.) Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the pot from the heat. Add the remaining pesto and the spinach and mix everything to combine. Season with more salt to taste, and serve warm.

Ratings

5 out of 5
111 user ratings
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Comments

Rachel

I organized my pantry this week just to find 6 jars of pesto which naturally led me to search all the ways I can use them up. I LOVED this recipe so much I made it twice in a row already. It was tasty, healthy and surprisingly quick. Definitely a new go-to for my family and I, even the kids enjoyed it!!

Margaret Raustiala

Use a potato masher to mash the beans. VERY salty and I used low sodium vegetable broth and only half the pesto and no additional salt!

Leslie

I pureed this soup and added about four tablespoons of lemon juice and some lemon zest to garnish. Guests loved it. Didn't add salt. Used homemade pesto.

Annette

Definitely added freshly squeezed lemon to finish

Cannellini beans

I substitute one can of chickpeas for cannellini beans, and I really like the variety of texture

Deb

Quick, easy and really good; a keeper. As suggested by others, used half the amt. of pesto and that was fine, held the salt and it didn't need more, used more than 2 cups spinach, and added the zest and juice of half a lemon at the end. Instead of trying to crush the chickpeas (which were quite firm( used the immersion blender at the end, before adding the spinach.

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