Chickpea and Pumpkin Soup is one of those winter first courses that warms the heart! A fragrant, comforting Pumpkin Soup rich in vitamins, made from the exquisite contrast: whole chickpeas and a soft pumpkin, almost reduced to a velvety cream.

In my opinion, it is excellent with quality Delica pumpkin, but any type is fine, as long as it is dense and firm, otherwise, it crumbles excessively during cooking.

For the preparation of the soup, pre-cooked chickpeas are needed. You can boil them in advance starting from the dried product, but also use canned or jarred ones. Steamed ones are excellent.

Rinse them briefly before adding them to the soup. Also, pay attention to the choice of chickpeas, better if from organic farming.

The soup should be accompanied by toasted farmhouse bread slices, like bruschetta. An alternative is bread croutons, which are already available.

As you can see, I prepared them at home by passing them for a few minutes in an air fryer. They are ready in no time.

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4 People
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter

Ingredients

Chickpea and Pumpkin Soup

1 leek (the white part)
1.1 lbs Delica pumpkin (weight when cleaned)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
7.1 oz dried chickpeas (or 14 oz of cooked chickpeas)
1 tomato (ripe or 1 tablespoon of tomato paste)
1 quart vegetable broth (or water)
salt
to taste black pepper
to taste farmhouse bread

Tools

Steps

For the soup

You can also use the chickpeas dried by clicking here you find the recipe, keeping in mind that you must soak them overnight.
Rinse them and then boil them before cooking the dish!
Alternatively, for a quick soup, I recommend using canned boiled chickpeas.
Rinse the pumpkin, cut it in half and remove the seeds and inner filaments. You can use a spoon or a scoop.
Slice it to a thickness of about 0.4 inches.
Remove the skin and cut the flesh into cubes.
Wash the leek, remove the outermost layer, the end part with the roots, and cut it in half lengthwise.
Slice it thin until it is tender, so the entire white part.
Put the oil and leek in a soup pot.
(You can replace the leek with onion).
Put it on the stove and sauté over medium heat with a pinch of salt.
Add the pumpkin, stir, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add a chopped tomato or a tablespoon of tomato paste.
Add the broth, cover, and bring to a boil.
When it boils, add the chickpeas, stir, and cook for 10 minutes over low heat, covered.
It should simmer gently.
Halfway through the indicated cooking time, taste to adjust the salt.
Add a generous grind of pepper, a drizzle of raw oil, cover, and let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Enjoy your meal.