This 30 minute 8 ingredient vegan country squash quinoa soup is the ultimate comforting feel good soup. Filled with grated squash, zucchini and carrots, this makes for a healthy nutritious meal.
Being sick is the worst. And I’ve had a pleasure of experiencing it for the last three days. You know the first thing I do when I get sick right?
Make soup. Lots and lots of soup. It’s all I crave and it’s all I eat for lunch, dinner and snacks. I need no other food. Just steaming, hot bowls of soup. The hotter the better. There’s just something so comforting about a warm bowl of soup. This vegan squash quinoa soup is actually inspired by my travels through Peru with my parents.
MY LATEST VIDEOSWe spent the majority of the trip in Cusco, the surrounding sacred valley and the Lake Titicaca region. One commonality?
Quinoa soup. Everywhere we went quinoa soup was on the menu. A hearty and veggie filled thin broth with a little bit of quinoa.
We even got to see quinoa being grown on the island of Taquile on Lake Titicaca.
My mom and I loved the quinoa soup everywhere. We had it pretty much every day. Before I even sat down at a place I already know I would be getting quinoa soup. It’s kind of the best. Now I’ve made my fair share of quinoa recipes (with one of my all time favorites being my vegan quinoa black bean pumpkin soup) and I’m adding this one to the list.
Funny enough in Peru quinoa is reserved for country side eating. In Lima, for one thing I have not found quinoa soup on the menu at the local restaurants. It does seem to be more popular in the mountain and country regions, which is a bit ironic since in the US it is a high priced item made popular by the health food craze. It’s interesting to think this product has just recently become popular in the US (I had never even heard of it 5 years ago) while Peruvian farmers have been enjoying this protein rich plant for hundreds if not thousands of years.
But let’s get to the soup. I didn’t have the exact Peruvian country quinoa soup recipe that we enjoyed all over, so I improvised and came up with my own.
To speed up the cooking time I grated squash, carrots and zucchini, while lightly sauteeing the chopped onion and garlic. Add the quinoa and broth at the end, bring to a boil and cook until quinoa is ready.
Simplicity at it’s finest. Just a handful of ingredients – all healthy and good for you.
It’s amazing how much 1/2 cup of quinoa makes. This stuff expaaaaands. I added somewhere between 6 and 8 cups of broth and if you leave this overnight the quinoa will absorb even more broth so you’ll have to add a bit more when you heat it up.
This soup serves 4-6 or just 1 very sick person (me) who only wants to eat quinoa soup all day long. Not even kidding, I made this yesterday and ate the entire pot.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup grated squash
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 cup grates carrots
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt/pepper to taste
- 6-7 cups vegetable broth add more if soup is too think
- Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Add onions. Cook for a few minutes. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant.
- Add squash, zucchini and carrots. Stir. Add cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes.
- Add quinoa. Stir.
- Add broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked.
Melissa says
Have to make this, but for those of us outside the US, can you pls explain what a squash is? In Australia, they are small yellow vegetables and are generally referred to as “button squash”. Would a squash in the US be the equivalent of a pumpkin in Australia?
Vicky says
Yes you could use a pumpkin in this recipe. I used pumpkin but butternut squash or acorn squash would work as well.
Alison says
oooh I have never seen a quinoa plant, so interesting. Your soup looks lovely. Hope you are feeling better
Vicky says
Thanks! I definitely am feeling better finally!
Mica @ Let's Taco Bout It Blog says
I hope you’re feeling better! Being sick is the worst. I also love to make soup when I’m sick. It takes me back to when my Mom would prepare hot chicken soup for me. I’ve always had trouble cooking quinoa. I either overcook it or I don’t add enough flavor. I like the grated zucchini, squash and carrots in this. The soup looks very inviting and warm. Can’t wait to try this one out! I hope I do it justice!
Vicky says
Thanks – I definitely am! Soup is the best when you’re sick! I feel like there’s no way to mess up the quinoa in this one because even if it is overcooked it still works perfectly in the soup (just as long as you don’t undercook it)!
Sara says
Glad to hear you are better! This soup looks awesome. I am such a sucker for squash!!
Vicky says
Thanks! Feels great to not be sick finally!
Just Jo says
Oh now I love this! What a different way to approach soup, it makes me want to rush out to buy some quinoa right now. I’m totally making this ASAP and will report back. Get well soon and thanks for the recipe!
Vicky says
Hope you enjoy the recipe! Let me know what you think!!
Sherri @ Watch Learn Eat says
Oh, being sick is the worst! I’m with you on that! And about soup! LOVE soup! This recipe is awesome! I cannot wait to try it! 🙂 Hope you are feeling better!
Vicky says
Yes definitely feeling better thanks!! Soup is the BEST right?!
Sandra Shaffer says
I always wondered what a quinoa plant looked like! It’s amazing how those small grains are harvested! I’ve never added it to soup, but now I shall! This will be great to make ahead of time and bring it for lunch during my work week!
Vicky says
It was the first time I had ever seen it growing! So fascinating! Definitely a great lunch right here! Enjoy!
ang says
Hi vicky. when you say vegetable broth what exactly do you mean. I made your quinoa pumpkin blackbean soup with the 5 cups of vegetable STOCK but was too salty so maybe you mean something different??
Vicky says
For my soups I use home made broth/stock so if you are using the store bought brands I am not sure about the sodium content, but even for those I recommend purchasing the reduced sodium ones, because they could be very salty on their own and make the soup too salty. If you are using the store bought ones, do not add any additional salt and adjust the salt as needed once the salt is ready.