Delicious and Healthy Black Bean Quinoa Soup is simple to make because the quinoa cooks in the SAME POT as the soup AT THE SAME time so all the flavors perfectly blend together.
Never in a million years would I have guessed that Black Bean Soup with quinoa instead of rice would go over big at my house!
Up until now, we've been a black bean soup over yellow rice kinda family! My husband introduced me to this traditional combination, topped with tiny chopped raw onions, when we lived in Tampa. The Columbia Restaurant and Alessi's are institutions there and Cuban food is abundant!
Fast forward to now and adding quinoa to soup recipes. I have a bit of an obsession with this little seed. And, its addition makes this soup even heartier and boosts the protein too. I use this awesome trick in Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili with Quinoa and I add it to homemade vegetable soup all the time! It saves so much time!
How to Make Simple Black Bean Quinoa Soup
After softening the onions for a few minutes, simply add the rest of the ingredients - black beans, tomatoes, quinoa, broth and spices to the pot, bring to a boil and then let it simmer for about 20 minutes. The flavors will meld together and the quinoa will fully cook. That's it!
Ingredients for Black Bean Quinoa Soup
If you stock your pantry with a few basics, then you'll always have what you need to make this tasty, healthy soup that's naturally vegan in under 30 minutes. A couple of notes on the ingredients:
Don't forget to rinse the quinoa or by a pre-rinsed brand. Otherwise, the soup will have a soapy taste.
Canned black beans were used to make this recipe, but dried beans that have been soaked will work as well. If you take this route, then this tutorial on how to make and freeze dried beans may be helpful. We eat black beans all the time in everything from Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salsa to Black Bean Cakes. They are a pantry staple along with canned tomatoes.
The bowl pictured is topped with cilantro and avocado which I guess moves this towards a Mexican Black Bean Soup. Add chopped raw onion for a Cuban profile. Either way, it is so tasty!
Can you Freeze Black Bean Soup?
Black bean soup freezes beautifully! Freeze soup in plastic bags that zip or smaller individual portion containers. If using a ziplock bag, then flatten as much as possible for a quicker thaw time. When cooking dinner the previous night, pull the soup out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Heat the defrosted soup on the stove top or in the microwave the next day. Easy peasy!
Tag @DinnerMom or #DinnerMom on social media if you make this recipe so we can see what you are cooking up!
Simple Black Bean Quinoa Soup
Ingredients
Black Bean Soup
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced; about ½ large onion
- 2 garlic cloves pressed or minced
- 30 ounces black beans rinsed and drained; 2 15 ounce cans or approx. 3 cups
- 14.5 ounces tomatoes diced; One 14.5 ounce can or approximately 1 ½ cups
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme ½ teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup quinoa rinsed if not purchased pre-rinsed
Optional Garnishes
- Avocado diced
- Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cooking pot over medium heat.
- Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are softened.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the remaining soup ingredients, except for the garnishes, to the pot and stir to combine.
- Raise heat to high bring soup to a low boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Garnish with avocado and cilantro, if desired
Nutrition
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Debra @ Worth Cooking
This looks fantastic! I love the idea of cilantro lime quinoa.
Marjory
Thanks Debra! It's really tasty, even if you don't mix it with the soup.
Ann Marie
this was so delicious and easy to make! Thank you!!
Marjory
Thank so much for commenting. I'm so glad you liked it!!!
Ron
Going to try this tonight. Going to add ham to make it a little more like traditional bean soup.
Marjory
I hope you enjoy it! Ham sounds like a great addition!
Anne
Very tasty. I always use brown rice so the quinoa was a nice twist and easy since it cooks at the same time.
Rachel Lucy
I made this for dinner tonight for my husband and myself. We both loved it! It had a lot of flavor. Perfect for a winter evening. I served it with spicy black bean chips. I'll definitely be making this recipe again!
Marjory
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Paulina
Love this! Quick, healthy and delicious!
Marjory
I'm so glad you enjoyed! We make this one again and again.
Cindy L
I saw this recipe and put it in the back of my mind. I read it in entirety yesterday and saw the Columbia and Alessi references. Since Tampa is my home, I knew that I had to make it! Very tasty! The quinoa is a fabulous idea instead of rice. With the raw onion on top, avocado and cilantro, it's a flavor extravaganza. (In addition, I add a bit of hot sauce.)
Marjory
Thanks for your comment! Love the hot sauce!!! 🙂
Jim
Leave out oil I did this is very healthy vegan recipe tastes great and so easy hard to find healthy and great
Jess
Made this and I am shocked how much I love it! Hubby even made comment about it being really good and ate second helping of it!
Marjory Pilley
I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment.