A hearty, filling, vegan lentil and quinoa soup that is packed with protein, vegetables and is lightly spiced.
We just had a rainy, blustery spell of weather here in Los Angeles – and it was the perfect kind of weather to make soup.
This lentil and quinoa soup is a hearty, filling soup. It has a double punch of protein from the lentils and quinoa and it full of healthy vegetables.
Lentils are little nutritional powerhouses – full of protein and fiber. By adding quinoa to the mix you’re really upping the protein power of this soup.
This healthy, nourishing soup is packed with vegetables as well – it has onions, celery, carrots, garlic, tomatoes and swiss chard.
I used french lentils in the soup. I like them because they retain their shape better than regular lentils. French lentils used to be difficult to find but these days you can find them pretty much anywhere – I bought mine at Target of all places. If you can’t find french lentils, regular brown lentils will work just as well.
A couple of notes:
This is a really thick soup – which is the way I like it. If you want your soup to be a bit more soupy then puree two cups of the soup in a blender and add it back into the pot.
While prepping the swiss chard – remove the complete stem by cutting the off the leafy part of the swiss chard. You’ll just be using the leaf part in this soup (not the stem). If you’re not a fan of swiss chard you can easily substitute spinach or kale.
Make sure to pick through your lentils before adding them to the soup pot – check for any small stones. Also, give your lentils and the quinoa a quick rinse before adding to the pot.
Lentil and Quinoa Soup
A hearty, filling, vegan lentil and quinoa soup that is packed with protein, vegetables and is lightly spiced.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 stalks of celery – diced
- 2 large carrots – diced. I used 4 small carrots in this recipe.
- 2 cloves of garlic – put through a press or minced.
- 8 twists of black pepper
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- 1 tsp cumin – I used turkish cumin
- 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
- 1 cup of french lentils
- 1/2 cup of quinoa – I used red quinoa
- 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes – I used petite diced tomatoes
- 7 cups of water
- 2 veggie bouillon cubes
- 3 leaves of swiss chard – discard stems and roughly chop leafy greens
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, add olive oil and onions and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until onions are soft.
- Add celery, carrots, garlic and black pepper to soup pot and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add thyme, cumin and red pepper flakes to soup pot and cook for 1 minute stirring to combine flavors.
- Rinse french lentils and quinoa before adding to the pot.
- Add french lentils and quinoa to the soup pot.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes (and juices) to the soup pot.
- Add water and bouillon cubes to soup pot and bring to a boil.
- Turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for 35 minutes – stirring occasionally.
- Add chopped swiss chard to the soup and simmer for 15 additional minutes.
- Serves 4 to 6.
Dawn
I just made your soup/stew and it is amazing…so savory. It will go into my must make again catagory. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed it, Dawn! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating – I appreciate hearing from you!
Beth Wilson
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I will make it tonight! It sounds delicious. Lentils and quinoa are a great combination. Thanks so much!
Geraldine
Thanks, Beth. Hope you enjoy it!
Sue W.
Made this last week and it was great. Using it as one of my meals each day to keep full and be healthy . I have a new pot cooking now. I just used regular lentils and love the firmness of them . Easy and quick. I did add some turkey sausage and it was yummy.
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know how it worked out for you, Sue. Glad you enjoyed it!
yoon
How much chicken broth can replace the water+cubes?
Geraldine
Hi Yoon – I haven’t made this with chicken broth but you want to use the same amount of liquid – so you can do 4 cups of chicken broth and 3 cups of water if you want – a total of 7 cups. Let me know how it works out for you. Thanks!
Robert
I think I will attempt to make this soup but I wonder if anyone has tried to puree the whole thing, and how will it taste?
Geraldine
Hi Robert: I have not tried pureeing the soup. I think, if you decide to puree, may just puree half and add it back into the soup. Please let me know how it works out if you try it. Thanks!
Evi @ greenevi
This looks so delicious! Quinoa is probably my absolute favourite thing to eat, but have never tried in a soup yet. Can’t wait to do so now, thanks for the inspiration! I think I’ll start with this recipe 🙂
Geraldine
Thanks, Evi! Quinoa is a great way to thicken soup and up the protein factor as well.
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron
This looks like such a comforting and delicious soup, Geraldine! It looks so hearty it could almost be a stew or a chili!
Geraldine
Thanks, Denise – this soup is definitely pretty close to stew or chili territory!
Izzy
I’ve been wanting to make a lentil soup all winter but still haven’t gotten around to it! Lentil soup is one of my favorites! I love that you added quiona in here for a little extra protein, It sounds like the perfect filling meal 🙂
Geraldine
Hi Izzy – thanks so much. This is the first time I’ve added quinoa to a soup and I agree that the addition of quinoa really makes this lentil soup more of a meal!
Brittaney @ Sips and Snacks
Beautiful recipe and pictures! It looks like one of those recipes that doesn’t taste as healthy as it is. I need more of these in my life! 🙂
Geraldine
Hi Brittaney – thanks so much!
Sheila S
Fabulous. Added a big blob of plain yogurt… icing on the soup so to speak!
Geraldine
Thanks, Mom! Yogurt sounds like a great addition – adding a little bit of creaminess to the soup.
Annie @ ciaochowbambina
I love lentils. And I love quinoa. You can bet I’ll be making this soup! And like you, I prefer my soups on the thicker side. Thank you for sharing this ideal meal while our days continue to be cool…really cool. Pinned, of course!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Annie. Hope spring shows up for you guys really soon! Thanks for the pin!
Julia | Orchard Street Kitchen
We to be sharing a brain wave about lentils this week, Geraldine! This recipe looks so delicious and hearty. I love how easy it is to make, too. I’ve never added swiss chard to a soup, but it sounds like a great idea! As always, thanks for the inspiration.
Geraldine
Hi Julia – you can’t go wrong with lentils!!
Jenny
I just made this with some minor changes. Holy Moley it’s good!!!! I used chicken broth, added more carrots and a bunch of kale instead of Swiss chard. This is definitely going in the recipe box!! Good work!!
Geraldine
Hi Jenny – thanks so, so much for taking time to let me know you enjoyed it – you just made my day!! I like the changes you made – especially adding more carrots – think I’ll do that next time too.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
You can just tell by looking at the images of this soup that it is so nourishing, hearty & comforting. Just perfect for the cool weather right now too!
Geraldine
Hi Thalia – thanks so much. I agree, soup is definitely the way to go during the colder months.
Because Yum
We’re always on the lookout for soup recipes! Vegan and lentil- win!
Geraldine
Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you enjoy this soup if you make it!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
Ohhh, love the shots of the veggies, and the lentils and quinoa together is perfect! So pretty. French lentils are hands down the most Earthy legume out there! They are delicious in anything, especially soup! This may as well be called a power food bowl, it’s got so many good things in it! Everything I love! The addition of quinoa really takes this over the top! I bet it freezes well too, making an easy dinner weeks later! Thanks so much for this, Geraldine! Looking forward to trying it!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Traci! Definitely a power food bowl! And it’s definitely a good soup to last over a couple of days – tasting better the next day.