Smoky Quinoa and Vegetable Soup

Full of good-for-you and easy-to-find ingredients - such as sweet potato, quinoa, and peas - plus flavors that are out of this world delicious (smoked paprika for the win), this amazing soup has been on regular rotation at our house for a while. Plus, even though the calendar says it's late March, we've been dealing with below-normal temps and even snow days causing cancelled schools! With all of that, it's no wonder this soup has made regular occurrences in our meal plans. But let me explain how we even got to this recipe.

First, Shana figured out about a year ago that she looooooves quinoa. She wants to eat it all the time in any form she can. Second, we had a dinner a while ago with our friends the Thompsons. They cooked a version of this soup from America's Test Kitchen's vegetarian cookbook. You can even see a video of the original recipe here. It was their idea to use smoked paprika. Third, we had family stay with us a while ago on their drive from PA to WI. We figured this would be an easy dinner for everyone (minus the youngest, who doesn't really like dinners and had PB&J). It was at this meal that I subbed in the sweet potato, because when I went to grab the white potatoes I was *sure* we had, I found them curiously absent. But the sweet potatoes were a perfect substitution.

All of this adds up to a hearty and healthy deep red soup - due to the smoked paprika and tomato paste - filled with vibrant colors and textures. We've fed this soup to so many folks and everyone has loved it! In addition to everyone above, it's been a hit at our monthly vegan potluck and wowed our friend Max's parents when they were in town. It's a bowl of warming winter magic for your tired taste buds.

The red color is from both the smoked paprika and the tomato paste.

Smoky Quinoa and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. coriander
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
8-9 C. vegetable broth (see Helpful Hints)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained (see Helpful Hints)
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. frozen peas
1 1/2 T. tomato paste
avocado, cubed
cilantro, chopped

Directions
1. In a large stock pot, saute the onion and bell pepper in a small amount of oil over medium heat until soft.
2. Add the garlic and spices (paprika, coriander, and cumin) and continue to saute for another minute.
3. Add broth and sweet potato, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to keep at a simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer then add to the soup, keeping partially covered and at a simmer for another 8-10 minutes.
5. Add the corn, continue to simmer (still partially covered) for 5-7 minutes.
6. Add the peas and tomato paste, stirring to dissolve the paste. Keep at a simmer for another couple of minutes.
7. Serve with toppings of diced avocado, cilantro, or other additions of choice.

Helpful Hints

• I prefer using 9 cups of veggie broth over 8, as I prefer this to be a brothy-er soup. The original recipe only calls for 6, but I found that to be too little for the amount of quinoa, such that sitting even while eating your first bowl resulted in a dish that was decidedly NOT a soup when  you went back for a second bowl or to put it away for lunches. If you'd like it a little heartier, use 8 cups of broth instead. 
• We keep a blend of tri-color quinoa on hand at our house. Tri-color quinoa has the more neutral white quinoa, mixed with both red and black quinoa. Red and black quinoa have a slightly bigger flavor and a bit more texture when cooked, which we prefer. However, use whatever quinoa you like, can find, or have on hand.
• Given the depth of the flavors and the fun toppings, this is a great soup for a dinner party even though you really only need a soup pot, cutting board/knife, and strainer to make it happen! It's sure to impress your guests and allows people to customize their own meals ever so slightly. 
• If you use a soy-free and gluten-free vegetable broth, this is also a dish that can feed a group with a number of different dietary restrictions/needs. 

The post "Smoky Quinoa and Vegetable Soup" first appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.