Soups
Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
25 minutes
Yield
4 -6
This Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup is a comforting and nourishing twist on classic chicken noodle soup. Packed with creamy butter beans, protein-rich chickpea noodles, and a savory broth, it's a delicious soup that'll warm you from the inside out.
Alright, soup lovers! You’ll love this delicious and hardy Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup recipe. It’s like your grandma’s chicken noodle soup—with a twist.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup
- High-protein: the combo of protein-packed butter beans and fiber-rich chickpea noodles means you’re getting a hefty dose of plant-based protein, complex carbs, and essential nutrients in every spoonful, keeping you satisfied and nourished.
- Comforting: With hearty beans, slurp-worthy noodles, and savory broth, this soup is the ultimate cozy comfort food.
- Meal Prep: Prep this chickpea noodle soup to have a healthy soup ready for a quick, healthy meal during a busy week.
🍲 Ingredients
Butter Beans – With a creamy consistency and mild, slightly nutty flavor, butter beans complement this broth perfectly while providing a rich source of plant-based protein and fiber. These legumes are packed with essential minerals like iron and potassium, making them a delicious way to get your vitamins.
Chickpea Noodles – Chickpea noodles are packed with protein and fiber, giving your soup a nutritional boost while keeping it gluten-free. Plus, they hold up beautifully in the broth, maintaining a perfect al dente texture that’ll make you forget all about regular pasta noodles.
Feta – Topping this soup with a sprinkle of feta adds a tangy flavor note to complement the creamy beans and savory broth. The salty, creamy feta not only brings an extra layer of flavor complexity but it also adds a beautiful visual contrast to the soup, making each bowl look as good as it tastes!
👩🍳 How to Make Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup
- Cook noodles to al dente (according to package directions), drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, swirl or stir constantly until it is a deep brown and has a nutty aroma, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add onion, celery, fennel and stir, cook stirring occasionally until everything is softened and starting to turn golden, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add zucchini and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add butter beans, 6 cups chicken broth and bayleaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, cook for 10-12 minutes with the lid mostly on, stir a few times. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired or add 1 more cup of broth if you prefer a brothier soup.
- To serve, add a scoop or two of cooked noodles to bowls and ladle the soup over. Garnish with feta cheese, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil and lots of black pepper.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- You can add even more nutrition to this soup by adding a handful or two of greens, such as spinach or kale, at the end.
- Garnish with feta cheese, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil, and lots of black pepper.
- Meal Prep this Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup by doubling this recipe and freezing some to have on hand for easy, healthy meals.
🗒 Substitutions
This soup is very versatile! Make it your own by making these substitutions:
- Butter Beans: Don’t have butter beans on hand? Swap the butter beans for canned chickpeas or another white bean.
- Chickpea Noodles: Feel free to swap your chickpea noodles for another type of gluten-free or gluten-full noodle of your choice. Just remember to cook the noodles al-dente, following the package instructions.
- Chicken Broth: Looking to make this recipe vegetarian? Use veggie broth instead of chicken broth for this chickpea noodle soup.
- Dairy-Free: If you don’t eat dairy, you can use plant-based butter and vegan feta cheese in this recipe. You can also omit the feta cheese if that is your preference.
🗒 Best served with
- Jennifer Aniston Salad with Orzo
- Easy Focaccia Bread
- Chickpea Caesar Salad Wrap
- Vegan Grilled Vegetable Wrap with Mashed Black Beans
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want to save some for a rainy day, this soup freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
🤔 Common Questions
In this chickpea noodle soup, canned butter beans are the go-to due to their convenience and consistent texture—they’re pre-cooked, perfectly tender, and ready to add a creamy flavor to your soup in seconds. Dried beans, while offering a slightly firmer texture, require overnight soaking and longer cooking times, which isn’t always practical for a quick, comforting meal. While both types can be used, I recommend canned for this nourishing soup to skip the extra prep work.
Chickpea noodles can often be found in the pasta aisle of most supermarkets or health food stores.
Butter Bean + Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 200-225 g chickpea noodle cavatappi (or other gluten free noodle of choice) if you're not gluten free, use your favourite noodle
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 large fennel bulb, diced
- 1 small zucchini, halved and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 14oz cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 6-7 cups chicken broth
- 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
Toppings
Instructions
- Cook noodles to al dente (according to package directions), drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, swirl or stir constantly until it is a deep brown and has a nutty aroma, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add onion, celery, fennel and stir, cook stirring occasionally until everything is softened and starting to turn golden, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add zucchini and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add butter beans, 6 cups chicken broth and bayleaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, cook for 10-12 minutes with the lid mostly on, stir a few times. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired or add 1 more cup of broth if you prefer a brothier soup.
- To serve, add a scoop or two of cooked noodles to bowls and ladle the soup over. Garnish with feta cheese, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil and lots of black pepper.
Video
Notes
- This soup is very versatile! Swap the butter beans for canned chickpeas or another white bean. You could also add in a handful or two of greens like spinach or kale at the end.
- If you like this soup try our Creamy Greek Chickpea Soup or Easy Chicken and Vegetable Soup
