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We have had some beautiful 80-degree days of late, and while I am loathe to look a gift-horse in the mouth, I’ve nevertheless been longing for more mild weather before plunging headlong into summer. Call me crazy, but summer in March is a bit much.
My wish came true. I opened the back door to feed kitty and was greeted by cool, gray morning, hovering in the mid-50s; I could have sworn I was transported back to my beloved SF Bay Area. After swearing off soup but a few days before, I found myself pulling out a pot around mid-day for a quick batch of minestrone.
I had an odds and ends assortment of vegetables the refrigerator, which inspired me to make an improvised minestrone. Kevin seemed particularly pleased to see them head into some soup (I had made a zucchini, apple and kale “smoothie” days before that sent him out the door in haste).
Quinoa made its way into the pot in place of traditional pasta; it’s such an easy swap or addition and makes for a really filling and delicious soup. Have you tried quinoa yet? It is an amazing superfood grain of the Incas. It has an earthy, nutty flavor, and cooks in less than 20 minutes. Best yet, it is one of the few plant-based sources of protein that is complete, meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids. Pretty amazing!
Some cornmeal biscuits, baked the day before, were waiting for a dunk in some soup. It didn’t have much of a wait; the soup was ready for ladling into bowls in under 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Quick Quinoa Minestrone {vegan + glutenfree}
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- Quick Kale and Quinoa Minestrone
- Makes 6 big servings
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1–1/4 cups chopped onion (about 1 medium-large onion)
- 1–1/4 cups chopped carrots (about 2 medium carrots—no need to peel)
- 1 cup chopped celery (about 2 large stalks)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2/3 cup quinoa
- Optional: one 15-ounce can whole potatoes, drained and diced
- 8 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
- 1–1/2 tbsp Italian herb seasoning
- 1 19-oz can red kidney or white beans, rinsed and drained (I had some of both!)
- Optional: fresh basil leaves, sliced and grated Parmesan cheese (no cheese if vegan)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Add kale and cook and stir 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes with juice, quinoa, broth, and herbs and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is cooked, about 20 minutes.
- Place half of beans in a small bowl and coarsely mash with a fork. Stir mashed and whole beans into soup and simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with basil and Parmesan, if desired.
- Category: soup, dinner
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I made this soup tonight and it was amazing! I haven’t really used Kale too much except to juice and haven’t really liked it that much. However, in this soup, it blends with the tomatoes and tastes almost like basil!
I used organic chicken broth for the base, and doubled the size can of tomatoes. Other than that, I followed the recipe and it was simple and straightforward. Sending this to many friends to add to their collection!!
Thanks so much for your recipe! It was very tasty!
Quinoa in minestrone is something new to me but I believe you can’t go wrong with quinoa! What a hearty, tasty looking recipe- thanks for sharing!
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fantastic looking soup.
Thank you so much! I’ve been on a hunt for soup that is vegetarian lately, something simple to make as I am never quite sure where any day is going to take me. I stumbled across your site looking to see if I could use butter instead of shortening(the cookie post), and decided to read the rest of the blog.
I am so insanely happy to have found someone with a love for a lot of the same foods I do AND recipes use them for… Going to go stock up on some things now…
Camilla, it’s actually warm here in NM, but I made the soup anyway. 🙂
This is so delicious. It’s simmering right now, but I took a taste and can’t wait to eat it tonight. I didn’t have cannellini beans so I used navy beans instead. I think that’s the only substitution I made. Those Italian spices are floating.
Thankss for all your recipes and your dedication to healthier recipes. I just recently bought your soup cookbook (should have ordered it during winter) 🙂 and have enjoyed everything I’ve tried so far.
Camilla, can you recommend a catalog or online venue to buy U.S.-grown quinoa? Your soup is making my mouth water, but the recent news about the U.S. craze for quinoa wreaking havoc with the diet of poor Bolivians makes me want to try to find a domestic choice. I haven’t been able to find one (except at $11.50/pound including shipping) so far. Thanks!
What a delicious looking soup. With our cool weather returning here in Colorado this weekend this would be a great thing to have bubbling on the stove.
I can’t believe that I wasn’t a follower of yours Camilla! So sorry, that has been rectified.
I am very envious of your weather – but this soup looks perfect for what we have here right now. It’s the type of thing I often make for lunch on Saturdays.
Camilla, this Kale and Quinoa Soup speaks to me of hearty homecooking. Can’t wait to prepare this healthy soup for myself.
The Souper
Hi Kelly,
I here you re: the 50 degrees–that would have been a March thrill back when I lived in Indiana! Stay warm 🙂
Paired with bread this does sound like the perfect lunch. I’m so jealous of your weather though. 50 degrees here would be warm!