Quinoa Vegetable Soup
This post is sponsored by Success Rice. All opinions are my own.
This delicious vegetable soup is filled with Success Tri-Color Boil-in-Bag Quinoa, hearty chickpeas, and plenty of spices for a flavorful soup that will make you feel good from the inside out!
I love making soup because it’s an easy way to enjoy lots of vegetables in one dish. This quinoa vegetable soup is loaded with a rainbow of produce, and I’ve got plenty of substitution ideas, so you can make this with whatever you have in your fridge! The quinoa and chickpeas make this an extra-filling meal since they’re both packed with plant-based protein and fiber. If you like this recipe, try my quinoa and black bean soup or root vegetable soup next!
What is Quinoa?
If you’re not familiar with quinoa, it’s technically a seed but it cooks like a grain. I used Success Tri-Color Boil-in-Bag Quinoa which you can boil in a bag in just a few minutes. There’s no measuring and no mess! You simply drop the bag of quinoa into a pot of water, let it cook for 10 minutes, and you have perfectly fluffy quinoa every time! I love how it takes the guesswork out of making quinoa or rice. If you’re looking for more ways to use Success Quinoa, check out SuccessRice.com. They have tons of different recipes that are perfect for meal planning!
Is Quinoa Healthy?
Yes! Quinoa is a complete source of protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids. It’s a great way to add protein and fiber to this soup, so it keeps you full. It’s naturally gluten-free and vegan. It has a slightly nutty, earthly flavor and a hearty, chewy texture that pairs well with the vegetables in this soup.
Substitution Ideas
The base of this hearty soup is a standard combination of onion, carrot, and celery, but I also added a red bell pepper for a subtle, sweet flavor. You can use any color bell pepper you like. If you want a slightly spicy flavor, try using a poblano pepper instead!
If you want to add sweet potatoes, add finely diced sweet potatoes to the pot with the onion, carrots, and celery. Sweet potato can add a subtly sweet flavor, plus additional fiber and nutrients. Similarly, you could add diced butternut squash.
If you don’t have kale, try stirring in a few handfuls of baby spinach instead. If you have zucchini or yellow squash in your fridge, dice it up and toss it into this delicious soup. If you don’t have a can of chickpeas on hand, try using great northern beans, white beans or kidney beans instead.
When it comes to spices, I love the flavor of smoked paprika which adds a slightly spicy flavor to this dish. I also love adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of additional heat. If you don’t like spicy flavors or you want to make a more mild soup, I recommend using regular paprika instead.
The freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a little brightness to the soup. If you don’t have lemon juice, try adding a splash of red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar instead.
How to Store Leftovers
This is a great meal prep recipe because it reheats well! This soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or you can freeze it for up to 1 month. To reheat it, you can microwave it until warm or reheat it on the stovetop.
What to Serve with Soup
Looking for the perfect side dish to serve with your soup? Try pairing it with a loaf of crusty bread or enjoy it with a delicious grilled cheese sandwich. Or for a veggie-filled meal, try this vegetarian stuffed squash! It’s a great recipe to pair with this vegetable soup.
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Quinoa Vegetable Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This delicious vegetable soup is filled with Success Tri-Color Boil-in-Bag Quinoa, hearty chickpeas, and plenty of spices for a flavorful soup that will make you feel good from the inside out!
Ingredients
- 1 bag Success Tri-Color Boil-in-Bag Quinoa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 28oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
- 1 15oz can chickpeas
- 1 cup chopped kale (stems removed)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, bring the quinoa and 4 cups of water to a boil.
- Let simmer for 10 minutes until the quinoa is tender and fluffy. Remove the quinoa from the pot and set it aside.
- Drain the pot, then add olive oil and heat over medium-low heat.
- Add the onion, celery, carrots, and bell pepper and continue to cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes until vegetables have softened.
- Add the garlic, thyme, and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the bay leaf, quinoa, vegetable broth, tomatoes, corn, and chickpeas, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the kale and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the kale is bright green. Remove from heat and serve.
This recipe is great! But for someone that doesn’t cook a lot, measurements for the vegetables would be helpful. When I look to see how much a small onion is, I found everything from a half a cup to a little more than a cup. So I just had to guesstimate. But I would love for actual measurements to be a part of the recipe or in the notes. Not a critique, just a suggestion. Absolutely love your recipes.
I appreciate the feedback, Amy! For a recipe like this one, it’s really flexible. A big onion or a small onion is totally fine. An extra carrot or two won’t make a difference either. I try to keep it flexible so people don’t feel like they have to toss a few tablespoons of onion or extra pieces of carrot. I’d rather they go into the soup instead of going to waste! But for recipes that do require more exact measurements, I try to give guidance (like 2 carrots, about 2/3 cup chopped, etc.) I hope that helps!
I finally found a quinoa soup recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. My family loves quinoa and I’m sure we’ll be making this recipe many times.
This recipe looks amazing with delicious flavours!! Thanks for sharing this healthy soup. I’m excited to prepared it.
This soup is delicious! I made several changes based on our tastes and what I had on hand: My local store was out of the success quinoa and I didn’t know how much a bag contains, so I just cooked 1 cup of dry quinoa and added almost the whole cooked amount. It was probably more than was supposed to be in there, but it was perfect in my opinion. I, personally, don’t like thyme so I left that out. Also, we’re not fans of cooked celery, so I put in some chopped fresh green beans instead, and we were out of chickpeas so I just omitted them or any bean, altogether. The ingredients mention lemon juice, but the instructions don’t, so I left that out as well. Thanks for a great recipe – this will definitely be a regular! Oh! And made Irish soda bread to go with it!
I have made a version of this very soup many times. Sometimes, I use Middle Eastern spices, sometimes I make it Italian style, and sometimes I use Mexican spices. Any way you make it, you can’t go wrong. It’s very delicious.
I just made this. Loved it. Nutritional info?
Healthy simple and so yummy. Thank you!
Such a healthy bowl of goodness. I love the bright colours and flavours of this vegan soup!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing quinoa vegetable soup recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!