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This hearty vegetable quinoa soup is packed with anti-inflammatory foods like dark leafy greens, turmeric, tomatoes, and garlic. Filling, flavorful, and incredibly nourishing, this soup is a meatless alternative to the usual chicken soup.
As much as I love a good chicken soup, like my healing ginger chicken soup or this soothing lemon chicken soup with kale, sometimes we want something meatless. Maybe you eat mostly plants, or maybe your stomach is feeling a little delicate. Either way, this soup has you covered: it’s comforting, nourishing, full of anti-inflammatory ingredients, and filling enough to count as a real meal.
Looking for more cozy, meatless soups? Check out my vegetable lasagna soup or this creamy tomato tortellini soup.
A Few Good Reasons to Make This
- Maximum Nutrient Bioavailability: Nutrients that leach out of the vegetables stay in the broth, so you get them in every spoonful.
- Complete plant protein: Quinoa has all nine essential amino acids, so this is more satisfying than your average veggie soup.
- It’s great for make-ahead meals: Tastes even better the next day, and holds up well all week.
- It freezes well: Portion it into single servings for easy lunches or nights you don’t feel like cooking.
- It’s high in fiber: Vegetables, quinoa, and any beans you add keep you full and support digestion.
Tips From My Kitchen
I make mistakes so that you don’t have to! Here’s what I’ve learned while testing this recipe…
- Don’t skip the black pepper. It contains piperine, which helps your body absorb more of the curcumin in turmeric. It’s not just there for flavor.
- Quinoa absorbs broth as it cooks. I love the heartiness of this recipe as written, so cooking the quinoa right in the broth works for me. (Not to mention, only one pot to clean afterward.) If you prefer a brothier soup, either cook the quinoa separately in its own pot and stir it into the soup before serving, or keep an extra 32 oz (4 cups) of broth handy; add as needed.
Ingredients at a Glance
A quick look at some of the essentials before we dive into the recipe:
- Turmeric, ginger & garlic: in a warm broth, these are a traditional cold-weather comfort.
- Vegetable broth: low-sodium if you can, and season with sea salt as you go.
- Dried spices: I used rosemary and thyme when developing this recipe, but I’ve strayed and used my homemade Italian seasoning, and it works beautifully.
- Quinoa: A complete plant protein, with about 8 grams per cooked cup.
- Cannelini beans: A cooked cup has about 15-17 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber.
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C, and cooking them makes the lycopene easier to absorb.
- Lemon: A splash of fresh lemon juice right before serving brightens the flavors up beautifully!
How to Make Vegetable Quinoa Soup
Step 1: Sauté the vegetables.
Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, ginger, turmeric, carrots, celery, and zucchini, and cook, stirring now and then, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste and 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper. Stir in the garlic, green beans, and parsley, and cook for 30 seconds, just until everything smells wonderful.
Step 2: Get the broth going.
Pour in the vegetable broth, then add the dried herbs and crushed tomatoes. Give everything a good stir and bring it to a low boil. Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.
Step 3: Add the quinoa.
Stir the quinoa into the simmering broth and let it cook until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. It will plump up and make the soup heartier.
Step 4: Add the beans and spinach.
Rinse the cannellini beans under cool water and add them to the pot, along with the chopped spinach. Let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes to warm the beans through and wilt the greens.
Step 5: Finish.
Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice to brighten everything up. Taste, and add more salt or pepper if it needs it. Serve with crushed saltines or air fryer croutons for crunch.
Make It Your Own!
- Do some veggie swaps: kale, chopped broccoli, cauliflower, and shredded cabbage all work well here.
- Add some heat: sprinkle in some chili flakes when you add the dried spices.
- Other grains: you can swap in brown rice, barley, or millet, but cooking times will change.
- Brown rice takes 35-45 minutes to cook in soup.
- Barley will take 30-50 minutes
- Millet will take 15-25 minutes
- Add noodles: small shapes like farfalline, ditalino, and acini de pepe work very well. Cook pasta separately, however, as it soaks up more broth than quinoa.
Serve It With…
Storage Tips
- Fridge: Let the soup cool and refrigerate in airtight containers within 2 hours. It will keep for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Once the soup has cooled, transfer it to freezer-safe containers (I like using these portioned silicone trays). The soup will keep its quality for up to 3 months.
Hearty Vegetable Quinoa Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons turmeric, ground or freshly grated
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced and then halved
- 2 cup frozen green beans
- 3 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 64 oz low-sodium vegetable broth, (8 cups)
- 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste if needed
- 1/4 teaspoon Cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups baby spinach, ribboned or torn
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, ginger, turmeric, carrots, celery, and zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (about 5 minutes). Season with salt to taste and 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper.
- Stir in the minced garlic, frozen green beans, and parsley. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the vegetable broth. Add the dried herbs and crushed tomatoes, then give everything a good stir. Bring it to a low boil. Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.
- Stir the quinoa into the simmering broth and let it cook until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. It will plump up, creating a hearty soup.
- Rinse the cannellini beans under cool water and add them to the pot, along with the chopped spinach. Let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes to warm the beans through and wilt the greens.
- Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice to brighten everything up.
- Taste, and add more salt or pepper if it needs it.
- Serve with crushed saltines or air fryer croutons for crunch.
How many calories per serving please
Hi Jann—I’ll be adding the macros soon (going to update this post fully), but here they are, so you know now: calories per serving: 157, Protein: 7g Carbs: 27g, fiber: 6g
I hope that helps! Please let me know what you think if you try it out :)
I enjoyed every bite of this delicious, hearty soup
I’m so so glad!
I am feeling like okra would be amazing in here. Thoughts on how best to incorporate?
Hi Monica, I’d say swap the frozen green beans for frozen okra.