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This quinoa vegetable soup is inspired by a Galentine’s Day luncheon I went to. We had one of the best minestrone soups ever! I usually only prefer dear ol’ Olive Garden’s minestrone soup, and have been trying to create my own recipe for years! But the organizers of the luncheon went to SmartFoods- it’s like a Costco but no membership required! They bought Blount Ancient Grain Minestrone Soup- it’s great for events but given that it’s $100 on Amazon for 4 lbs, it is totally unrealistic for me to buy it because I would be the only one eating it…. And I think the price might be similar at SmartFoods. This soup had quinoa and barley instead of pasta; coupled with chickpeas and kidney beans, it was quite filling and within my current ‘health comfort zone’….Since I did not want to buy the soup for myself, I sifted through the internet and found its basic ingredients, and compared minestrone recipes on Pinterest. I combined the common elements with the way I prefer to make my soups and viola! I have my very own vegetable soup that tastes similar!

As you may recall, part of my new health regime is a significantly low intake of carbs. And, I monitor that very closely by logging my food with my FitBit. Quinoa is a superfood, but it is also fairly high in carbs per serving- 30 g- and that is almost “half my daily allowance”. However, I reasoned with myself that it is one of those foods that keeps you full longer, it has approx. 8 g of protein per serving, so it sounds like a perfect ingredient for a lunch or small dinner. 1/2 cup of the soup was enough to fill me. It is 178 calories, 30 g of carbs, 3 g fat, and 10 g protein. **Nutrition Facts calculated by VeryWellFit.com Click Here for the full analysis (not an Aff link). I used to add every ingredient one by one into the FitBit app, but after finding this website, I just add a “Custom Food”, input what you see below, and then log it! Super easy!

Below, you’ll find my recipe & notes. I hope you enjoy my take on minestrone soup!

Quinoa Vegetable Soup

Quinoa Vegetable Soup Recipe

Equipment

  • 8 quart Betty Crocker Crockpot- My Crockpot

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup Quinoa
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 2 cups Veggie Broth- or chicken broth. I have made it both ways and I think it tastes better with chicken. Veggie broth makes it vegetarian, of course.
  • 2 cups water set aside
  • 1 can Chickpeas
  • 1 can Green beans
  • 1 can Black beans
  • 1 can Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 Cup Carrots diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 TBS of salt
  • 1 TBS of pepper
  • 1/4 tsp red cayenne pepper
  • Bay leaves
Quinoa and Vegetables for Soup
Before Cooking, note how tiny the quinoa grains are

Instructions 

  • Rinse quinoa in water (See Notes), then coat with olive oil. Add to crockpot. 
  • Add broth, vegetables and spices to crockpot
  • Mix well and cook low 4-6 hours or high 2-4 hours
  • After 2 hours, check and add water 1/2 – 1 cup at a time
  • Soup is finished once carrots are tender and quinoa looks like it’s “popped”
Finished veggie soup
After cooking, note how the quinoa grains look “popped”

Enjoy!

Notes for Quinoa Vegetable Soup

Note- I used a sifter (the kind you use to sift powder sugar) to rinse the quinoa. A traditional pasta strainer was too big, the quinoa grains fell out. 1/2 cup serving was enough to fill me up for the rest of the evening! 

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Quinoa Veggie Soup

This crockpot vegetable soup fills you up fast and is reltively low carb.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword Low Calorie Soup, low carb dinners, Quinoa Recipe, Quinoa Soup, quinoa vegetable soup, vegetable soup
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings 24 1/2 cup servings
Calories 178kcal

Equipment

  • 8 quart Betty Crocker Crockpot

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Quinoa
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 2 cups Veggie Broth
  • 2 cups water set aside
  • 1 can Chickpeas
  • 1 can Green beans
  • 1 can Black beans
  • 1 can Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 Cup Carrots diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 TBS of salt
  • 1 TBS of pepper
  • 1/4 tsp red cayenne pepper
  • Bay leaves

Instructions

  • Rinse quinoa in water (See Notes), then coat with olive oil. Add to crockpot.
  • Add broth, vegetables and spices to crockpot
  • Mix well and cook low 4-6 hours or high 2-4 hours
  • After 2 hours, check and add water 1/2 – 1 cup at a time
  • Soup is finished once carrots are tender and quinoa looks like it’s “popped”

Notes

Notes- I used a sifter (the kind you use to sift powder sugar) to rinse the quinoa. A traditional pasta strainer was too big, the quinoa grains fell out. 
1/2 cup serving was enough to fill me up for the rest of the evening! 
 

Let me know how this works for you in the Comments! In the meantime, sign up for a $5 Dinner Cheat Sheet! ⤵️⤵️