Red Lentil Chickpea Tomato Noodle Soup

I can’t put into words how much I adore this soup.

My aversion to whole chickpeas seemed to disappear when I was gobbling up bowls of this soup. The creamy texture and layers of noodles seemed to mask the fact that I was eating those garbanzos in their full form. I’m really starting to shy away from pureed soups, when blended versions used to be the only kind I would eat. Isn’t it funny how drastically your taste buds can change? I for one, am glad they do though!

This soup is super easy to throw together and I just tossed in unadulterated amounts of leftover pasta in there, so go ahead, get a little crazy with your desired amounts. It kept well for about a week too, which meant I got to enjoy bowls of it for days! It makes a massive amount, so chop the recipe in half or freeze the leftovers if you so desire.

5 cups vegetable broth

3 cups cooked red lentils

4 cups cooked chickpeas

About 3 cups of leftover cooked pasta

1 28 oz can organic fire roasted tomatoes

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 cayenne pepper minced

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

• In a blender, blend 1 cup of lentils and 1 cup of broth until creamy
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute cayenne pepper in olive oil for one minute
• Add onions and garlic and continue cooking for 6 minutes
• Add carrots and cook for 4 more minutes
• Add paprika, salt, black pepper and cinnamon and continue stirring
• Add all remaining ingredients, including blended lentils
• Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cover and let cook for 1 hour