White Bean Soup with Quinoa Recipe

5 from 31 votes

This White Bean Soup with Quinoa has 7 vegetables and is loaded with protein. It's healthy, tasty, and budget-friendly. Vegan & gluten-free.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Vegan

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: to 5 people

Calories: 519kcal

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
1 ½ cups zucchini cut into half moons (or potatoes, squash, green peas, or bell pepper)
6 cloves garlic minced
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup quinoa rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth (preferably low sodium) plus more as needed
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (or white beans), drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups chopped kale (tough ribs removed)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mirepoix: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the zucchini and cook for one more minute.
Herbs & spices: Mix in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, crushed red pepper, and chipotle. Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
Liquids & quinoa: Add the vegetable broth, 2 cups water, quinoa, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves. Simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked. Add more broth as desired.
Season: Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the white beans, kale, and nutritional yeast. Cook until the kale is just wilted. Season with fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Quinoa: If you are not using pre-rinsed packaged quinoa, place the quinoa in a sieve and run it under cold water for about 2 minutes before cooking. This removes the bitter-tasting saponins.
Vegetables: If you plan on storing your soup for longer, use firmer veggies or ones that taste good soft (zucchini, potato, bell pepper, peas)
Add more broth or water depending on the desired consistency.
Substitute the canned diced tomatoes with fire roasted diced tomatoes for even more depth of flavor.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months.