Shrimp Corn and Chickpea Soup
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Savory, slightly spicy Chickpea Soup is a wonderful way to get your serving of important vitamins and minerals, plenty of protein, and fantastic flavor. With the addition of shrimp and corn, it has the feel of a classy, complex dish – but it’s so easy to make! It’s hearty but not heavy, and takes just 30 minutes to prepare.
A healthy bean soup is perfect to prepare year-round. It’s full of ingredients you can find canned or frozen, and can be easily dressed up with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a splash of lime juice.
This particular recipe is rather substantial with the addition of shrimp and rice. It’s definitely a main course – not a soup to be served before the meal! Jalapeños and cumin add iconic Mexican flavors, brightened by the limes for an overall refreshing taste.
I personally find chickpeas to be one of the best ways to get protein without opting for the more traditional, meat-based options. However, if you do want some extra protein, I recommend trying my Caldo de Res, another classic Mexican soup with vegetables as the base – but with beef.
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Raw Shrimp – Clean and remove the tails, or else you’ll find yourself with a messy shrimp soup that’s not very easy to eat. If working from frozen, let thaw in the fridge overnight or flash thaw in bowl of cold water beforehand.
- Onion – I use white onion, but yellow or red will work just as well.
- Jalape̱os РIf you prefer less heat, you can add red pepper flakes (for mild heat) or smoked paprika (for no heat at all).
- Corn Kernels – Canned or frozen work just fine, though I love grilling corn and slicing the kernels off fresh. For that, you’d need 3 or 4 ears of corn.
- Chicken Stock – Use bouillon if you’d like, or replace with a vegetable stock if preferred.
- Chickpeas – Also known as garbanzo beans, this is the one ingredient you won’t want to replace when making chickpea soup.
- White Beans – Optional, but great for adding more protein and substance to this shrimp soup recipe.
- Zucchini – You can replace with yellow squash or any vegetable you might like.
- Rice – I make shrimp soup with white rice, but brown or wild rice are appropriate as well. Use a long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati.
- Lime Juice – Acidity is crucial to add depth and complexity to any soup. Lemon juice is always a decent substitute for lime.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKPEA SOUP
1. Sauté the Onion and Garlic. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium high. Toss in the onions, stirring until translucent. Follow with the minced garlic and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
2. Sauté the Additional Vegetables. Add the jalapeño, corn, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and stir for another 4 minutes.
3. Add the Shrimp, Stock, & Herbs. Follow with the cleaned and shelled shrimp, chicken stock, and half of the chopped cilantro. Stir well to combine.
4. Add the Beans. Add the chickpeas and white beans. Allow the whole thing to simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add Zucchini and Rice. Finally, drop in the zucchini and rice, stir well, and simmer for a final 3 minutes.
6. Top, Serve, & Enjoy! Divide the soup among 6 bowls, sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top of each, and squeeze lime juice on each. Serve immediately.
Is chickpea soup good for you?
There are plenty of nutrients and health benefits to be found in this healthy bean soup:
- Chickpeas contain manganese, vitamin B9, and are rich in protein.
- White beans have loads of fiber, and have plenty of potassium and iron.
- The zucchini contributes vitamins A, C, and K to the mix.
Keep in mind that this dish does have 659 calories, and everything is best in moderation.
Do you peel chickpeas for soup?
There’s no need to peel the individual chickpeas before adding to the soup. Some recipes are better off without the chickpea skins, such as hummus or when roasting, but it isn’t necessary when making chickpea soup.
You certainly can take the time to remove the skin from each individual bean, but I don’t find it to be necessary.
How long does leftover chickpea soup last in the refrigerator?
As this is a chickpea and shrimp soup recipe, you really don’t want to keep leftovers for any longer than a couple of days. Frozen, this soup will last you much longer – around 3 months or so.
To reheat, return to a pot over medium heat, stirring regularly until the beans and shrimp are warmed through the center. You can also microwave in a covered, microwave-safe bowl.
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Shrimp Corn and Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs raw shrimp (medium) (tails removed, cleaned)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 jalapenos seeded and diced
- 2 cups corn kernels (See Note 1)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 15 oz chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained
- 15 oz white beans (optional, drained)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 zucchini sliced
- 1 cup rice (cooked)
- 2 limes juice
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium high heat, add the oil and sauté the onion several minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, cook another 2 minutes.
- Add the jalapenos, corn, cumin and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4Â more minutes, stirring often.
- Add the shrimp, chicken stock and half the cilantro, stir to mix in thoroughly.
- Add the chickpeas and optional beans, simmer for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and rice, stir and simmer for 3 minutes more.
- Serve in bowls with squeeze of lime and remaining cilantro on top.
Notes
- You can either use frozen, thawed (roasted) corn, or grill 3-4 ears of corn and cut from the cob, or use drained canned corn kernels.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Delicious Kevin!
Another winner! Thanks Ollene! 🙂
TY. Another great recipe. I’m making the Spicy Lime Slaw and Cornbread Casserole to go with my Tex Mex Prime Skirt Steak Saturday night.
Thanks so much Jere. Saturday sounds quite delicious!
so look good. Thanks for sharing with us.
Thank YOU Ichi! 🙂
We love those langostinos from Costco too (and the frozen scallops – amazingly fresh!). We’ll have to try this for sure sans chickpeas because Keith is allergic to them. (no hummus!? can you imagine…?)
Gotta love Costco, they have it all, right? Wow, sorry to read Keith is allergic to chickpeas, like you said… no hummus? Ugh!
What a dish! You’ve made this pescatarian very hungry. We had a miso soup at a sushi restaurant in Hawaii made with langostino (actually, the meat was served as sushi and then the shell was used to make the broth). It was amazing.
It’s raining here today and that soup you mentioned sounds fantastic about now Brian. Had to look up pescatarian, so thanks for educating me too. 😉
I’ve never even heard of langostino before. Langoustine, yes, but they’re a bit different. Regardless of species, this is one hearty dish. I love all the chunks!
Thanks John, getting back into the groove here. The older I get the longer it takes to shed this jet lag! This soup would do me good today, but dinner tonight might have to be from the grill. 🙂
That looks super tasty. Anything in cast iron is right up my train track. I never heard of Squat lobster. It sounds like a dance move.
You crack me up Jeff. Try substituting maybe crawfish or dice up a lobster tail for this one!
Hey Kevin! Bet it will take you a while to shake off the jet lag! This soup is so full of fresh flavor! I haven’t seen langostinos here, but I do have crawfish in the freezer. I made a Mexican shrimp and corn chowder recently – I really like corn in soups and chowders! Even better when we get fresh corn from the garden! 🙂
That’s what I said to Dave from Spiced, and like he mentioned, crawfish would be a great sub. I headed out to the market yesterday to restock the house and picked up some more fresh corn, though not from my garden obviously. I’m dying for a grilled steak and corn on the cob! It’s good to be home. 🙂
I must admit that I’ve never had langostinos before, but if they are anything at all like crawfish…well, sign me up! I love me some crawfish. Too bad the only crawfish I can find up here in NY are the ones from China rather than the Gulf Coast. I might just have to sub in langostinos instead. Along with some corn and chickpeas. This looks delicious, Kevin! (Oh, and I hope you are still asleep…it’s like 5am or something your time right now!) #WolfpackJetLag
#WolfPackJetLag IS the word for the past 2 days – definitely! My goodness. You hit it on the head with crawfish, somewhat similar, but sweeter. How weird from China and not the Gulf seeing as you’re just up the coast!
Trying to get back into my groove here and get back to my old schedule! Thanks Dave. 🙂
Never heard of langostino before! You’ve been into seafood lately! I love adding chickpea, and zucchini, this dish looks really fresh, I loved it, and I’m waiting for India adventures!
Sorry for the late reply Farida but I am back sifting emails, checking out everyones posts I missed and replying here. Thanks, think of them as similar to crawfish if you had those while you lived here. They are like little baby lobsters! India food and adventures will be forthcoming soon. I just need to regroup here and get back into my groove!