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Garlic and Cilantro Soup with Chickpeas (Açorda Alentejana)
This soup, with its fragrant, bright green broth, is our take on Portuguese açorda alentejana. Soft-cooked eggs are a perfect garnish that also turn the soup into a complete meal. To soft-cook eggs, bring 2 cups water to a simmer in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add the eggs, cover and steam over medium for 7 minutes. Immediately transfer to ice water to stop the cooking.
4
Servings
Tip
Don't skimp on the olive oil in this soup. The croutons absorb oil as they toast and the broth takes on a rich, creamy texture when the pesto is stirred in.
20 minutes
Ingredients
-
2
cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
-
½
ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (¼ cup), plus more to serve
Directions
-
01In a food processor, combine the cilantro, Parmesan, jalapeño, lemon zest and juice, ½ teaspoon of the paprika, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Process until finely chopped, about 20 seconds, scraping the sides as needed. With the machine running, add ½ cup of the oil and process to a pesto-like consistency, 30 to 45 seconds. Set aside.
Reviews
March 4, 2026
This soup rocked my world
The flavor and texture of this soup wowed me. It was unlike any soup I made all winter. The lemon and cilantro brighten this comforting soup making it a perfect recipe for March.
December 10, 2025
Delish, complex flavor profile, easy to make
My family loved it, it has nice complexity and variety in textures.
November 23, 2025
Fantastic soup, but takes a little longer than you think
This does take a little longer than you think, especially if you’re not an expert multitasker. BUT, fantastic flavor.
My modifications were:
Toasting croutons in oven for less work.
Subbing hominy for chickpeas - I dislike chickpeas whole and hominy has more chew.
Serrano for jalapeño.
I lazily simmered a small head of garlic with the top cut off, before turning it into a paste.
DO NOT SKIP THE EGGS! Perfect instructions for soft eggs too. And pairs perfectly in the broth.
February 1, 2024
Perfect for a cold winter evening
This soup is comforting, flavorful, and filling. It will definitely go into the rotation of winter soups. We found it took much longer than the 20 minutes posted, mainly because of the toasting of the bread section. Next time I'm going to toast the bread in the oven while we prepare the soup and that should bring the time down to about 20-25m. Delicious! (Oh and agree: don't skip the egg!)
September 12, 2023
Whole new genre of soup
So easy, so delicious. Made more of the herb mixture to freeze and now can pull this soup out any time. Can't believe how quick it is.
I have made this recipe twice, and it has been a hit each time. It’s a quick recipe, but don’t let that trick you into thinking it will lack depth or flavor. This soup is balanced, rustic, filling, and a delight on a cold winter day. The first time I made this, I used fresh store-bought baguette, which worked nicely in a pinch. The second time, I used homemade two day-old sourdough, and it made the soup much more rustic, especially the crispy edge bits. I did not discard any jalapeño seeds and found the soup to be appropriate in its spiciness (light-medium). If you are especially intolerant of capsaicin, removing the seeds will help, but do not skip the jalapeño.
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Just made this last night, and it was DELICIOUS. One serving fills you up too, nice and hearty. Recipe is perfect.