Post updated: January 9, 2016
This Chickpea, Rice and Kale Soup is one of my winter favorites from Isa Chandra Moskowitz. If you haven’t been to her site, it’s a prolific collection of tried and true vegan recipes, most of which you won’t find in her cookbooks.
Our Favorite
Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
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But back to the soup, it’s easy to make, gluten-free and oh-so-creamy with a touch of blended cashews. I made a few edits to her original — more kale and carrots, and you can make it your own. Just about any hearty green can substitute for the kale, any root veggies are also an easy swap for the carrots.
If you don’t have fresh rosemary on-hand,  1 tsp. of dried will substitute nicely.
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Chickpea, Rice and Kale Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours or overnight
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ¾ cup brown rice, rinsed
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 2–3 medium carrots, diced
- 5–6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans (15 oz. each) Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups chopped kale
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- After soaking, drain the cashews and place them in a blender with one cup of fresh water. Blend until completely smooth. You don't want any gritty bits if you can help it. And if you're not firing up a Vitamix, this could take a few minutes to get it really smooth.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté a minute more.
- Add rice and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, add the chickpeas, and let cook for about 30 minutes, until rice is cooked.
- Add the cashew cream and kale, and simmer until kale is wilted, 3 to 5 more minutes. You may need to add water to thin the soup if it seems too thick. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 1560
- Fat: 13
- Carbohydrates: 47
- Fiber: 8
- Protein: 11
- Cholesterol: 0
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Just made this soup, it is delicious!!! I wouldn't change a thing!
Terrific!! So glad you enjoyed it, Darlene.
What's the purpose of the cashews??
Hey Gina - The cashews make it creamy 🙂
This recipe sounds amazing. Can i substitute peanuts or almonds for the cashews? Just thinking of ingredients I have on hand.
I'm not sure peanuts or cashews will work for this one, but I think the recipe would be fine with out the cashew cream. A little less creamy, so maybe smash some of the chickpeas against the side of the pot to add a little creaminess. Good luck!
would this freeze well? I would love to try to but wouldn't go through a whole pot of it.
Yes, absolutely! After freezing, leave in the refrigerator to defrost overnight and you're set.
Wow, just made this tonight for dinner and it was DELICIOUS!
Thanks 🙂
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!! It's adapted from Isa Chandra's site.
YUMMM!!! This was so yummy! Thank you for this recipe! Even the kids enjoyed it!
★★★★★
This was excellent. Very cozy and savory =). I
★★★★★
I made this soup tonight for the first time and it is Amazing perfect flavor and texture and the cashews gives it the final oh lalala for my taste buds!!!
★★★★★
This was probably one of the best soups (vegan and non-vegan) that I have ever had! I recently decided to start eating a plant-based diet and have been having naughty cravings for clam chowder. I must say that this tastes very similar to clam chowder and if you used Dino-Kale, it mimics the texture of clams.
I will definitely be making this again tonight 🙂
★★★★★
Made this tonight for the second time, amazing! Both times I forgot to soak the cashews so I just blended it with a cup if hot water. Such a healthy, filling simple soup to make. If you are thinking of making it, do it.
★★★★★
Fantastic! So glad you like it!
Love This!!! So soothing. I added 1/2 a tsp of freshly grated nutmeg at the end just before serving. YUM!
The rating have it, this is awesome! Used a big spoon full of cashew butter instead of making the cashew cream.
WIll definitely make this again!
★★★★★
That's an innovative swap! Really glad you liked the soup 🙂
Wow this is SO GOOD! My new favorite soup recipe. It was my first time using cashews like this and I can't believe how creamy and delicious it is.
★★★★★
How great! It's so versatile too. Sometimes I add dried fennel or red pepper flakes. So good!
I have made this soup 4 times now. It simply is incredible. I live at higher elevation and the brown rice takes forever to cook so I use a rice cooker to cook my rice first, then I add it towards the end.
★★★★★
LOVE this recipe. It's a staple for me now. Instead of doing the raw cashews and water blend, I sub in a large spoonful of cashew butter. It's just easier for me and my blender always leaves a gritty texture! Otherwise I follow this to a T. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
What do you do with the garbanzo beans? Do you blend it with the cashews or add it in the soup?? This part was left out.
Add it with the soup 🙂
Why not list the ingredients in order of use like standard recipe format? Makes it easier to follow 😉
I made this recipe this weekend because I had wanted to try cashew cream. I don't like rosemary so I left that out and my husband doesn't like thyme so I left that out too. It was still delicious. Any recommendations for a different spice?
This one was soooo delicious!! We will definitely make again!
This was to die for!! I made a few substitutions to use up ingredients I had (mushrooms, black rice & potatoes instead of carrots, celery, and brown rice). It tastes like the heartiest and most nourishing cup of cream-of-mushroom you'll ever have. It felt strange making such a wintery creation only three days before the summer solstice, but absolutely no regrets!
Could walnuts be used instead of cashews?
I don't think walnuts would be creamy like cashews. You could try adding some non-dairy creamer, blended with some of the chickpeas.