How to Make Tomato and Chickpea Soup

If you're keen on making simple, healthy, delicious, and budget-friendly meals, this tomato and chickpea soup is a must-try. To make six generous servings of this nutrient-rich soup, the ingredients shouldn't cost you more than around five dollars. Amazing, right?

Here's a look at the components:

Providing an abundance of cancer-fighting lycopene and vitamin C, one can (about 28 ounces) of peeled and diced tomatoes:

Naturally rich in folate, iron, manganese, and magnesium, one can (about 16 ounces) of well rinsed, cooked chickpeas:

One yellow onion and two ribs of celery:

For textural variety, I like chopping the onions lengthwise rather than dicing it to little bits.

If you have a couple of cloves of garlic, mince them up to add another layer of flavor.

Begin with about two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a large soup pot.

Add the onions, celery and garlic.

Cook on low to medium heat while stirring occasionally until the celery is slightly tender - it'll look something like this:

Add your chickpeas.

And your tomatoes - don't forget all of the natural juices that come with.

And finally, bring everything together with about two and a half cups of chicken or vegetable broth, bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes with the lid on.

Now if you have easy access to some fresh basil, give a handful a rough chop before adding the leaves to the soup:

The final step is to season with sea salt and pepper, to taste. It's best to do this at the end rather than seasoning all the way through, as most people tend to use less overall salt if they season after all of the natural flavors have come together.

This hearty tomato and chickpea soup is excellent on its own or with a salad or a side bowl of rice.

If you don't have any problems tolerating a small amount of Parmesan cheese, sprinkle some on just before serving. Or if you don't do cheese, give your body some lutein (great for eye health) by adding a few slices of room temperature avocado to the top of the soup just before serving.

Because this tomato and chickpea soup is naturally rich in folate (the natural form of folic acid found in whole foods), it's an excellent choice for those in their first trimester of pregnancy or women who are preparing for pregnancy.

Hope you and your loved ones enjoy. If you have a favorite soup recipe that you'd like to share, please consider posting it via the comments section below. Thank you.

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Tomato and Chickpea Soup Recipe