Name: Chickpea cabbage tomato soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (600 g); 5¾ cups finely shredded green cabbage, cut into short strips (400 g); 3 small carrots, finely diced (160 g); 2½ medium celery stalks, finely diced (100 g); 1 large onion, finely diced (150 g); 4 garlic cloves, minced (12 g); 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with their juices (400 g); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp dried oregano; ½ tsp dried thyme; ½ tsp fine salt; ½ tsp ground black pepper; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 4 cups water for the soup (900 ml)

Chickpeas, cabbage and tomato make a brothy soup with tender vegetables and whole beans in each bowl. Carrot and celery form the base, with oregano and thyme keeping the seasoning simple. A few crushed chickpeas give the broth some body without turning the whole pot into a blended soup.

Cut the cabbage for a spoon

Shred the cabbage into short, thin strips, then cut across any particularly long pieces. They should fit on a spoon beside the chickpeas rather than trailing over its edge. Dice the carrot and celery small enough that they soften during the same simmer as the cabbage.

The onion, carrot and celery get time in the oil before the wetter ingredients arrive. Stir around the base of the saucepan so they soften evenly. The garlic and herbs follow briefly, with the tomatoes and water ready nearby so the garlic does not sit against a hot pan while you open a can.

The cabbage may look bulky when it first goes in. Fold it through the hot liquid and give it a little time to settle before deciding that the pot is too small. A large saucepan with headroom makes stirring easier and reduces the chance of hot soup spilling when you add the vegetables.

Keep enough broth around the chickpeas

Use cooked chickpeas and weigh them after draining. Canned beans keep the preparation short, while a batch cooked ahead works if the chickpeas are already tender. Their dry weight would produce a different quantity and require a separate cooking stage.

Add the canned tomatoes with their juices. Those juices are part of the soup’s liquid, so draining them would make the listed balance thicker. Keep a gentle simmer with the lid partly covering the pan, allowing some steam to escape without quickly reducing the broth away.

Near the end, press a small spoonful of chickpeas against the side of the saucepan and stir them back in. This gives the broth a little texture while leaving most beans intact. Check a carrot piece and a thicker strip of cabbage for tenderness, then add the lemon after turning off the heat.

Pack the soup in shallow portions

Divide the soup into four generous bowls, or portion leftovers into shallow containers. Refrigerate within two hours and use within three days. The USDA recommends shallow containers for cooling leftovers promptly, so avoid leaving the full pot on the counter to become cold.

Bring a reheated portion to a boil while stirring, and check that it reaches 74°C / 165°F throughout. Add water gradually if storage has made it thicker than you want. Keeping the remaining cabbage intact until another meal reduces the amount of cut produce waiting in the refrigerator.

Storage & reheating

Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Use within 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed, bring it to a boil while stirring, and check that it reaches 74°C / 165°F throughout. Add a little water if needed.

Substitutions

Cooked white beans can replace chickpeas; fold gently because they may break down more readily, and recalculate nutrition.
Red cabbage can replace green cabbage; it changes the broth color and vegetable flavor.

Cooking notes

Use cooked, drained chickpea weight; dry chickpeas require a separate cooking process.
Cut cabbage into short fine strips so it is easy to lift with a spoon.
This makes four generous soup portions; bread or other sides are excluded from the nutrition and cost.

Contains: celery. Check the labels of your ingredients.

Ingredient	USD	CAD
cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed	$1.96	$2.50
green cabbage, finely shredded and cut into short strips	$0.89	$0.78
carrots, finely diced	$0.48	$0.35
celery, finely diced	$0.43	$0.41
onion, finely diced	$0.35	$0.31
garlic, minced	$0.22	$0.11
canned diced tomatoes with their juices	$0.93	$0.99
olive oil	$0.18	$0.16
dried oregano	$0.04	$0.07
dried thyme	$0.05	$0.02
fine salt	$0.00	$0.00
ground black pepper	$0.04	$0.03
lemon juice	$0.07	$0.09
water for the soup	$0.00	$0.00
Recipe total	$5.64	$5.82
Per serving	$1.41	$1.45

Chickpea cabbage tomato soup

Cut the cabbage for a spoon

Keep enough broth around the chickpeas

Pack the soup in shallow portions