Chickpea Soup (Sopa de Garbanzos)

Bowl of Cuban-style chickpea soup served with sliced bread on the side.

Chickpea Soup (Sopa de Garbanzos)

Cuban-style chickpea soup (sopa de garbanzos) made with canned beans, smoked pork, and vegetables—easy, hearty, and perfect for lunch, dinner, and meal prep.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword bean soups, chickpeas

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 45

Servings

Calories 343kcal

Author Elizabeth Rodriguez

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium Yellow Onion finely diced
2 Carrots diced
1 Celery Rib diced
3–4 Garlic Cloves minced
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
1–1½ pounds Smoked Pork Shanks Ham Hocks, or Meaty Ham Bone, rinsed with cold water and patted dry
4 cups Chicken Broth
4 cups Water
3 (15 ounce) cans Chickpeas (Garbanzos), drained and rinsed
2 medium Potatoes about 12–14 ounces, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces (we used a Russet potato)
Chopped Parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt, dried oregano, cumin, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
Add the pork shanks, chicken broth, and water. Stir well while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, about 5–6 minutes. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer.
Remove the pork shanks from the pot and set them on a cutting board to cool slightly.
Add the chickpeas to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the soup back to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and continue simmering while you prepare the pork.
Once the pork is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Discard the bone and any fatty pieces, then chop the meat into small pieces and return it to the soup.
Cover and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Maintain a simmer and adjust the heat if necessary.
Add the potatoes, cover, and continue cooking for 30–35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the chickpeas are soft and creamy in the center. Stir occasionally and keep at a simmer.
Taste and adjust the salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra salt to ours.
Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley if desired. This soup goes well with white rice or a crusty piece of bread for dipping.

Notes

Use low-sodium broth and canned chickpeas, and reduce the added salt if you're sensitive to salt. Adjust to taste at the end.
After peeling and dicing, place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water if prepping them ahead of time to prevent browning. Drain before adding them to the soup.
Olive oil adds great flavor, but avocado oil, canola oil, or even lard all work well for this recipe.
To thicken the soup, mash a spoonful or two of chickpeas and potatoes and stir them back in during the final simmer.
If the soup is too thick, stir in a little extra broth or water until it reaches your desired consistency.

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