Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale
This healthy homemade vegetable soup recipe is full of veggies, kale and quinoa. It's easy to make and good for you, too! Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
We’ve been living in a winter wonderland lately. We’ve gotten so much snow that my dog, Cookie, can barely keep her head above it when we go outside (she’s smaller than you think). I’m thankful to have electricity and gearing up for more winter weather this weekend.
This hearty soup is exactly what I need. It’s brimming with fresh veggies and warms me right up. Soup to the rescue!
This homemade vegetable soup with quinoa is light but filling and packs great for lunch. Like most soups, it tastes even better the next day. Bonus? It freezes well, too. I love keeping my freezer stocked with hearty soups and defrosting one whenever I need a quick but nutritious meal.
This soup is vegan unless you want to top it with Parmesan cheese, which isn’t a bad idea if you ask me. The ingredients list, while a little on the long side, includes mostly pantry items. Every single one of them is nutritious!
Quinoa Vegetable Soup Recipe Development
Confession: the idea for this soup recipe came from Trader Joe’s. (You know what they say about grocery shopping while hungry.) A few years ago, their “vegetable soup with quinoa and kale” caught my eye in the refrigerated section right as my stomach grumbled.
I was initially skeptical about quinoa in soup (will it get mushy? does the flavor play nicely with the other ingredients?), but now I’m only wondering what took me so long to try it.
Quinoa was meant for soup. It lends some extra protein and hearty texture. Unlike most other vegetable soups, which are too light to count as a full meal, this is a true meal-in-a-bowl if you eat enough of it.
I adapted this recipe from my lentil soup, which has gotten quite a few raving reviews. I hope you enjoy this one just as much.
Recipe Notes & Tips
I wrote the recipe so it’s easily adapted to seasons. Winter squash would be lovely in place of the zucchini that I used.
This soup straddles the line between soup and stew, but whatever you call it, it’s delicious.
If you want more of a soup, use 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 cup seasonal veggies. If you want more of a stew, use a full cup of quinoa, two cups of seasonal vegetables and throw in some extra greens.
Watch How to Make Quinoa Soup
Please let me know how you like this soup in the comments! I love hearing from you.
If you enjoy this soup, be sure to check out my minestrone, lentil soup, Megan’s quinoa stew, and the hearty soup recipes in my cookbook.
Quinoa Vegetable Soup
This healthy homemade vegetable soup recipe is full of veggies, kale and quinoa. It’s easy to make and good for you, too! This soup makes great leftovers. It’s gluten free and vegan, as long as you don’t top it with optional Parmesan cheese. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings of 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
- Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, seasonal vegetables and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
- Pour in the quinoa, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 bay leaves and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and add the beans and the chopped greens. Continue simmering for 5 minutes or more, until the greens have softened to your liking.
- Remove the pot from heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. (You might need up to ½ teaspoon more salt, depending on your vegetable broth and your personal preferences.) Divide into bowls and top with grated Parmesan if you’d like.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Trader Joe’s organic vegetable soup with quinoa and kale. Recipe adapted from my lentil soup recipe.
Seasonal vegetable preparation tips: If you’re using dense vegetables like butternut or sweet potato for your seasonal vegetables, be sure to chop them as small as you’re chopping your carrots so they cook in the same amount of time.
Slow cooker option: I haven’t tried, but Sarah reports that her soup turned out well after 8 hours on low heat.
Storage suggestions: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days. It freezes and defrosts well if you want to freeze extra portions for later!
Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t garnish with Parmesan.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This soup started out as “Seriously good vegetable soup” for lunch yesterday. I omitted the salt, used butternut squash, baby spinach and about 1/2 T of curry powder. After adding the broth, etc it was cooked it in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes with quick release.It was so delicious it was difficult to exercise portion control!
With the refrigerated leftovers, I added cooked quinoa last night and today for lunch heated it with 15 oz. of drained white kidney beans. We then added freshly grated black pepper BellaVitano cheese. Oh my, it was just as delicious as the vegetable soup but in a different way. We really had the best of both worlds!!
Thank you for sharing how you made this one, Carol! I’m happy to hear that.
Excellent – as advertised. I added more kale a little more broth and used sweet potato – Along with other veg topped by a dash of hot Chili sauce before eating – really terrific – very filling . Froze individual portions for lunch or dinner.And thanks for the nutritional estimate – for us calorie counters.
Sounds perfect, Susan! Thank you for your review.
Hi Kathryn! Wonderful recipe! Thank you for sharing! I also love your cookbook!
I am wondering- how do you store and defrost your soups? In a freezer bag?
Hi Britt! I typically recommend in a freezer safe container (I have used some freezer safe glass in the past) and then let thaw in your refrigerator.
Is it alright to omit the quinoa? I’m out and don’t wish to use rice or a sub.
Hi Hayley, sure! I would suggest my vegetable soup instead.
This is absolutely delicious. Have made today and am in soup heaven.
Hopefully my carnivorous husband likes it too, otherwise I’ll take the below suggestion and add some sausage to it.
Excellent!
I wanted a vegetable soup to use up some produce, but I didn’t want to use my stove on a warm day. So I gave this a try in my instant pot. It worked great! I sauteed the onions, celery, and carrot using the saute function for about 5 minutes, enough to soften it. Then I added the garlic for another minute or so. Then I added everything, but the greens, to the pot. I cooked it on high pressure for 4 minutes, then did a quick release. I added the greens and a squeeze of lemon after the quick release. The soup took about 15 minutes to come to pressure, so overall was done in about a half hour. Depending on the size of the instant pot you have, you might have to make adjustments for the amount of produce and liquid. It turned out great, and it did not heat up my kitchen!
Kate!
This is my go to recipe all the time. Especially easy and simple when I do it in my slow cooker, but I often use my dutch oven which definitely adds to the taste. Through this recipe, I have found others on your site that are also some of my favorites! Thanks so much!
It’s good! This recipe really makes about 8-10 servings. It’s a lot!
It does make quite a bit of soup! Thanks for sharing, Helen.
It’s good! This recipe really makes about 8-10 servings. It’s a lot!
I cooked most of the liquid out to make it more of a “bowl.”
This recipe is a winner and I will definitely make it again! It’s so delicious!
My husband usually doesn’t like purely vegetarian/vegan dishes, but he had 2 helpings.
Also, it’s quite easy to make.
This is so yummy! I used small red potatoes and red bell pepper as my 2 cups of additional veggies. We don’t like chunks of tomato, so I used one 15oz can crushed tomatoes instead and also added 2 additional cups of low sodium veg broth. I also kept the quinoa and beans stored in separate containers to add to individual servings, which I then topped with avocado. So good!
A friend brought fresh kale from his Mom’s garden and I decided to try this for the first time and what a wonderful, tasty and healthy soup!! The crunchy texture of the quinoa was an excellent balance to the creaminess of the beans and the vegetables. This will definitely be a regular all year round as it is adaptable!! Highly recommend this!
I’m glad you loved it, Maria! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Most welcome and THANK YOU for sharing your wonderful recipes! I have marked your website as an a favorite for healthy, delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes! Stay safe!
Your Tuscan White Bean, Kale, and Farrow Stew is my favorite stew/soup recipe and I make it regularly. This soup was right up there with that one. Simply wonderful, I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you!
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Tiffany.
This was the best veggie soup I have ever made!! Thank you for the recipe.
This recipe is so incredible, just made it for my second time in 2 weeks! I added some curry powder to change it up a little and it turned out great! Thank you so much – your recipes are always a hit!
This was absolutely beautiful and delicious, loved, loved the quinoa in the soup! Thanks for a great recipe.
I had lunch at a restaurant that served tomato soup with spinach, orzo, and feta. I thought: I could make a healthier version – and came across your website because my Google search included the word “quinoa.” YOUR website popped up – so I’m really looking forward to receiving your recipes to get me started on a healthier and lighter weight ME! And I’d very much appreciate receiving your newsletter! Thanks!
I didn’t add the beans.cz I didn’t have it at hand but it turned so delicious! I’m trying to make most dinners meat free so Thank you for this fab recipe!!!
I love this soup, I’ve been trying to eat less meat and eat more veggies! I added broccoli also! It’s so good
Thanks for posting this recipe, it was excellent!! I followed the recipe with the following additions. Since I like spicy, I added a tsp of crushed Thai chilies. I also added a TBSP of New Mexico chili powder and a TBSP of smoked paprika. I cooked the quinoa separately so I’d have more broth, and then add it when I have a bowl. I used Zucchini, summer squash, and butternut squash for the veggies. This is definitely a keeper recipe, delicious!
I made this today. Absolutely fabulous. I used butter beans instead of chickpeas.
Is now a favourite in our house.
Thank you.
Denise
I’m happy you love it, Denise! Thank you for your review.
I want to use red lentils instead of quoina, should I increase the liquid? If so, how much?
Hi Kim! I’m not sure without trying it. You likely won’t need as much liquid or cook for as long as red lentils are pretty tender quickly.
Ok, thank you for responding! Looking forward to trying this.
Love this recipe! It really does taste better the next day. I felt so healthy after eating this! Perfect for the cold weather.
This soup was so delicious. I used zucchini, a beet and sweet potato for the veg…and we did top with parm. My husband, who is neither a fan of vegetarian recipes or soup, really liked it. I am filing it under “Happy Soup”. Thanks Cookie and Kate!
I love that! Sounds like a you found a winner for him. I appreciate your review, Kat!
I make this almost every week when it gets cold and I’m so thankful for the recipe :-) I love it it’s vegan and super filling in the healthy. It also last most the week which is saying something because I eat a lot
I’m excited you love it that much, Melissa! I appreciate your review.
This is delicious! I make it in my stovetop pressure cooker. In step 3 after adding the quinoa, broth, water and spices, I cook it @ high pressure for 12 minutes with quick release, then add the greens and beans and just leave it in the cooker for several minutes. I didn’t add any salt(enough in broth), did not drain the tomatoes and used about 5 oz of chopped spinach p/o kale or collard greens. Wonderful recipe.
I love this recipe, thanks Kate! I often sub the chickpeas for kidney beans and add some turmeric too :)
That sounds delicious! Thank you for your review, Samantha.
Have you been able to work this for instant pot? Looking for handfree cooking with 2 kids running around
Hi! I don’t have those instructions for you, sorry.
well finally made this soup we’ll see how it turns out for tonites dinner, it looks good , thank you for the recipe be safe all
This was a great addition to my weekly meal prep and so delicious! Will make again and again.
Wonderful to hear, Grace! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kate, I made this recipe with spaghetti squash, a couple turnips and romano beans and omitted the celery and kale (just because I had none) and its probably the best soup I’ve ever made! And I’ve been making homemade soups professionally for 25 years. Fed it to some non vegans and they loved it too, asked for seconds and thirds!
Hi!
I loved this recipe. It came out fantastic. My boyfriend said “this could win an award!”.
I did not use bay leaves and added more oregano & Rosemary.
I added a splash of red wine & sprinkle of dill/cayenne.
I also added garbanzo beans & black beans.
I made a loaf of homemade bread the day before and it paired so well.
I added go veggie motz to the top and some parm!
Delicious and we will be making this again and again !!
I love that, Stephanie! Thank you for sharing.
I made this on Friday night and we are it all weekend long. Made a couple substitutions because I didn’t have exactly everything on hand. I subbed red onion for the white yellow onion, frozen spinach for the fresh kale, and a bag of frozen butternut squash for the fresh seasonal vegetable. Also, i only has about a half-cup of quinoa left in the pantry so I threw in a handful of millet with it. Despite my many subs, it was delicious! I microwaved the butternut squash to thaw it before using and discarded any squash water at bottom of dish. The frozen spinach I did not thaw, but threw in near the end with the garbanzos. I definitely feel the lemon juice is a must have for the flavors at the end, don’t skip that! I ate it with parmesan and without paremsan and both were good, but I preferred the version with cheese. Thank you for another winner. I have yet to be disappointed by one of your recipes!!!
I’m glad it ended up delicious, Jeanne! I appreciate your review.
I made this soup for a sick friend (I made enough extra for me too) and it was delicious. For the seasonal vegetables, I used an 18-ounce tub of Trader Joe’s Holiday Vegetable Hash which has chopped butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red onions, and celery, parsley, sage, and rosemary. I added more carrots and celery per the recipe. I also added some lentils since I was cooking them to make your Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils and Marinara sauce too which is delicious too. This will be another regular recipe I make!
That was kind, Cam! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Love, love, love this recipe! Tons of veggies … put in whatever you want … healthful.. satisfying … delicious!
I loved this! I reminds me of the farro stew you have in your cookbook. This is a fantastic GF alternative to that. As with all of your recipes, I appreciate how packed with nutrition this is. It’s never hard to convince the meat lovers in my life to eat with me when the recipe comes from you. Thank you for all you do to help put healthy food on my table.
I substituted the kale for spinach and this dish was simply amazing! On a cold evening with some warm bread it was the perfect meal! Added to my personal cookbook. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Paula!
Wow, what a soup. It took forever to prep the vegetables (amateur veggie chopper here), but with the way the soup turned out, the extra time was so worth it. Thank you! :)
This is the best soup/stew I have made in a long time. I used cauliflower and sweet potatoes as my seasonal vegetables and a whole bag of spinach instead of the other greens. Mine was more “stew” because I didn’t add all the water and I loved it that way. I loved it without any Parmesan, but did try a little GoVegie “Parmesan” on one bowl, but it really isn’t necessary! I also used red quinoa that made it even prettier.
I just recently transitioned to a plant-based diet and I had a soup that was so good I had to find a similar recipe. This is it! I love to add different veggies to mix it up. I added jalapeños to give it a kick and it was awesome.
I also wanted to add that if you like to bake, save the juice from the chickpeas! It’s an awesome substitute for egg whites. I just made some royal icing with it and it was amazing!
IF I DONT HAVE KALE OR COLLARD GREENS…..ANYTHING TO SUBSTITUTE OR CAN I JUST LEAVE IT OUT
This is wonderful. I just added a teaspoon of turmeric for additional nutrition and color and doubled the kale. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Jeffrey! I appreciate your review.
You’re welcome! I look forward to making it again soon! Happy New Year!
Just like all of your recipes, this soup was delicious!!! I made it exactly as written using zucchini and butternut squash. Even my two year old finished her bowl! Thank you for all of your amazing vegetarian recipes like this one that make dinner time so easy for my family!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Laura. I appreciate your review.
I’m new to vegan and this soup is fantastic!! Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely be looking for more recipes on your website.
I’m glad you loved it, Shirley! Thank you for your review.
I dig this recipe. I subbed some hold over black eyed peas and collards from New Years in lieu of GN beans and Kale (I eat kale everyday anyway). It turned out quite delish and I appreciate your inspiration. Much obliged! Be well.
Absolutely good! I used Rosemary instead of Thyme because I ran out of the latter. This recipe will be a constant staple in my family all through winter. Thank you for sharing “,)
This is the best soup ever!! I never thought I would like this over a noodle or cream soup but it is just amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe :) I make it for everyone and anyone that would like to try it and always get positive feedback.
Wow! So delicious. I made the recipe as stated with the exception of using one cup of water rather than two. I just prefer the more intense flavor. Thank you so much for sharing. This one is a keeper!
Love all your recipes! So fresh, beautiful and delicious!
Thank you, Adie!