Classic Greek Chickpea Soup (revithosoupa)

This classic Greek chickpea soup (revithosoupa) is a traditional, rustic dish, packed with nutrients, healthy protein, and fiber.  This hearty soup is a truly comforting dish which is very popular throughout the year, especially during the cold winter months and the periods of fasting, as in the weeks leading to Easter!

Beans and Pulses:  the Cornerstones of the Mediterranean Diet

Over the years, the Mediterranean countries have developed many ingenious ways of preparing nutrient-dense beans and pulses, elevating these simple ingredients and transforming them into substantial, satisfying dishes.  From slow-cooking with lots of caramelized vegetables, to using a variety of fresh herbs and citrus to deepen the flavor, they have been able to create incredibly tasty and rich dishes, utilizing readily available and humble ingredients like beans, lentils and chickpeas.

The Ingredients for Classic Greek Chickpea Soup (revithosoupa)

In its simplest form, this soup can be prepared with just chickpeas, onions, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice.  This version, however, with its added vegetables and aromatics, resembles more of a hearty, chickpea stew than a soup.  This consistency is obtained by blending part of the soup to create a thick and creamy dish!

A One-Pot Dish

If you remember to soak the chickpeas overnight, then this dish comes together the next day in under an hour.  All the ingredients are added to a pot and cooked gently for about 30 minutes.  As this cooks, the whole house will smell amazing.  This recipe makes four generous portions and it will keep well in the refrigerator for almost a week!

Optional Additions

• A traditional addition to this soup is a naturally sweet condiment called grape syrup (petimezi).  Petimezi is basically concentrated grape juice which is produced by grapes cooked in their skins until they become syrupy.  Petimezi is a natural sweetener used since the Ancient times.  If you cannot find this, you can substitute with a little honey instead
• A small diced potato, added towards the end of cooking, gives a nice earthy note to the soup.  If you do make this addition, you might need to add a bit more hot water as well
• For an added “cool” flavor, a small handful of chopped, fresh coriander incorporated at the end goes very well; even though it is not traditional
• If you like a spicier soup, you can add a good pinch of red pepper flakes during the cooking stage

How about Canned Chickpeas?

In a pinch, you can use two, 12 ounce cans of cooked, drained chickpeas for this recipe.  If you do have the time, however, soaking half a bag of dried chickpeas overnight is well worth the effort and it will make a significant difference in the texture and flavor of the final dish.  As you simmer the soaked beans, they will absorb the wonderful flavors of the vegetables and the aromatics, adding a deeper flavor to the dish.  Dried beans are also generally less expensive and you are in control of the amount of salt added to your dish.

3 Delicious Greek vegetarian soups

This classic Greek chickpea soup (revithosoupa) is one of the three, most well-known, Greek vegetarian soups that are in constant rotation in Greek households.  The other two are the Greek bean soup (fasolada) and the Greek lentil soup (fakes).

5.0 from 2 reviews

Classic Greek Chickpea Soup (revithosoupa)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

A vegetarian and hearty Greek soup that is packed with nutrients, fiber and healthy protein

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 oz. dried, organic chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1 med. red onion, chopped
• 1 lrg. or, 2 med. carrots, quartered and chopped
• 2 small tender celery sticks and leaves, chopped
• 2 med. garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cups vegetable stock (or, water)
• 2 --- bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme (optional)
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 tsp. lemon juice (or, more)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 2-3 tsp. honey (optional)
• --- --- extra virgin olive oil for serving
• --- --- fresh celery leaves and dill for topping

Instructions

1. Place the chickpeas in a bowl with a sprinkle of salt. Cover by double the amount of water and let them soak overnight. In the morning, drain them and wash them well.
2. Prepare the vegetables: chop the onion, carrots and celery and mince the garlic.
3. In a medium pot, sauté the vegetables with ¼ cup of olive oil for a few minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and sauté for just a couple of minutes more.
4. Add the hot stock, the bay leaves, the rosemary, and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to a medium-low heat, partially cover the pot, and cook for about half an hour. The cooking time will depend on the quality of the chickpeas. If necessary, cook them a little longer until tender. Add more hot liquid (stock or water) if necessary.
5. Remove two ladles of soup with some of the broth and place in a small food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Stir back into the pot with the rest of the soup.
6. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon zest and juice, the salt and pepper, and the honey (if using).
7. Top with extra olive oil, dill, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with extra lemon slices.

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