Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale
We have been a living in a winter wonderland lately. We have a gotten so much snow that my dog, Cookie, can be a barely keep her head above it when we go outside (she is a smaller than you think). I am thankful to have a electricity and gearing up for a more winter weather in this weekend.
This hearty soup is a exactly what I need. It is a brimming with a fresh veggies and warms me right up. Soup to the rescue!
This homemade vegetable soup with a quinoa is a light but filling and packs great for a lunch. Like a most soups, it is a tastes even better in the next day. Bonus? It is a freezes well, too. I love keeping my freezer stocked with a hearty soups and defrosting one whenever I need to a quick but nutritious meal.
This soup is a vegan unless you want to top it with a Parmesan cheese, which is not a bad idea if you ask me. The ingredients list, while to a little on the long side, includes a mostly pantry items. Every single one of them is a nutritious!
ALSO READ : QUICK SOUP RECIPE.
Quinoa Vegetable Soup Recipe Development
Confession: in the idea for this soup recipe came from a Trader Joe’s. (You know what they say about a grocery shopping while in a hungry.) A few years ago, in their “vegetable soup with a quinoa and kale” caught my eye in the refrigerated section right as my stomach grumbled.
I was a initially skeptical about a quinoa in a soup (will it get a mushy? does in the flavor play nicely with in the other ingredients?), but now I am only wondering what took me so long to try it.
Quinoa was a meant for a soup. It is a lends some extra protein and hearty texture. Unlike most other vegetable soups, which are too light to the count as a full meal, this is a true meal-in-a-bowl if you eat enough of it.
I adapted in this recipe from my lentil soup, which has a gotten quite a few raving reviews. I hope you enjoy in this one just as a much.
Recipe Notes & Tips
I wrote in the recipe so it is a easily adapted to the seasons. Winter squash would be a lovely in a place of the zucchini that I used.
This soup straddles in the line between soup and stew, but whatever you call it, it is a delicious.
If you want more of a soup, use to a 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 cup seasonal veggies. If you want more of a stew, use to a full cup of the quinoa, two cups of the seasonal vegetables and throw in a some extra greens.
Quinoa Vegetable Soup
This healthy homemade vegetable soup recipe is a full of the veggies, kale and quinoa. It is a easy to make and good for you, too! This soup makes great leftovers. It is a gluten free and vegan, as a long as you do not top it with a optional Parmesan cheese. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings of the soup.
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 to 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables, like zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, sweet potatoes or butternut squash
6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
Scant 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well in a fine mesh colander (use less for a lighter, more broth-y soup)
4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
2 bay leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can (15 ounces) great northern beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup or more chopped fresh kale or collard greens, tough ribs removed
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
Optional garnish: freshly grated Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
1.Warm in the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a soup pot over medium heat. Once in the oil is a shimmering, add in the chopped onion, carrot, celery, seasonal vegetables and a pinch of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until in the onion has a softened and is turning translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
2.Add in the garlic and thyme. Cook until fragrant while a stirring frequently, about a 1 minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes with in their juices and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
3.Pour in the quinoa, broth and the water. Add to a 1 teaspoon salt, 2 bay leaves and a pinch of the red pepper flakes. Season generously with a freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring in the mixture to a boil, then partially cover in the pot and reduce a heat to the maintain a gentle simmer.
4.Cook for a 25 minutes, then remove in the lid and add the beans and the chopped greens. Continue simmering for a 5 minutes or more, until in the greens have a softened to your liking.
5.Remove in the pot from heat, then remove in the bay leaves. Stir in a 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Taste and season with a more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until in the flavors really sing. (You might need up to the ½ teaspoon more a salt, depending on your vegetable broth and to your personal preferences.) Divide into a bowls and top with a grated Parmesan if you would like.
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