Lamb Shawarma Chickpea Soup

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

Author: Nagi

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 30 mins

Main

Middle Eastern

5 from 63 votes

Servings4 - 5 people

Tap or hover to scale

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No such thing as bland chickpea soups in my world! Exploding with the flavours of your favourite Chicken Shawarma, except it’s in SOUP form with lamb and chickpeas! This is not spicy, the small amount of cayenne pepper gives it a tiny warm hum, so if you want it spicier, just add more at the end. Deceptively veggie loaded and is quick to make! Recipe VIDEO below.

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:

1. Beef is the next best sub. Chicken, turkey and veal an also be used. Not sure about pork.

2. CHICKPEAS - The net drained weight of canned chickpeas is only about 220g/7oz per can. I only use 1 ½ cans because I think that’s enough chickpeas for 4 to 5 servings, but you should feel free to toss the rest in. I just used the rest in a salad the next day.

3. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. It's quite filling! The lamb accounts for about 295 calories of the total cal per serving shown. If you substituted lamb with 4 - 5 cups of chopped vegetables like zucchini, mushrooms so the soup volume per serve is still the same, then it would be 215 calories per serving. I will share a vegetarian version one day!

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 474gCalories: 458cal (23%)

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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