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Quinoa soup

Quinoa Soup

Swap the usual grain for quinoa and you've got a whole new soup. I'd never tried quinoa before — and it turns out to be a really interesting little... seed. That's right: quinoa, like buckwheat, isn't a true grain at all. Both are seeds (quinoa comes from a leafy goosefoot plant, a relative of spinach), but they're so nutritious they've become popular all over the world.

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Vegetable broth

Tomatoes (diced, in their juice)

400

Quinoa

100

Potatoes

Celery stalks

Carrot

Garlic

Vegetable oil

Bay leaf

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 11 % 1 g

Fats 11 % 1 g

Carbohydrates 78 % 7 g

45 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Gather your ingredients. For quinoa soup you'll need: vegetable broth, potatoes, carrot, celery (stalks), quinoa, diced tomatoes in their juice, garlic, vegetable oil, a bay leaf, ground black pepper, and salt.
Step 2:

Rinse and drain the quinoa.
Step 3:

Wash, peel, and dice the potatoes.
Step 4:

Peel the carrot and dice it too.
Step 5:

Slice the celery — larger or smaller pieces, as you like.
Step 6:

Peel the garlic and press it or chop it finely.
Step 7:

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the carrot and celery and cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes.
Step 8:

Add the potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes. If the vegetables start to stick, add a little more oil.
Step 9:

Add the diced tomatoes with their juice and stir well.
Step 10:

Pour in the vegetable broth. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Step 11:

Add the quinoa and bay leaf. Cook about 15 minutes more, until the quinoa is tender.
Step 12:

Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 13:

Sprinkle with fresh herbs before serving.

White quinoa is the most common in stores, though red and black varieties exist too. Some brands sell tricolor mixes of different-colored seeds, which look striking — mine was a blend of white and black. What makes quinoa special is its complete protein: unlike most grains, it contains all the essential amino acids found in meat (including lysine, methionine, and cysteine), so it can genuinely help meet your protein needs. The soup was a hit with my whole family. And it isn't just for soup — I've since found quinoa in baked goods, desserts, porridges, and main dishes. Adjust the thickness with the broth: use 1.5 liters (about 6 cups) for a thick soup, or 2 liters (about 8 cups) for a thinner one.