Dive into the deliciousness of this creamy chickpea and cavatelli soup with crispy prosciutto! This bowl of comfort is packed with tender cavatelli pasta, hearty chickpeas, and a smooth broth that’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And the crispy prosciutto on top is the perfect addition, adding a crunch to every spoonful. Get ready for a casual, cozy meal that’s like a big, comforting hug in a bowl!
This recipe was inspired by my homemade cavatelli that I had in the freezer. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This soup only has 436 calories per serving and fits into my weight loss and weight maintenance meals plans.
- It only takes about 50 minutes to cook.
- It is so filling and hearty, especially on a winter day.
- You can freeze it in separate containers and keep it for an quick and easy lunch.
- It’s full of vegetables and protein!
- This soup can easily be made vegan or vegetarian if you omit the prosciutto.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onion
- Bay leaf
- Canned Diced tomatoes
- Vegetable stock
- Cavatelli, gnocchi or your pasta of choice
- Prosciutto
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Canned Chickpeas
- Fresh flat leaf parsley, also called Italian parsley
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools you’ll need
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- High speed Blender (affiliate) or Immersion blender
- Large pot
- Cheese grater (affiliate) with fine grate
- Frying pan
Instructions
Gather all your tools and prep your ingredients and let’s get started!
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the celery carrots and onions. Cook until the veggies are soft and golden brown, or about 15 minutes. Do not rush this step because this is where you make all the flavor. When the veggies are done cooking, add the bay leaf and cook for another 30 seconds or until aromatic.
Option: you can also add some red pepper flakes at this point if you like it a bit spicy!
Take half the prosciutto and tear it into tiny pieces and add to the pot to cook. This is going to add a beautiful smoky flavor to the soup. Cook for another 2 -3 minutes.
Now that you have built all the flavor, it’s time to add the tomatoes and the vegetable broth. Stir everything together and bring it to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes.
When the 30 minutes are up add the can of drained and washed chickpeas to the soup. If you have an immersion blender use it to blend the soup until about half of it is a smooth liquid, leaving some full chickpeas as well. This will create a beautiful smooth and creamy texture.
If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender. Just ladle about half the soup into the blender, blend until it’s nice and smooth and then add it back to the soup.
Now add the cavatelli and let it cook in the soup broth for as long as the package directs, or until you’ve taste-tested it.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a separate frying pan with a small amount of olive oil. Add the remaining prosciutto to the pan and cook until crispy, about 3 minutes each side.
Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste and the soup is ready to serve! Add 1 ½ cups of soup to a bowl and crumble some of the crispy prosciutto on top and finish it with some chopped Italian parsley and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Substitutions
- Vegetable broth. If you don’t have any vegetable broth you can substitute chicken broth.
- Make it vegetarian. Leave out the prosciutto and add some liquid smoke or fire roasted tomatoes to create the smoky flavor.
- Make it vegan. In addition to above you can leave out the Parmesan cheese.
- Make it spicy. Add some red pepper flakes or Calabrian chilis if you like your soup spicy.
- Cavatelli. Store-bought cavatelli can be hard to find so you can also use gnocchi or another type of similar pasta.
- Prosciutto. If you don’t have any you can also use thinly sliced pancetta or bacon.
- Chickpeas. You can swap this out for cannellini beans (white beans) if you prefer.
Top Tip
Do not rush cooking your vegetables! This is where flavor is created, so make sure you take your time when cooking vegetables for any soup, stew or sauce.
A little bit about cavatelli
Cavatelli is an Italian dumpling, similar to gnocchi, made from semolina flour and water. It traditionally comes from southern regions of Italy and has a firm, toothsome texture compared to gnocchi. It is less common to find in the grocery store compared to gnocchi, but you can easily make your own at home in no time with just a few simple ingredients.
FAQ
Absolutely. After the soup has cooled, pour it into individual containers and place it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
If you plan to have leftovers you may choose to cook the cavatelli in a separate pot and store it in a separate container. Then add the cavatelli or pasta of your choice when you are ready to eat. This will keep it from absorbing more liquid as it sits.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with creamy chickpea and cavatelli soup:
Creamy Chickpea and Cavatelli Soup with Crispy Prosciutto
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- High-speed Blender or Emerson blender
- Large pot
- Cheese grater (affiliate) with fine grate
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- ½ medium-sized onion finely diced
- 1 carrot peels and finely diced
- Bay leaf
- 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 ½ cup frozen cavatelli gnocchi or other similar pasta
- 100 g thinly sliced Prosciutto
- 1 bay leaf
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 19 oz can of chickpeas 540 mL, drained and rinsed
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley also called Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano finely grated
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the celery, carrots and onions. Cook until the veggies are soft and golden brown or about 10-15 minutes.
- When the veggies are done cooking, add the bay leaf and cook for another 30 seconds or until aromatic.
- Take half the prosciutto and tear it into tiny pieces and add to the pot to cook. Cook for another 2 -3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and the vegetable broth to the pot. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes.
- When the 30 minutes are up, add the can of drained and washed chickpeas to the soup. If you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the soup until about half of it is a smooth liquid, leaving some full chickpeas and vegetables. This will create a beautiful smooth and creamy texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender. Just ladle about half the soup into the blender, blend until it’s nice and smooth and then add it back to the soup.
- Now add the cavatelli and let it cook in the soup broth for as long as the package directs, or until you’ve taste-tested it.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a separate frying pan with a small amount of olive oil. Add the remaining prosciutto to the pan and cook until crispy, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste and the soup is ready to serve! Add 1 ½ cups of soup to a bowl and crumble some of the crispy prosciutto on top and finish it with some chopped Italian parsley and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Leave a Reply