This post contains affiliate links.
This easy quinoa vegetable soup is a bone-warming, brothy meal that combines the comfort of chicken noodle soup with the health perks of a veggie-packed bowl (and it whips up in under 30 minutes!). With simple-to-follow, foolproof steps, this soup is a guaranteed winner every time.
save this recipe!Your New Go-To Soup
This soup is impossible to mess up. Throw everything in one pot, heat it up, and boom: soup. Flavors not quite right? Adjust them! Missing a certain ingredient? Swap it out!
This veggie soup is flexible and forgiving, making it especially great for those chilly nights when you forget to make a grocery pit stop (and your fridge is looking a little sparse). Don’t leave the warmth of your house—make this instead!
Reader rating
“Delicious new addition to my limited soup choices. I’m not a big fan of soup, but this is great!” —Krista
Here’s What You’ll Need
When I say this soup is easy, I mean easy. If you keep your veggies and spices pretty stocked, you likely already have everything! Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements—this is just an overview!
- Olive Oil: We’ll use this to cook the mirepoix and garlic. I recommend extra virgin olive oil for its heart health benefits.
- Mirepoix: Load up on onion, carrots, and celery for a savory, hearty base.
- Garlic: Any good soup should contain garlic! Use 4 cloves here.
- Broth: For our liquid base, we’ll use vegetable broth (learn how to make vegetable broth here!). It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals.
- Seasonings: Add fresh thyme for an earthy note, oregano (always great in vegetable soup), and bay leaves for that extra hearty flavor boost.
- Quinoa: Quinoa provides folate, copper, manganese, magnesium, and loads of other nutrients (plus, it’s a complete protein!).
- Chickpeas: To bulk up the soup and add extra protein, throw in some chickpeas! You can use canned for convenience or cook chickpeas from scratch for a creamier texture. If you use canned, rinse them thoroughly.
- Parsley: Complete your soup with some chopped fresh parsley.
Making This soup Is Easy
I don’t know about you, but I love one-pot, two-step recipes. This soup could practically be made with your eyes closed! (Jump to the recipe card for the full printable instructions.)
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 Rest
Add the broth, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves to the pot, then bring everything to a simmer. Once simmering, add the quinoa and cook until it’s tender. Right before serving, stir in the chickpeas and garnish with parsley.
Try These Variations
There is literally no way you can mess up this quinoa vegetable soup. Have veggies waiting to be used? Throw ’em in! Need to use up something before it goes bad? By all means! Here are some delish ideas.
- Veggies: Think peppers, peas, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, and corn. Fresh vegetables are great, but don’t hesitate to use frozen ones if you’re short on time or ingredients!
- Seasonings: Try basil, sage, red pepper flakes, or your very own homemade Italian seasoning blend.
- Legumes: No chickpeas? No problem! Swap them out for white kidney beans, cannellini beans, lima beans, or green/brown lentils.
- Grains: Try barley for a chewy texture, farro for a nutty flavor, or Israeli couscous for a pasta-like bite. Or, go gluten-free with millet or rice.
Pair This With…
If you’re on the hunt for the perfect quinoa vegetable soup side dish, look no further than one of these tasty options.
- Avocado Sandwich: Soups are classically paired with sandwiches, and a light option like this makes your meal feel cozy and nutritious.
- Veggie Caesar Salad: Opt for a crisp, refreshing salad for all the greens!
30-Minute Quinoa Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 cups vegetable broth, 3 quarts, 2.8 L
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup dried quinoa, 180 g
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, 2 425 g cans, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 20 g
Instructions
- The Base: Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook until softened (about 10 minutes).
- The Bulk: Add broth, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves, then bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add quinoa and cook until done (about 12 minutes). Right before serving, stir in chickpeas and garnish with parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Hi! When you say to bring the broth to a boil, add quinoa, and cook until done (12 minutes): did you leave out to reduce the heat to a simmer? Or did you actually mean to cook the quinoa at a roiling boil for 12 minutes?
Usually quinoa is cooked at a very low temperature, so just checking.
Thanks!
You’re right! Changing that now 😀 Thanks for pointing that out!
Hiya I am livinnng for and loving all of your recipes right now! I am on a fast and found you through looking for plant based, light recipes, that will be easy on my stomach yet nutritious and delicious for when I reintroduce meals- and I’ve found all that (and more) here on your page! I’ve written many of your recipes down and this is one of them- I just wanted to ask if this soup freezes well? Thank you Sarah!
This one should freeze decently! 😀 Enjoy!
Hi Sarah,
Could you use the liquid from the chickpeas as part of your broth rather than throw it away? Thanks
Yea I think that would work! 😀
Surprisingly good. Not a lot of spice added , but surprisingly flavorful. I was afraid it would be somewhat bland.
Hi Sarah; I am new to your site and your recipes, and I simply love the site as well as the information, recipes, the descriptions, and the advertisement of your foods. The recipes are beautifully displayed, and appealing for the palette to try. I am currently investigating all of the recipes I can find to be able to eat the comfort foods that I have grown up with all of my life and I readily prepared for my family (I was the cook for my family from age 6 to 18) when I moved out to be married., I was not allowed to practice veganism even though in my soul I was. So with this book I have written, lol I just wanted to explain and thank you for your dedication and your love for the foods, knowledge, clear descriptions of the preparation of the food and why. I am wishing you the very best of everything in life that you want to achieve and ask you to not give up and close this site. Please keep with educating the people, your devoted followers, and the newbies like me with all of your wonderful comfort foods, and also the new foods that I have yet to experience. May the Universe wrap you in it’s arms and keep you. Barb
Hi Sarah; This is Barb again, (the one who wrote you a letter that looked like a book lol ) but I was wondering what I could use as a replacement for the Quinoa and the Couscous if after trying to eat it with the way you said to prepare I still don’t like it? I love most all of the grains, and the old-fashioned cereals; you’d be surprised-but for some reason I have not been able to wrap my brain around the texture and bland taste of both of these grains. Thanks, Barb
You could use farro or sorghum for a fun texture! 😀 Enjoy!
Delicious new addition to my limited soup choices. I’m not a big fan of soup but this is great!!!
So happy to hear you liked it, Krista! Enjoy! 😀
Why so much sodium?
The veggie broth! You can use a low-sodium variety though 😀
12 cups broth seems like quite a bit based on ratio of other ingredients. I plan to add some remaining diced sweet potato and zucchini. I’m assuming less liquid would make it more like a stew?
Combining this recipe and one from your fabulous cookbook which I’m
Loving!
Hi Jennifer! The quinoa will absorb some of that, but you can definitely reduce it to 8 or 10 cups for more of a stew 🙂 Happy eating!
Add bone broth for extra protein.