Happy New Year, and Happy National Soup Month! In my household, January means it is time to buckle down, bite the bullet, put our money where our mouths are, etc. and start eating healthier after some major splurging over the holidays. And by splurging, I mean Velveeta, Butter Flavor Crisco, lotttttttttttts of sugar, and processed meats – all things we try to limit in general.
In searching for a healthy soup recipe based on ingredients I had on hand, I found this one online, which I adapted to my family’s tastes (in the recipe below). We not only ate it, we all had seconds! All right, all of us except for the ultra-picky child, but even he had a whole bowl of it.
Enjoy – and stay tuned for more delicious, healthy soup recipes to come, all month long.
PrintVegetable Soup with Spinach and Quinoa
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 8–10 cups water or vegetable stock (low sodium)
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 medium onion. chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2–3 celery ribs, diced
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 3 potatoes, cubed
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp basil, dried
- 2 cups frozen or canned corn
- 10 oz frozen spinach
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent.
- Add carrots and celery and saute for a few more minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, potatoes, corn, and seasonings and bring to a gentle boil.
- Rinse raw quinoa under cold water for 1 minute.
- Add quinoa to boiling soup, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add spinach and simmer an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
