Since the weather got sooo cold the only thing I want to eat is a warm bowl of soup. Whether it's an Avgolemono soup, a Meatball soup, or this chickpea soup which is really one of my favorites. I love chickpeas and I think they taste the best in this soup. Cooked till nice and soft, thickened with olive oil and flavored with lemon and wild Greek oregano.
This nutritious soup needs only a handful of ingredients to put together and can be made either in the instant pot or on the stovetop.
LIKE CHICKPEAS? TRY THIS ↓
Chickpea Salad With Feta Cheese & Tahini Dressing. Sooo flavorful!
How To Make Greek Chickpea Soup
First and foremost in Greece we always use dried chickpeas. Never, ever, canned ones for cooking anything in fact. You can see here why dried chickpeas are healthier & more nutritious than canned ones.
Truth is though, they do require a lot of time to cook, and some overnight soaking. Especially if the variety or batch isn't that good. Making them on the stovetop may take up to 3 hours. But that's why pressure cookers/ instant pots are here for right?
-Here's a good variety of chickpeas to use.
In most cases, 20 minutes of pressure cooking, are more than enough to soften chickpeas to perfection.
How To Thicken The Soup With Olive Oil
What an instant pot/pressure cooker cannot do though is give it a nice and thick texture. To achieve a perfect thick texture requires some slow simmering and stirring. Especially when making Greek soups with legumes like this one. Where plenty of olive oil is used towards the end to thicken the soup.
Cooking olive oil over medium heat for at least 30 minutes can give a soup or stew a thickish, glazy texture because it slowly incorporates with the water. Note: Make sure it's real, extra virgin olive oil otherwise it won't do that.
So if you decide to make this Greek Chickpea Soup in an instant pot, make sure you finish off on the stovetop. Simmering slowly, uncovered for at least 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Got Leftovers? Make Some Hummus!
And because this Greek Chickpea Soup is made with the same ingredients you use to make Hummus (except the oregano) you can easily blend your leftovers, along with some tahini, a bit of extra lemon, and a clove of raw garlic, and easily turn it into a delicious hummus. For every 250 grams of chickpeas, add 60 ml of tahini. Or follow this easy recipe for making hummus.
...Or Eat Them As A Cold Salad
When I make this soup I always cook a few extra portions. That's because this chickpea soup can be eaten as a cold salad as well. So I keep the leftovers in the fridge for the next day or two. To me, they taste even better this way. It's like the flavors get even stronger while they sit. And did I say that I looove chickpeas?
Or You Can Turn Your Leftovers Into These Delicious & Perfectly Crusty Chickpea Fritters aka Greek-Style Falafel
Recipe
Greek Chickpea Soup With Lemon & Oregano (Revithosoupa)
Ingredients
- 500 grams / 17.6 oz dried chickpeas soaked in water overnight
- 1 large onion minced
- 2 small garlic cloves minced
- 180 grams / 6.3 olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- ½ lemon juiced
Instructions
- Half fill a cooking pot with water and add the chickpeas. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Cook for about 5 minutes and then drain chickpeas in a strainer.
- Heat a splash of olive oil in your pressure cooker or in cooking pot over high heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened.
- Add chickpeas along with 2 liters of water. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes or reduce heat to medium and cook for 2-3 hours on the stovetop (depending on how soft you want your chickpeas).
- Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Make sure there's enough water to slightly cover the chickpeas. Otherwise, add a bit more.
- Simmer over medium heat uncovered, stirring occasionally until soup thickens. Takes about 30 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and oregano, and serve.
Nutrition
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About to make this soup for the second time! Mostly so I can freeze batches of it to make hummus whenever I want it. I am over 60 and this leftover soup made the best hummus I have EVER tasted in my life. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You're welcome Donna 🙂
Can you do this in a slow cooker? I was thinking of making this before i go to work so i can have dinner made when i come back. Super lazy, I know ? Have you tried it this way? If not do you think its worth a shot?
Hi, Lindsy never tried it in a slow cooker. Don't know if it can soften dry chickpeas. I would only try it if for 1) I pressure cooked the chickpeas with some water and then add them to the slow-cooker with the remaining ingredients or 2) (worst-case scenario for me) used canned ones that are already soft P.S Doesn't sound like lazy to me 🙂
Do you have a favorite olive oil you recommend?
Hi Leah, I mostly use our homemade olive oil but I think this is one of the best you can find online GREEK EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL-KORONEIKI VARIETY. It's a Greek award winner which means it's real extra virgin olive oil as it's tried and tested.
Extra Virgin Paesano. Made in Italy in October. Dark green.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hi Vanessa, It keeps nicely for up to 4 days.
This looks so good! Is this good on its own or as a side dish?
Never tried it as a side dish but yes it's pretty good on its own!
I make this soup and at the end I blend it and it comes purée. We all love it!
It is a fact that extra virgin oil becomes a carcinogen when you put it in hot substances. The recipe is not so healthy.
Hi Kate, heating up any type of oil to a point where it actually smokes MAY produce carcinogenic toxins. Not when you saute, fry or simmer it. As far as I know, olive oil is still one of the healthiest fats to use when cooking.
I made this soup recently and it was sooo good! And you are right- a couple of days in the fridge and I made the best hummus ever! I will be looking for more Greek recipes.
Happy to hear that Donna, hope you'll find more Greek recipes that you will like!
This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try! Do you happen to know the cooked weight of the chickpeas? I make a large batch each week (from dried) to use in various recipes, so I’ll be starting with them already cooked.
Can't tell the weight for sure as it depends on size and variety of the dry chickpeas (Plus haven't made this soup using cooked ones :D). Most of the times though dry chickpeas, just double in size (if they're of top quality may even triple in size, but that's not often the case). So roughly, cooked chickpeas are double in weight than dry chickpeas.
Hi! Can I use vegetable broth as well?
Hi Malika, sure you can!
I can't WAIT to make this. I've never heard of thickening soup with olive oil! I have a question. Can you use the saute function on the pressure cooker to simmer it/thicken it, or do you have to do it on the stovetop?
Yes, we use it to thicken most soups in Greece. It needs real olive oil though. Add some in a small jar in your fridge and if it comes out thick and cloudy then it's ok and will thicken the soup also. If it comes out in a liquid form then it's probably mixed with some other oil and it's not proper olive oil. As for finishing off on the pressure cooker, as long as there isn't a lid on and you stir occasionally it should do it.