No bland chickpea soup in my world! Exploding with flavour, this tastes like your favourite Chicken Shawarma – except it’s in soup form with lamb and chickpeas. Filling, nutritious and quick to make!
Chickpea soup with flavour explosion!
I had every intention of making a wholesome, chickpea and vegetable soup.
I really, really tried to get excited about it.
It is possible to make a great meat-free chickpea soup (I promise I will share mine one day!). But, but, but…. I wanted kapow flavours. Actually, I was really tempted to do the long haul drive for a good laksa fix. I felt like I deserved it. (But then, I always feel I deserve it….)
So I compromised. Chickpeas. Veggie loaded – there’s a whole bunch of spinach in this, plus carrots plus onion (yes that counts towards your daily veggie intake, I checked!). Lamb for protein, cooked with my Chicken Shawarma spice mix – wait until you smell this part!!!! It’s SO GOOD!
Shawarma Spice Mix
This is the same shawarma spice mix I use for Chicken Shawarma, a long standing reader favourite. The combination of spices in this is intoxicating!
Oh boy. If you like kapow flavours, or if you are dubious about chickpea soups having been scarred by bland ones in the past, this Lamb Shawarma Chickpea Soup is for you!! It’s really fragrant, the soup itself is quite intense from both the spices and also the lamb. It’s hearty, almost stew-like. Actually, I didn’t know whether to call this a stew or soup.
Because the soup flavouring is from the Shawarma Spice Mix, there’s no need to simmer this for ages. Just long enough for the carrot to become tender. Oh, also, I use canned chickpeas here. Speedy, unplanned meal. 🙂
But if you do have the foresight to plan and want to take it over the top, add a side of homemade flatbreads (simple, no yeast!) or make this mind blowingly easy crusty Artisan bread.
Update: I recently created a similar but different variation of this soup in the form of Beef & Lentil Soup. This was has more Moroccan-inspired flavours. Give it a try too!
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chickpea Lamb Shawarma Soup
Ingredients
Spices:
- 2 tsp EACH cumin powder, coriander, paprika
- 1 tsp cardamon powder (can omit if you don’t have)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Soup:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 500 g / 1 lb lamb mince (ground lamb, or beef) (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 carrots , peeled and chopped (about size of chickpeas)
- 600 g / 21 oz canned chickpeas , drained and rinsed (1.5 standard cans, Note 2)
- 400 g / 14 oz can crushed tomato
- 3 cups / 750 ml chicken broth / stock
- 1 bunch spinach , roughly chopped (about 4 packed cups) (wilts a lot)
Garnishes (highly recommended):
- Plain yoghurt (or sour cream)
- Chopped fresh coriander / cilantro
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute until starting to turn translucent.
- Add lamb and cook, breaking it up as you go. When it has mostly turned from pink to light brown, add spices.
- Cook for 1 minute, then add tomato paste and cook for another 1 minute. (It smells amazing!)
- Add carrots, chickpeas, tomato and broth. Stir and bring to simmer.
- Cover with lid, lower heat so it is bubbling energetically but not crazy rapidly. Cook for 10 minutes until carrot is tender but not super soft – I like it to have a bit of bite still, if you want super soft, keep cooking.
- Stir through spinach. Once wilted, adjust salt, pepper and spiciness (cayenne) to taste, and water if you want more liquid.
- Ladle into bowls, add a dollop of yoghurt and a generous sprinkling of coriander. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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Life of Dozer
Spent my afternoon tea break trying to teach him to hold a flower in his mouth, just because I think it would be so cute! But once he realised it wasn’t edible, he was completely uninterested. I give up.
Hi Nagi. Can I use channa dal instead of chickpeas?
delightful recipe! We really enjoyed it. Distinctive flavors, nice assortment of vegies, very satisfying. Thanks!
Thanks so much Cathy!!
Hello Nagi – yet another delightfully flavorful winner of a recipe! SO good. I had to tweak it a bit due to what I had available. I used 12 oz. of lamb, and therefore the entire two cans of chickpeas. It smelled so good while prepping, I could hardly wait to eat it! And the flavor did not disappoint. Thank you so much for this gem.
I’m so glad you loved it Casey!
Hi Nagi! Face to palm, just realised I accidentally posted this to someone else’s comment, not the general comments…sorry about that. I’ll try this again haha. I really love all of your recipes and am so excited to try this one. I know you say you don’t need to cook this for ages, but do you think it could work in a slow cooker? I’ll be out of the house around dinner time and thought this could be great to come home to this. If you think it could work in a slow cooker, do you have recommendations for timing, high or low, and when to add the chickpeas and spinach? Thank you so much for your thoughts!
Hi Natalie, I would do it as per the recipe then transfer at step 5 to finish off cooking on hight for 2 hours or so. Stir through the spinach just at the end – N xx
Thank you so much for your reply back! I made this tonight using the slow cooker as you suggested and it was amazing 🙂
Delicious, Nagi! Thank you!!
Made this tonight for dinner. It was sensational!
I’m so happy you loved it Tash!
Yum yum yum. Made this tonight, so good with the yogurt as suggested. Tommorrow I’m making yr beef short ribs on mash. Who needs recipe books 😊
Yum! I hope you love the ribs Mona!
Hi Nagi just a quick question what type of bread would you use with this recipe ?
regards
Michelle
Hey,
Thank you for shawarma recipe, I really really like the way you explained it, Me and my family like shawarma when we ate it in asian restaurant so i’m going to try this one in upcoming weekend where we set together once in a week so this will be amazing can you please tell me if i use persian saffron in it ? Because i have purchased saffron in good saffron price that is why thinking to make a twist in it, this will be perfect or not give me some suggestion
Thanks
Debra
SO good – full of flavor, so warm and filling! Shared this recipe with my friends and family. Perfect for these cold Maine winter days and nights! My daughter is vegan and will be substituting jackfruit or textured vegetable protein for the lamb – I’ll let you know the results!
Hi Debra, I haven’t tried it to be honest but I bet it would be amazing! I’d soak a pinch of it in hot water and add it with the broth to the soup. Love to know what you think!
Made this for Christmas Eve day lunch. My husband loved it! (I’m not a fan of lamb but I used lamb anyway so he could enjoy it.)
When I saw this recipe, I KNEW I had to try it. Unfortunately, I had no lamb, so substituted beef,as Nagi suggested. Additionally, I had no crushed tomatoes, so I used “petite diced” and upped the tomato paste by one TB, since I felt the tomato substitution might have less flavor.
It is DELICIOUS. I love cumin and can’t eat paprika, so I added two more teaspoons of cumin. People at work are stopping by my desk to find out the savory treat I am eating – I have shared the recipe with eight people so far!
I did not eat a full serving when I first made it – my schedule allowed only a quick taste, then I refrigerated it overnight. The flavors are even better today!
I love the couscous suggestion, and will try that with my next servings.
Another winner from Nagi! Thank you so much from Minnesota, USA.
Hi Casey, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, even with the substitutions! You’ll be the envy of the office from now on! 👌🏼
Made this tonight as it sounded right up my alley and it did NOT disappoint! I love the flavours! I didn’t have spinach, but really not a big fan of greens in a soup anyway so added some chopped celery with the carrots and onion. Also used ground turkey in lieu of lamb, since I had some in the freezer and it makes it more Weight Watchers friendly. I am fan of a great many of your recipes! Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you loved it even with the substitutions!
Awesome! Thank you for another yummy dinner. Hubby said he doesn’t like chick peas. Ha, he does now. He ate every bite of a large bowl of this deliciousness.
I’m so glad he’s converted! Go you!!!
Can’t wait to try this!
I hope you love it!
Hi Nagi,
I have made this a few times now and absolutely love it. However I have just watched the video and note that paprika is included in the spice mix but not listed in the recipe (unless I am missing it 🤔). I added a teaspoon to today’s soup and hope that is the right amount.
Carmel
Hi
It’s in the first line of the instructional spice requirements.
Helen
Ok I see my error now 🙄 I’ve been missing the coriander and the paprika. I blame the small print not my inability to read instructions properly. Sorry Nagi!
Thanks Nagi, for another great recipe. Simple, easy ingredients list that has substitutes available.
Really enjoying working my way through your whole collection!
Haven’t had a ‘miss’ yet! Keep up your fabulous work!
I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know Celia! N x
LAMB SHAWARMA CHICKPEA SOUP
The whole family enjoyed another fantastic meal from Nagi – Delicious!
Glad you enjoyed it Frances! Thanks for letting me know – N x
After making your lamb shawarma (delicious and had a stop hubby from eating it all) I saved some of the meat to use in this soup instead of the lamb mince. Turned out fantastic. So much flavour and took no time at all. Another great recipe.
Terrific to hear you enjoyed this Nat!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know – N x
Hi Nagi
I just made this with chicken and oh my god it was sensational. Thank you so much for providing your recipes. I’m a keen follower of yours.
That’s terrific to hear Nick! So glad you enjoyed this! N x
Very tasty. I substituted meat with härkis and it worked wonderfully. Definitely a make-again food. Thanks for the recipe.
That’s terrific to hear Karina! So glad you enjoyed this! N x