Protein Rich Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

This nutritious vegetable and quinoa soup is an easy way to boost your protein intake, whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or simply want to eat less meat. Adding quinoa makes this soup more nourishing and certainly more hearty! It’s an easy midweek soup to have in the fridge when you need a delicious winter warmer.

You’ll need:

1 knob of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large leek, sliced
2 small sticks celery, finely sliced
2 carrots, sliced carrots
4 cups water or vegetable (from stock cubes) or homemade broth
½ cups quinoa, uncooked
½ tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup frozen sweetcorn

Here’s how to make this nourishing Vegetable and Quinoa Broth

Heat a large saucepan and add a knob of butter and olive oil. Allow to melt before adding the leeks, garlic and celery. Let them sweat down for 3-4mins over a moderate heat and then add the carrots.

Add the quinoa, herbs, bay leaves and water/broth and season with salt and pepper.

Stir to combine and bring mixture to a boil. Cover and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

Taste and adjust seasoning and serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Remove lid and stir in remaining vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes more until asparagus has started to soften, but still has a light crunch.

Notes

If you’re using a homemade broth, you may prefer to skip the herbs and bay leaves, as it will be packed with flavour. However, do make sure it’s well seasoned otherwise the broth will taste bland, particularly if the quinoa has absorbed the salt.