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Bon Appétit

Chickpea and Celery Soup With Chile-Garlic Oil

4.7

(76)

Image may contain Bowl Dish Food Meal Soup Bowl Stew Soup and Plant
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen

You know the soup and salad deal? Well, this is our take on combining the two into one dish.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    2 servings

Ingredients

6

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1

red chile (such as Fresno), seeds removed, finely chopped

3

garlic cloves, finely chopped

Kosher salt

1

medium onion, finely chopped

2

celery stalks, finely chopped, plus celery leaves from 1 bunch

4

cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth

1

15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, drained

½

cup whole-milk Greek yogurt, room temperature

1

cup cilantro leaves with tender stems

1

lemon, halved

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a medium pot over medium. Cook chile and garlic, stirring often, until garlic is golden brown and crisp, 3–5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl (with oil). Season with a pinch of salt; set aside.

    Step 2

    Wipe out pot. Heat remaining 3 Tbsp. oil over medium. Add onion and celery stalks, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 5–7 minutes. Add stock, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, bring to a simmer, and add chickpeas. Continue to cook until chickpeas are warmed through and creamy but not mushy (this won’t take long since the chickpeas are already cooked), about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, stir yogurt and a big pinch of salt in a small bowl. Mix cilantro and celery leaves in a medium bowl and squeeze lemon halves over. Season with salt and toss to coat.

    Step 4

    Divide soup among bowls. Add a dollop of yogurt, then top with cilantro-celery salad and reserved garlic-chile oil.

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Reviews (76)

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  • This soup was excellent. Light, full of flavor and protein. I made the chicken stock which made it more delicious, and used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. So good!

    • Michele

    • Oakland, CA

    • 1/14/2024

  • Love it-such an amazing sum of parts-but use really good broth-ideally homemade.

    • Daisy

    • Vermont

    • 12/27/2023

  • I love this soup. I do skip red chili, adding the garlic with the onion/celery and add then a spoonful of Asian spicey chili from the jar as a topper with the yogurt. It's so good. Such a simple satisfying soup.

    • Anonymous

    • Houston, Tx

    • 11/20/2023

  • leave the cilantro out and I may fix this. I'm a luver of chick peas so I'm anxious to try it with the celery! not sure what the yogurt does except a surprise cool bite?

    • Anonymous

    • Pensacola, Florida

    • 11/14/2023

  • I added a giant handful of fresh sorrel, and the lemony flavor made a huge difference. Next time, I'll forego the celery and just load on the sorrel. Sorrel is super-easy to grow (many people consider it a weed), and it's very cold-hardy. I use it in all soups that call for lemon. I grow it in containers. Don't plant it in the ground, or it'll take over your yard.

    • StuKin

    • CT

    • 11/2/2023

  • I wanted an economical, easy dinner, and this worked. It sounded boring as written, but it came together beautifully. I used chicken base for the broth but might try a homemade bone broth next time. Lemon and cilantro make this a win for me.

    • Kim S

    • Rockland, ME

    • 11/23/2022

  • Made recipe exactly as stated but found it to be bland.

    • Anonymous

    • 11/21/2022