Chickpea & Spinach Soup
A silky, mild Lebanese soup of chickpeas and spinach, blended until completely smooth and finished with tahini and a squeeze of lemon. Gentle on little tummies and packed with iron and fibre.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soften the onion
Warm the olive oil in a medium pot (about 4 L / 4-quart) over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring now and then, for about 4 minutes until soft and see-through but not browned.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: onion is soft and translucent, not browned
Add cumin and chickpeas
Stir in the cumin and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, keeping a few aside for the topping, and stir so they soak up the spiced oil.
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 400 g tin (reserve a few) chickpeas
✅ Done when: cumin smells fragrant, about 30 seconds
Simmer in broth
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Wilt the spinach
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Blend until smooth
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Cool, serve, store
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Soften the onion
Warm the olive oil in a medium pot (about 4 L / 4-quart) over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring now and then, for about 4 minutes until soft and see-through but not browned.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: onion is soft and translucent, not browned
Add cumin and chickpeas
Stir in the cumin and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, keeping a few aside for the topping, and stir so they soak up the spiced oil.
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 400 g tin (reserve a few) chickpeas
✅ Done when: cumin smells fragrant, about 30 seconds
Simmer in broth
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Wilt the spinach
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Blend until smooth
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Cool, serve, store
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The Story Behind the Dish
Chickpeas and leafy greens have been staples of Lebanese kitchens for generations, often simmered together in simple, filling soups, especially during meat-free fasting periods when meals were made without meat or dairy. Tahini, pressed from sesame seeds, is a Levantine pantry essential used to add richness to dishes just like this one.
Families across Lebanon still make soups like this from pantry staples: a can of chickpeas, a handful of greens and whatever broth is on hand, finished with lemon and tahini for brightness.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's loved for turning humble pantry ingredients into something warm, creamy and deeply nourishing, naturally plant-based and easy on young or sensitive stomachs.
💡 Fun Fact
Chickpeas have been grown and eaten across the Levant for thousands of years, and tahini made from local sesame remains one of the region's most-used flavourings.
Lebanon
33.89°N, 35.50°E
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