Flavorful Costa Rican Garbanzo Beach Soup

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There are so many garbanzo bean soup recipes out there that it can be hard to pick one that everyone likes and is easy to make. This Costa Rican recipe be made in the instant pot, on the stovetop, or in the slow cooker, making it easy on the chef and a perfect meal to feed a crowd.

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About This Garbanzo Bean Soup

This soup is a super popular dish in Costa Rica- but you will rarely find it on a Costa Rican restaurant menu. It’s one of those recipes people make at home but don’t have in restaurants.

That’s probably because it’s super simple to make from scratch and can be reheated for several rounds of meals. It’s a relatively inexpensive recipe if you are feeding your family on a budget, and it’s easy to feed a crowd.

When we lived in Costa Rica, we often made this recipe on rainy days- and now we often make it in Colorado on snowy days. I also often make a big batch of it on Sunday and eat it for lunch every day of the week because it reheats so nicely- I’d even say it gets more delicious with age!

I’ll note here that garbanzo beans and chickpeas are used synonymously in this recipe. We refer to the beans as garbanzo in Spanish. On the cans of beans you’ll use for this recipe if you use canned, they will be labeled “garbanzo” here in the States.

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Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

(printable recipe below)

• shredded chicken breast
• red bell pepper, finely chopped
• white or yellow onion, finely chopped
• garlic cloves, pressed
• cilantro, finely chopped
• chicken broth
• salt
• ketchup
• butter or olive oil
• canned garbanzo beans, undrained
• diced tomato, canned
• carrots, diced (optional)

Instructions:

In a large soup pot heat the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter melts or the olive oil starts to sizzle.

Finely dice your vegetables.

Add onions, garlic, and red pepper, and cook until softened. Add the chicken, one cup of broth, and the salt, and bring to a simmer.

In a blender, add the can of tomatoes, one cup of chicken broth, and the ketchup.  Blend until smooth and add to the large pot with the vegetables and chicken.

Next, you will add one can of undrained garbanzos and the optional carrots to the pot and stir. Bring back to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender.

At this point, you add drained beans and chicken broth until you get the consistency of broth that you desire.

I like to have a lot of chickpeas and a pretty brothy soup.

Add salt to taste, and bring to a boil on medium-high, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes to let the flavors really blend.

I usually add the cilantro about 5 minutes before serving, or you can garnish the soup with fresh cilantro on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This garbanzo bean soup is traditionally served in a deep bowl with Costa Rican rice on the bottom and then covered with soup. I like to forgo the rice and eat it with tortilla chips and avocado slices. ¡Buen provecho!

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Substitutions

You can substitute boxed chicken broth for homemade. You can also just use a rotisserie chicken and shred up the meat instead of cooking a whole chicken or preparing shredded chicken breasts.

Some recipes substitute bacon grease for the olive oil, and then add chunks of bacon into the soup.

Finally- you can omit the ketchup and just use two cans of tomatoes.

If you aren’t a fan of garbanzo beans, you could also make this with white beans, like Great Northern.

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Variations

You can make this recipe in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. You just put everything in the instant pot and cook on high pressure for about 20 minutes. Shred the chicken before serving. Quite attractive because it’s just so darn easy.

Serving Suggestions

This recipe is generally served alongside Costa Rican white rice. I like to eat it with some tortilla chips too.

It’s awesome to cut ripe avocado into cubes or slices and put them in the soup right before you serve it. My husband adds hot pepper flakes or Cholula to his, and I love to sprinkle mine with a little shredded mozzarella cheese.

Other Costa Rican soup recipes:

• Chayote Soup Recip
• Chop Suey Soup
• Hearty and Healthy Costa Rican Olla de Carne

Garbanzo Bean Soup FAQ

Printable Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean Soup Recipe

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