What are the healthiest vegetables to put in soup?

Root vegetables such as squash and potatoes add a good element of heartiness and fiber. Carrots and zucchini hold up well in broth and kale or Swiss chard add nice flavor, a splash of color and a serious dose of nutrition. Tomatoes and tomato paste give your recipe an Italian twist.

How many calories in a cup of quinoa soup?

Pacific Vegetable Quinoa Soup (1 cup) contains 18g total carbs, 15g net carbs, 2g fat, 3g protein, and 90 calories .

What is the healthiest vegetable on earth?

The CDC assigns nutrition density scores to produce based on their concentration of essential vitamins and minerals. Usual suspects like spinach, chard, and beet greens all have scores ranging in the 80s. But the only vegetable to earn a perfect score of 100 is watercress .

What is the best soup to eat everyday?

6 delicious and healthy soups Chicken Vietnamese Pho. Green spring minestrone. Herb and yoghurt-based soup. Lamb shank and barley soup. Pumpkin soup with star croutons. Lentil and vegetable soup with crusty bread. Apr 27, 2020

Is quinoa too high in calories?

Quinoa is a nutrient-dense food, meaning ounce for ounce, you get high amounts of vitamins and minerals. By contrast, foods that are considered nutrient-poor, like fried foods or processed snacks, tend to be high in calories without a lot of nutritional value. One cup of cooked quinoa contains: 222 calories .

Does quinoa have more calories than rice?

White rice and brown rice have fewer calories than quinoa . One cup of white rice has 111 calories, brown rice has 218 calories while quinoa has around 222 calories. But these calorie in quinoa are worth the nutrition it provides.

Does quinoa thicken soup?

Quinoa does absorb a good amount of liquid, so it is great for making a thicker soup (almost stew) consistency .

Are vegetables in soup still healthy?

Boiled — When cooking vegetables over a long period of time in water, some nutrients will be lost. However, if the water will be consumed with the vegetables — as in the case of soups, stews or curries — many of the vitamins will be retained in the final dish .

What makes homemade soup healthier?

7 smart tips for making a healthy soup Use more vegetables in your soup than meats or grains . Add fresh herbs at the very end of cooking. Add milk to stocks to make a creamy soup. Add it after the vegetables are soft cooked.

Is it healthy to eat vegetable soup everyday?

General guidelines recommend that adults consume at least five servings of vegetables each day. Soup can be a great way to boost your intake . May reduce heart disease risk: Studies have shown that plant-based eating may help reduce the risk of heart disease and other health conditions.

What vegetable should I eat every day?

Healthy eating means consuming more dark green vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and other dark leafy greens . Include more red or orange vegetables, such as carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and legumes, in your diet (dry beans and peas).

Vegetable Quinoa Soup (Easy + Healthy Recipe)

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Healthy and well-balanced, this Vegetable Quinoa Soup filled with hearty vegetables, protein rich quinoa and beans is oil-free and so easy to make using a slow cooker, Instant Pot or stovetop method!

It’s another rainy day in Southern California, and as much as I love the sun, the rain is always welcome. So what could be better on a rainy day than a bowl of warm, nourishing soup brimming with an abundance of vegetables, quinoa and flavorful herbs!

Using cabbage leftover from this, A Very Good Vegan Split Pea Soup, and zucchini I had on hand gave me a good starting point. Add to that the usual mix of carrots, celery and onion, along with diced tomatoes, beans, quinoa and herbs completes the medley of goodness!

Not only is this vegan vegetable soup with quinoa super easy to make (whether in the crock pot or on the stove-top), but overall you will find the ingredients to be accessible, healthy and low-fat. It has all the attributes I love!

For those who don’t care for quinoa, you will love it in soups – I promise! It adds fiber, protein, and cooks up perfectly every time.

Table of Contents show

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this recipe, onion, carrots, celery, and herbs are sauteed and simmered with quinoa, cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini and beans for a healthy and delicious soup perfect for a vegan lunch, dinner or meal prep idea.

Here is everything you will need:

Quinoa – I used a tri-color, use your favorite color quinoa
Cabbage – green or savoy cabbage, or sub with a few handfuls of spinach or kale
Zucchini – sub with yellow squash or use a combo
Carrots
Celery – feel free to add a few leaves
Onion – any color will do
Herbs – I used herbs de provence, but feel free to use thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano or Italian seasoning blend.
Tomatoes – use diced tomatoes (pref fire roasted)
Beans – use your favorite. I used a three bean medley and one can of white beans.
Vegetable broth – I use and recommend 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of BTB Veg Paste (affiliate link) with water. The jar lasts forever and the flavor is delicious!
Salt + pepper

How To Make Vegetable Quinoa Soup

(Note – The full printable recipe and instructions for Instant Pot, stovetop and slow cooker methods is at the bottom of this post)

Start by sauteing the onion, carrots and celery for 4 minutes, add the dried herbs and garlic powder and continue to cook for 1 minute more.

Add the quinoa, beans, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, pour the vegetable broth overtop.

Give a good stir and cook according to the method used as noted in the recipe card below.

And there you have it, shown below, a hearty vegetable soup with quinoa to nourish your day. Cheers to good food that encourages good health!

Top Tips

Serve with avocado. This soup is especially delicious served with avocado, adding creaminess and another layer of flavor!

How To Store

Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
Freezer: This quinoa vegetable soup freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. Let thaw before reheating.
Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.
Meal prep: It makes a great meal prep for the week with homemade Artisan Bread or Naan on the side for soaking up the juices.

Serving Suggestions

Pair this healthy vegetable quinoa soup with a side for an even heartier and filling meal. Here are a few of my favorite options:

Bread: Serve with a slice of homemadeArtisan Bread, soft & chewyNaan Bread, or gluten-freeSoccaflatbread for soaking up the juices.
Salad: Pair with a House Salad, Green Salad + Chickpeas, or simple leafy green salad with Vegan Ranch,Lemon-Herb Hemp Dressingor.
Sandwich: Pair with this,Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich, orVegan Egg Salad Sandwich!
Veggies + dip: It’s wonderful served with veggies sticks and Classic Hummus or Simple White Bean Hummusfor a light snack or lunch.

More Easy Soup Recipes

Soups can be light or hearty, and make great lunch and dinner ideas. Take a look at these other vegan soup recipes, you just may find a new favorite!

Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup(a fan favorite!)
Creamy Broccoli + Red Lentil Soup
See all vegan Soup recipes on TSV!

If you try this easy soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

VEGTABLE QUINOA SOUP

Ingredients

Scale

2 large carrots, sliced or diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1/4 head of cabbage, chopped
2 medium zucchini, cut in half & sliced
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices (pref. fire roasted)
2 cans (14 oz.) beans of choice, drained and rinsed (I used one can white beans & one can three bean medley)
1/3 cup dry quinoa
2 teaspoons herbes de provence or 1 teaspoon each thyme & rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
6 cups water or vegetable broth
mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Slow Cooker:

In 5 – 6 quart crockpot, place ingredients in the bottom starting with the carrots and ending with the liquids.
Cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours, or HIGH for 3 – 5 hours. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Instant Pot:

Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and add the 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water, onion, carrot, and celery, saute for 5 minutes, adding the herbs and garlic powder in the last minute (feel free to skip this step entirely adding everything to the pot and cooking).
Add quinoa, beans, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and vegetable broth, stir to combine.
Attach lid and turn to the lock, set the valve to SEALING, and manually set to HIGH pressure for 3 minutes (takes about 25 minutes to come to pressure). Let natural release for 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Stovetop:

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil (or 1/4 cup water for water saute), add onions, carrots and celery, saute for 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 35 minutes – 1 hour. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with your favorite artisan bread. Add diced avocado for another layer of flavor.

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for 5 – 6 days. To keep longer, store in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. Let thaw before reheating.

Serves 4 – 6

Notes

For the beans, use your favorite. I just happen to use what I had on hand. I used one can of great northern beans and one can three bean medley which included black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. I was nice mix.

I use herbes de provence here (it is one of my favorite herb blends). If you don’t have any on hand, a mix of any of the following herbs will work just as well: thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds, basil, savory, and coriander. Use any combo of up to 2 heaping teaspoons. If you have a bay leaf on hand, by all means add one.

Instead of cabbage, sub with 2 – 3 cups of fresh baby spinach or kale. If cooking in the slow cooker add it the last 30 minutes. Stovetop, add at the last 5 – 15 minutes. Instant pot, stir in as soon as you remove the lid.

Updated: Vegetable Quinoa Soup was originally published in February 2017. It has been updated with new photos and helpful tips in April 2020.

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Vegetable Quinoa Soup (Easy + Healthy Recipe) - The Simple Veganista (2024)