This Healing Quinoa Vegetable Soup was necessary on so many levels.
It’s been a daunting month in my tightly-knit circle of friends. Since the beginning of November, we’ve experienced two cancer scares and an auto-immune disorder diagnosis. And behind all of the words of encouragement and support, stress levels were at an all-time high.
Overall, we’re healthy people. We run; we exercise regularly; we eat smart; and we take care in nourishing our bodies. To say that it all felt like a cruel joke would be an understatement.
But shit got real.
Because I’m basically Wolverine, I’m recovering really well from a surgery I had last week, and self-care + taking care of my people is priority. In order to boost my healing and help a gal pal out with her recent RA diagnosis, I wanted to make a mega batch of wholesome soup brimming with nourishment and anti-inflammatory foods.
You know, in a feelgood eat your veggies + build your immune system kind of way.
Not in a hippy hoodoo anti-medicine kind of way.
Just to clarify.
Anti-inflammatory foods taste fabulous together.
A healthy diet is so important. And though I don’t believe anyone should solely rely on natural remedies over science, nourishing our bodies can only help the healing process.
So, I propped my laptop up on my kitchen counter last week and I did some homework. I wanted to create a powerful soup that would not only soothe the soul, but also ease any inflammation happening in our bods. I was a little worried about certain flavors not working well—after all, I typically leave ginger for my East + Southeast Asian soups—but I was over the moon when I added it to this pot and learned that it worked.
Along with ginger, the turmeric, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, rosemary, and quinoa in this soup work as anti-inflammatories to create a healing soup that is appetizing and substantial.
It’s perfect for lunch and dinner!
If you make this recipe, please snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @killing__thyme! I love hearing from you <3
Healing Quinoa Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 medium-sized zucchini, thinly sliced and halved
- 2 cups frozen green beans
- 3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
- 32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth *see notes
- 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 3-4 cups water
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme or Italian spices
- 1.5 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt, more to taste if needed
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 heaping cups ribboned or torn baby spinach
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over moderate heat. Add diced onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, carrots, and celery, and sauté for about 5-7 minutes, or until onions are translucent and aromatic. Add the zucchini, green beans, and parsley, and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, water, dried herbs, and sugar. Season with the salt and pepper to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.
- Add the dry quinoa and cover; cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked.
- Finally, add the cannellini beans and the spinach. Simmer for another 5 minutes, and serve.
Its snowing. I really wanted to be out on my roller skates today but can’t. I miss my good friends who are far away. I miss D&C Saturdays, and gourmet hotdogs. So in place of all these things I’m missing I’m going to make this soup and watch Twin Peaks. Time to nourish the body and the spirit.
I would like to apologize for creating this soup’s origin story. Let me explain.
This tight group of friends was all in/at my November wedding. Health scares, personal relationship issues, you name it. I had a really good quarter, but a lot of my friends were struggling. Then, Dana wrote this recipe.
I didn’t make this EXACT soup because I don’t like zucchini that much. That’s okay, that’s not what the soup is about. The soup is meant to adapt to whatever you have in the house and are willing to go get from grocery . The soup is whatever you need it to be. Inflammation is a big problem for a lot of us, and it each made us feel a little better.
Here’s to adaptable soup in cold weather. But, really here’s to friends and a happier, healthier 2018.
I recently made this soup and it is hearty and delicious! And I felt so nourished afterwards from all the good-for-you ingredients like ginger, turmeric, and the combo of veggies. I was able to eat off of one pot for days! Soup is my comfort food in the winter. This will definitely be one of my go-to recipes in the future!
I just made this soup last week! It was hearty and delicious, and I was able to get about 8 or 9 servings out of it. I was able to bring it to work for lunch and it kept me full all afternoon. I really like that it’s versatile; you could swap out the veggies, beans, and quinoa for any other veggies beans or grains that you had on hand!
I’m so glad you loved this and got so many bowls out of it! It’s such a big and hearty soup.
I was pretty sick over the holidays with a nasty flu. I made a batch of this and it helped me so much. It was so nourishing. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making this again soon.
Hope 2018 is a healthy one for you.
I’m loving the flavours you’ve got going on in this soup! Perfect for these cold winter months, and a great way to nourish your body. Definitely adding this to the “must-try” list.
Yikes, hopefully you and your friends are feeling healthier now and I’m sure that staying positive and taking care of yourselves will keep you strong. This soup looks amazing! I find that there’s a lot of cookie recipes around this time of year, but we really got to take the time to nourish ourselves with vegetables and good ingredients as well. Feel better!
Thanks, Stephanie!
I tend to skip over the cookie recipes myself, so I’m glad a few other people are on board with the nourishing soups :)
I love everything about this soup. So healthy, nourishing and comforting. The ginger and tumeric would add such a nice flavour. Best wishes to you and your friends for a quick recovery
I was so unsure about the ginger at first, but I went for it, and was *very* happy with it!
Thanks, Natalie <3
Yum! What a hearty bowl! Perfect for this kind of weather!
This soup looks so healthy and exactly what I need this time of year. I’ve been going through some minor health issues lately too – it’s always scary when your health is in question. Wishing us all a healthier year ahead!
It really is terrifying. My anxiety reminds me pretty regularly that there’s been a lot of cancer in my family so it could happen. But I try to be positive and live a healthy lifestyle. Having a brush with it was eye-opening, and hearing those words peeled me away from the universe for a few moments. I just felt like everything around me fell away. But I think we also learn a lot about ourselves in these situations, and we learn how strong our support systems are.
I hope you feel better soon, Maresa. May 2018 be a healthy year for us and those we love <3
Your soups sounds absolutely divine! Perfect for the colder days ahead. Wishing you and your friends a very healthy 2018!
Thanks, Aryane! This bowl of coziness will definitely become a soup season staple in this house.
This looks delicious! Glad to hear you’re healing well and taking care of yourself by giving your body nutritious foods
Thanks, Gabby! They say you are what you eat…
I like everything about this soup! Plus, I am recovering from the terrible flu, it’s been 2 weeks and I’m still under the weather, so this seems like it’s happening to help me heal. All the best to you, for a speedy recovery, and to your friends!
Thanks, Nicoletta! I hope you recover soon as well. Just in time for the busy holidays would be nice :)