Cozy up with a bowl of this superbly healthy Vegetarian Quinoa Tomato Soup. It’s loaded with veggies and hearty quinoa so you won’t even miss the meat!
ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…
Oh boy. Benny Boo’s been caught! That’s right. Mister Breezy Bakes has been caught red handed in his own lies and deception. It was only a matter of time before I found out.
You see, my close to perfect stud of a husband has a minor Achilles’ heel when it comes to his obsession for swag. Ben literally spends probably 4 times the amount of money on clothes than me and my two girls combined. It’s downright ridiculous.
I believe I’ve told you before, but I’ll go ahead and reiterate. My husband has so many clothes that he actually claimed the larger master closet when we moved into our house. And it’s full. Completely full. Yet he continues to buy more clothes.
Not only is his closet full, but every article of clothing is organized by style and color. There is a section for workout t-shirts, casual t-shirt, polo shirts, short sleeve button downs, long sleeve button downs, and dress shirts. Plus there are designated bars for hanging jeans, casual pants, slacks, and ties.
Aside from the hanging clothes, every shelf is lined with perfectly placed pairs of shoes. Apparently one needs 6 different types of workout shoes to participate in CrossFit. Who knew???
And then there are the bins: a bin for workout socks, a bin for dress socks, a bin for bow ties, a bin for watches, and a bin for whitey tidies. I guess better his underwear sit in a bin than on the floor. I should just count my many blessings and shut up.
Except for…
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN!!!!
Yes, one hundred and sixteen in the magical number of the amount of t-shirts alone that Ben owns. And somehow they keep on coming.
I got to the point a few months ago that when a package would arrive on our doorstep addressed to Ben, I would go ahead and open it myself to see what the heck he was ordering. 99.9% of the time it was either another CrossFit t-shirt to add to his overflowing collection or some obnoxious pair of workout shorts. Obnoxious as in my 37 year old husband wears clothes with donuts, parrots, ice cream cones, Goonies characters, pirates, tacos, skull faces, etc. printed on them. Major eye roll inserted here.
Anyway, whenever I would intercept a package, I would make him return it. Because, seriously, SO MANY CLOTHES!
Well, fast forward a few months and I swear he continues to wear new clothes all the time, yet no packages have arrived at our house for weeks. I’m usually home, so I would know if a package came. Something just wasn’t adding up.
After getting dressed in the most hideous aloha parrot shirt you have ever seen this past weekend, I blurted out, “When did you get that?! Is that shirt new??? Why is it so ugly?!”
Of course he claimed he’d had it for months, to which I responded, “No you haven’t. Because if you’ve had it for months, I would have told you months ago how much I hate it!”
Oh man, I’m so nice. And subtle. Anyway, after much prying, turns out he’s been continuing to order clothes on a weekly basis and shipping them to the CrossFit gym he’s a member of. What the crap?! Sneaky little turd butt.
And here’s the kicker. After asking him how one person could own so many shirts that all look the same, he proceeds to tell me, “It’s just what I like to do. I like to buy clothes. It’s just like you and your baking. I mean how many different types of muffins can one person make?!”
OH HECK NO! You better believe the next time I’m making some muffins, he ain’t getting any!
HERE COMES THE RECIPE…
I mean, I get it. He may have a point. Most people have a few select go to recipes for muffins, cookies, easy dinners, soups, etc. and they just rotate through. But not me. I always love creating something new. And you know what, I’m never gonna be sorry about it. Because if I gave up the new and stuck to the old, you wouldn’t have this glorious pot of Vegetarian Quinoa Tomato Soup staring you in the face. And that would be sad.
Yep, I may already have a dozen or so soup recipes on my site, but how could I pass up making a perfectly savory pot of tomato soup loaded with all kinds of yummy veggies and hearty quinoa? And plus, my cooking hobby at least provides my family with food on the table. Delicious food. Food that Ben eats each and every day and never seems to complain about. Food that if it wasn’t there one day, he would be wandering aimlessly around the kitchen not knowing what to do with his life anymore.
Okay, I’ll stop harping on Ben and just stick to this magical vegetarian quinoa tomato soup. It’s the real spotlight of this post.
LET’S TALK VEGETARIAN QUINOA TOMATO SOUP
This vegetarian quinoa tomato soup is a cinch to make, but tastes like it’s spent all day stewing. It’s bursting with all kinds of fresh veggies: bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and green beans. You could definitely switch up the veggies with whatever you prefer. You could even add frozen veggies instead of fresh to speed up the soup making process. Just saute all the veggies in olive oil and garlic until fragrant and move on with the rest of the steps. If you cook them too long, they’ll get squishy.
I love the herbiness (is that even a word?) of this soup. With the combination of Italian seasoning, basil, and bay leaves, it feels like this vegetarian quinoa tomato soup was plucked straight from your herb garden. Wouldn’t that be nice? Instead of going out and picking some herbs, you come back inside with a ready made pot of soup?! I want to plant that kind of herb!
Now this vegetarian quinoa tomato soup is definitely yummy on it’s own with just the veggies, but the addition of quinoa really turns this soup into a substantial meal. It’s just enough quinoa to add texture and protein, but not enough that the soup becomes overly filing. It’s still a light dinner option in my opinion.
Lastly, top your soup off with a variety of toppings that vary in taste, texture, and temperature and you’re good to go. Healthy vegetarian dinner served. And did I mention this soup gets even better as it sits? You think you liked it the first day, just wait until the next! You’re on your way to becoming a tomato soup fanatic!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY…
- Gluten Free Vegetarian Ramen Bowls
- Vegetarian Roasted Poblano and Tomato Soup
- Sun-Dried Tomato and White Bean Soup
- Curried Red Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
- 4 small carrots, peeled and sliced ⅛" thick (about 3 cups)
- ⅓ cup red cooking wine
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½-2 teaspoons salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoon pepper, divided
- 3 vine ripened tomatoes, diced (1½ cups)
- 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
- 1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
- 1 qt. chicken stock, veggie broth or water
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, depending on taste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (I prefer red quinoa or at least a blend of red and white)
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, add diced bell peppers and sliced carrots. Reduce heat slightly and saute over just below medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning until peppers are softened.
- Add cooking wine, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium and cook until liquid has reduced, about 3-5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomatoes, green beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chicken stock (or veggie broth or water), Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
- Add quinoa to soup. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove lid and continue to simmer until quinoa reaches desired tenderness and soup has reached desired thickness. Season to taste with remaining 1-1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Serve soup warm with desired toppings such as whole grain tortilla chips, watercress, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in fridge for up to 1 week.
