Hearty Lentil Quinoa Soup
A quick and nutritious soup made with lentils, quinoa, and hearty spices. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list; this soup is made with mostly pantry staples!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 293kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 large whole carrots peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon marjoram oregano also works
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional; makes it lightly spicy
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 6 ½ to 7 ½ cups vegetable broth see note #1
- 1 ½ cups dry brown lentils rinsed and sorted
- ½ cup dry quinoa rinsed
- 2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes with juices
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley plus more for serving
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus extra lemon wedges for serving
- grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Heat a 6 quart Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle in the oil. To the hot oil, add the diced onion, carrot and celery. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté the veggies until the onion is starting to turn golden, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and minced garlic. Sauté another 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is golden and aromatic.
- Add the spices (cumin, marjoram, paprika, onion powder, nutmeg, black pepper, optional cayenne). Bloom for 30 seconds, stirring to prevent burning.
- Deglaze the pan with a drizzle of vegetable broth. Add the diced tomatoes with juices, lentils, quinoa, remaining broth, fresh parsley, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cover.
- Simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender and fully cooked through, 25-35 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
- Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice just before serving. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan, a lemon wedge, and additional freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Brown lentils take about 30 minutes to cook, but may need longer to be super tender. French green lentils work but take upwards of 45 minutes to cook. Red/orange lentils do not work here.
- Vegetable broth: You can use 4 cups veg broth and 2 ½ cups water to cut back on salt. These days I use Better than Bouillon vegetable base or not chicken base instead of boxed broth, which allows for more control over flavor and saltiness. The nutrition facts were calculated using 7 cups of standard vegetable stock.
- Leftovers and reheating: Let the soup cool to room temp before transferring to the fridge. Refrigerate for 4-5 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or return the entire soup pot to the stove. Reheat on the stove over medium-low, stirring occasionally. You will likely need to add an extra splash of broth or water when reheating.
- Freezing instructions: Let the soup cool to room temperature before transferring to individual or large freezer safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, let thaw overnight in the fridge or defrost in the microwave.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1193mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5177IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 6mg
