Delicious vegan chickpeas pasta soup with veggies and cajun spice made in Instant Pot! My vegan take on the classic cajun chicken noodle soup with chickpeas.
If you are looking for a flavorful, comforting, and filling soup that’s easy to make, then you are in the right place. This cajun chickpeas pasta soup is all about that. With minimal ingredients and pantry staples, you can make this soup in no time. Let’s get straight into the recipe details.
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Ingredients required for the vegan chickpeas pasta soup
Oil, cumin seeds, and bay leaf: Ok, I know the classic noodle soup recipe doesn’t call for cumin seeds. But we love the flavor of cumin seeds. So I went ahead and used that along with the bay leaf.
Veggies: I have used celery, carrots, green peas, cabbage core, and celery greens. You can use veggies of your choice and adjust the measurements according to your preference. You can add up to three cups (excluding onion) of veggies for this soup. And of course, onion and garlic.
Note: Cabbage core is optional, but it imparts a nice flavor. So I love to add the tough core part of the cabbage into my soups and broths. If you like cauliflower, broccoli stems, you can add those as well. I do remove these cores after the pressure cooking is complete.
Chickpeas: I have used store-bought chickpeas for this soup. You can use dried ones. In that case, soak them overnight and pressure cook them for 25 minutes in Instant Pot. The timing here works for precooked chickpeas. (Don’t discard the chickpeas brine. You can use the brine for making vegan meringues)
Pasta: You can use pasta of your choice. I have used the elbow pasta here. Use spaghetti or rotini of gluten-free pasta or skip the pasta for a low-carb version. Make sure to use vegan pasta. (Refer to storing suggestions as well)
Seasonings: I have used a cajun spice blend (store-bought blend) here, along with salt and ground pepper. The store-bought cajun spice blend sometimes contains salt; in that case, adjust the salt measure accordingly. Along with these spice blends, you can use smoked paprika or cayenne for an additional kick.
Broth: You can use homemade broth or store-bought ones. You can also use vegetable bouillon cubes, but I always prefer the liquid to the cubes.
Variations & Ingredient substitutions
- As I mentioned before, this soup is my vegan take on the classic chicken noodle soup. And I have used chickpeas instead of chicken. You can use tender jackfruit or other plant-based protein instead of chickpeas.
- Cumin seeds are optional. And instead of cajun seasoning, you can use dried herbs, ground cumin, or smoked paprika and season it to your preference.
- As I used celery greens, I did not include parsley or cilantro. But you can add finely chopped parsley or cilantro for enhanced flavor.
Serving and storing suggestions:
As we add pasta, this is a meal on its own. You can also serve this warm with bread or crackers.
You can make this soup in bulk and refrigerate it. If you plan to refrigerate for a longer time or freeze, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding when required. The pasta soaks up all the liquid and becomes swollen and soggy and will break.
If you plan to make this soup as a part of your meal planning and prepping, then make the soup without the pasta and add when required.
Packing for lunch: This is one of my favorite dishes to pack for lunch. Both kiddo and I love this soup for lunch. You can easily pack them in thermos jars and it stays pretty warm.
Dietary specifications
This soup is vegan and nut-free. But I have used regular pasta. You can make it gluten-free by using lentil-based or chickpeas or quinoa pasta or skip it altogether.
How to make the chickpeas pasta soup in the Instant Pot
- Set the Instant Pot in “saute” mode and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. Let the cumin seeds sizzle.
- Then add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
- When the onions are soft and tender, add the vegetables – celery, carrots, and peas. Then add salt and mix them all.
- Now add the ground pepper and the cajun spice blend. Turn off the Instant Pot at this stage. Mix all the ingredients and make sure to scrape the bottom.
- Add the chickpeas and pasta. If you are using cabbage core, add that as well.
- Finally, add in the vegetable broth and mix well.
- Now close the Instant Pot. Make sure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Pressure cook for 3 minutes at high-pressure manual mode and release the pressure quickly as soon as the cooking is complete. When the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid.
- Remove the cabbage core and the bay leaf from the soup and discard them.
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode again and add the celery greens and simmer for 5 minutes. At this stage, check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- And that’s it. Delicious chickpeas pasta soup is ready. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes:
- As I cook the soup for 3 minutes and release the pressure quickly, soaking the pasta helps in even cooking.
- Adjust the salt and spice as per your preference. If you cajun spice blend contains salt, adjust the salt accordingly.
- Make sure to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot before pressure cooking to avoid the burn signal. I made this soup in my 6-qt Instant Pot Duo.
- You can make this soup in a stove-top pressure cooker also. In that case, saute all the ingredients in the pressure pan and cooker and after adding the liquid, pressure cook for one whistle and release the pressure naturally.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chickpeas Pasta Soup | Instant Pot Chickpeas Noodle Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 150 grams red onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped (approx 1 tbsp when chopped)
- 120 grams celery chopped (I used four celery sticks, approx 1 cup when chopped)
- 150 grams carrot chopped (I used 1.5 carrots, approx 1 cup when chopped)
- ½ cup peas frozen or fresh
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp ground pepper or to taste
- 2 tsp Cajun spice blend
- 1 can chickpeas (15.5 oz can) drain the liquid (use them for meringues), and rinse the chickpeas
- ½ cup pasta soaked in luke-warm water.
- ½ cup cabbage core chopped Optional
- 32 oz vegetable broth
- ¼ cup celery greens
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot in “saute” mode and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. Let the cumin seeds sizzle.
- Then add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
- When the onions are soft and tender, add the vegetables – celery, carrots, and peas. Then add salt and mix them all.
- Now add the ground pepper and the cajun spice blend. Turn off the Instant Pot at this stage. Mix all the ingredients and make sure to scrape the bottom.
- Add the chickpeas and pasta. If you are using cabbage core, add that as well.
- Finally, add in the vegetable broth and mix well.
- Now close the Instant Pot. Make sure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Pressure cook for 3 minutes at high-pressure manual mode and release the pressure quickly as soon as the cooking is complete. When the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid.
- Remove the cabbage core and the bay leaf from the soup and discard them.
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode again and add the celery greens and simmer for 5 minutes. At this stage, check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. And that's it. Delicious chickpeas pasta soup is ready. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- As I cook the soup for 3 minutes and release the pressure quickly, soaking the pasta helps in even cooking.
- Adjust the salt and spice as per your preference. If you cajun spice blend contains salt, adjust the salt accordingly.
- Make sure to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot before pressure cooking to avoid the burn signal. I made this soup in my 6-qt Instant Pot Duo.
- You can make this soup in a stove-top pressure cooker also. In that case, saute all the ingredients in the pressure pan and cooker and after adding the liquid, pressure cook for one whistle and release the pressure naturally.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Please clarify quantity of pasta. Recipes mentions 1/2. I am guessing 1/2 cup. What kind of pasta is used in this recipe.
Thanks
Jugnoo
Vidhya. I found the answers in the accompanying video. Sorry.
Jugnoo
No problem.
Hi Jugnoo, thanks for pointing it out. Yes, it’s 1/2 cup pasta. I have corrected it. I used the wheat-based elbow-shaped pasta. You can use penne, rotini too. I hope this helps. Thanks