Quinoa Vegetable Soup

This Quinoa Vegetable Soup is a bone-warming brothy soup that has the flavors of chicken noodle soup with the healthy-ness of vegetable soup (and it whips up in under 30 minutes!)

Truth time: I used to hate soup. Okay, hate may be a strong word. But soup just did not appeal to me growing up. It wasn’t until I started learning to cook (and needing to create dinners on a tight schedule) that I learned the beauty that is a hearty vegetarian soup.

Why? Well for starters, they’re almost impossible to mess up. Throw everything in a pot, heat it up, boom: soup. Flavors not right? You can adjust them! Don’t have a certain ingredient? Substitute it! They’re flexible and forgiving and have won a special place in my heart, especially in these cold weather months.

So today let’s celebrate the almost-end of winter with a bone-warming Quinoa Vegetable Soup! It’s like chicken noodle soup (except the chicken is chickpeas) (and noodles are quinoa) (and okay maybe it’s pretty different but it’s so tasty and easy to make so you should definitely try it before the weather warms up, k?)

This soup would also be great with Israeli couscous! Learn about the difference between quinoa and couscous here.

Ingredients in quinoa and vegetable soup

When I say this soup is good, I mean good. You can thank the many flavorings and spices for that! If you keep your veggies and spices stocked up, you likely have nearly everything you need for this dish. If you don’t, swap something!

• Olive Oil: First up, you will need 2 tablespoons of olive oil. This is important for cooking the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. I recommend extra virgin olive oil for its benefits (learn more about olive oil here).
• Veggies: Load up on veggies by chopping the following: 1 yellow onion, 2 carrots, and 3 stalks of celery. This is the perfect amount for creating 6 servings of soup!
• Garlic: Any good soup uses garlic, this one included. Use 4 cloves, minced. If you only have powder, use 1 teaspoon.
• Broth: Add the liquid portion to the soup by using 12 cups of vegetable broth. This ingredient is absolutely loaded with nutrients and makes a great soup base all around.
• Thyme: Include 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme to contribute a nice earthy flavor.
• Oregano: Oregano is always great in soup, and this recipe calls for ½ teaspoon (or go with fresh oregano for extra flavor).
• Bay Leaves: Include 2 bay leaves — each leaf goes a long way!
• Quinoa: Add folate, copper, manganese, magnesium, and loads of other nutrients by including 1 cup of healthy quinoa.
• Chickpeas: Use 2 15-oz cans of fiber-filled chickpeas to bulk up the soup and add extra protein! Drain before adding.
• Parsley: Last but not least, complete the dish by adding ½ cup of chopped fresh parsley.

How to make veggie quinoa soup

I don’t know about you, but one pot, two-step recipes are my jam. This soup could practically be made with your eyes closed! It’s a great beginner vegetarian recipe and is so simple to follow.

Step 1: Cook the base
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook until softened (about 10 minutes).

Step 2: Prepare the bulk of the soup
Add the broth, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves to the pot, and then bring everything to a simmer. Once simmering, add the quinoa and cook until it’s done (about 12 minutes). Right before serving, stir in the chickpeas and garnish with parsley.

Optional soup variations

As I mentioned above, there’s really no way to mess up a soup. That being said, you can use this recipe as an excuse to add in whatever you’d like! Have veggies waiting to be used? Throw ’em in! Need to use up something before it goes bad? By all means! Here are some ideas for delish soup additions:

• Bell peppers
• Peas (canned, fresh, or frozen!)
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Corn (canned, fresh, or frozen!)

Pairing ideas

On the hunt for the perfect soup side dish? Try one of these!

• Soups are classically paired with sandwiches, and something light like this Avocado Sandwich makes a great option!
• Go with a refreshing Veggie Caesar Salad for all of the greens!
• It’s not traditional, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong! Try your soup alongside some Hibiscus Tacos for something fun and different.

I first published this recipe on Amanda’s Cookin’.