Slow Cooker Quinoa Veggie Soup
This Slow Cooker Quinoa Veggie Soup recipe is truly a delicious meal for those not so warm days. The warmth of great flavors and succulent taste of the individual veggies marrying together, makes this bowl of goodness completely irresistible. Loaded with quinoa, kale, tomatoes, carrots, onions, butter beans (great Northern beans); this recipe reminds you of the reason why eating your veggies (by themselves!) isn't such a bad idea after all. Not to mention, everything is made in a slow cooker, which means that you can easily set it and forget it! All vegan.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup organic quinoa, uncooked
- 2-3 cups diced tomatoes (See Notes!)
- 4 cups organic vegetable broth
- 1 cup water (add an extra 1 cup if needed!)
- 1 (15 oz.) can 'Butter Beans' aka Northern Beans
- 1 cup fresh kale, chopped (See Notes!)
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Spices + Condiments:
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric, optional (See Notes!)
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsps dried basil
Instructions
- To begin, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and sauté diced onions, garlic, and bell peppers until tender and translucent, about 2-3 minutes, reducing the heat so that veggies don’t burn.
- In the meantime, prep your slow cooker and Add all ingredients to it. Once done, add sautéed veggies along with spices, stirring everything together until well combined.
- Set Slow Cooker to a medium setting, cover and let everything slow cook + simmer for about 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure that desired thickness is kept. Toward the last 20 minutes, add additional vegetable broth if needed and do the same for any spices that you feel need to be added as well for taste.
- Once timer has ended and veggies are cooked through, turn off slow cooker or keep it on the "keep warm" setting and serve soup in prepared bowls with a side of bread or crackers, if desired.
- Bon Appetite!
Notes
DICED TOMATOES: If preferred, you can substitute for 1 large (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes.
KALE: If preferred, you can always substitute Kale with Spinach or Collard Greens.
TURMERIC: While adding turmeric is optional, it definitely has benefits: powerful medicinal properties, natural anti-inflammatory ingredient, increases antioxidant activity in the body, and more.
STORAGE: Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container refrigerated for 3-4 days. Can also be frozen and defrosted for longer storage.