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Kale-Quinoa-Minestrone-Soup

Easy Kale & Quinoa Veggie Soup

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  • Author: Elizabeth Rider
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6-8 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow or white onion, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 2 ribs of celery, diced
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil (or 1–2 tablespoons fresh, finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
  • 1 (28-ounce) can of crushed or diced tomatoes (including juices)
  • 1 (14-ounce) can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), drained and rinsed
  • 1 quart vegetable stock or organic chicken stock (or water)
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 bunch Lacinato kale (aka black kale or Tuscan kale), stemmed and chopped into about 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup of dried quinoa, prepared according to package instructions*
  • fine sea salt (I use the Real Salt brand)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • filtered water

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and a large pinch of sea salt and sauté 5-6 minutes until the veggies are soft.
  2. Add the garlic, bay leaf, dried basil, and oregano, and continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes until very fragrant. (If using fresh basil, wait to add until you add the kale.) Garlic burns easily, so watch it carefully or reduce the heat until you add the liquid.
  3. Add the tomatoes with their juices and cook for another minute. Then, add the beans, stock, and 2 cups of filtered water (6 cups liquid total).
  4. Turn the heat to high to let it come to a high simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  5. Turn the heat to low then add the cooked quinoa and chopped raw kale. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the kale is wilted but not soggy, then turn off the heat.
  6. Add 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar and stir. Discard the bay leaf.
  7. Serve immediately, or cool to room temperature to freeze or refrigerate.

Notes

Cooking the quinoa in the soup releases a little more starch into the soup. I prefer to cook mine separately, but both are good methods.

  • If you want to cook the quinoa in the soup, add an extra 2 cups of water (8 cups total liquid) and add the 1/2 cup of dried quinoa at the same time, but wait to add the raw kale for 12 minutes after the quinoa to allow the quinoa time to cook. Then, add the kale and allow simmer for 5-10 minutes until soft.
  • If you cook the quinoa separately, use 6 cups of the liquid total in this soup.

Quinoa is easy to prepare. I like to rinse mine in a fine mesh colander before cooking it. Add double the amount of water to the quinoa you are cooking (1/2 cup dry quinoa needs 1 cup water). Combine the quinoa and water in a small pot, bring to a boil, then simmer 12-15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. I like to add 1 no-salt-added veggie bouillon cube to the boiling water, too, to add extra flavor.  Quinoa stores beautifully in the refrigerator up to 4 days, so I always cook double what I need to use in a recipe later in the week.

Find it online: https://www.elizabethrider.com/kale-quinoa-minestrone-soup-recipe/