Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup

Name: Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings (about 2 1/2 quarts)
Ingredients: 1/4 cup light olive oil; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped; 2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely diced; 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) cannellini or other white beans, drained; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chopped tomatoes, with their juices; 7 cups vegetable stock; 1/3 cup quinoa; 1/4 cup chopped parsley; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, rosemary or thyme; 1 bay leaf; Sea salt and ground black pepper

Recipe from Mary McCartney

Adapted by Jeff Gordinier

Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup — Craig Lee for The New York Times

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(2,462)
Comments: Read comments

Soup doesn't have to be loaded with meat to be deeply satisfying. This one from Mary McCartney, devoted vegetarian, cookbook author and a daughter of Paul, is proof of that fact. Quinoa adds a lovely bit of texture, and beans – practically any variety will do – add heft and a wonderful creaminess as they break down in the broth. This recipe begs to be tampered with, so feel free to add more beans, vegetables, quinoa or fresh herbs. One reader even added a few cups of cooked pasta. It's almost impossible to mess up, so don't hold back. —Jeff Gordinier

Featured in: A Warm, Messy Take on Meatless

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings (about 2½ quarts)

¼cup light olive oil
2medium onions, finely chopped
2medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2stalks celery, trimmed and finely diced
1can (14½ ounces) cannellini or other white beans, drained
2cloves garlic, finely chopped
1can (14½ ounces) chopped tomatoes, with their juices
7cups vegetable stock
⅓cup quinoa
¼cup chopped parsley
1tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, rosemary or thyme
1bay leaf
Sea salt and ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery, and sauté until barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans and garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
Step 2
Stir in tomatoes and their juices, and vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 3
Add quinoa, parsley, oregano or other herb, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer until quinoa is cooked, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

2,462 user ratings

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Comments

Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor7 years ago

I made this last night, and it was very tasty. This recipe definitely lends itself to improvisation. I added frozen chopped spinach, more beans (2 1/2 cans total), 1/3 cup more quinoa and about a cup of ditalini pasta. I also had a sad little Parm rind in my cheese drawer, so I tossed that in, too. It's the perfect clean-out-your-vegetable-drawer soup.

consuelo holtzer7 years ago

Just adding something about the remark that fresh beans should have been used. Normally I would agree. I almost never use cans. But this time it did not matter. It came out very tasty with almost no effort. So unless Obama is coming to dinner, cans seem fine to me. From someone who hates cans.

Robert7 years ago

So I just subscribed to the NYT-All Access package about a week ago, which includes NYT Cooking. I decided to finally go ahead and give cooking a try. This Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup is the first dish that I've seriously cooked in my life and it was fun to prepare the ingredients, instructions were easy to follow, and it came out delicious! The clarity of the instructions, ingredients, specificity- all top notch. I look forward to continuing to use NYT Cooking. Thank you NYT!

Katze1 month ago

Doubled recipe. Only 1.5L of veggie stock. Added green beans closer to the end for a firmer bite in the mix.

nikita4 months ago

I didn't have fresh herbs so I used dried (converted) and added some fresh spinach. Add some shredded cheddar on top - trust me. My dad went back for seconds which says something!

Betsy4 months ago

This is a yummy soup with a few additions. I doubled the amount of tomatoes. I drained 1 can and put the 2nd can in with the juice. I tripled the beans. If I made this again, I would also double the quinoa. I added a Parmesan rind, red pepper flakes and cayenne. Grated Parmesan over the top at the end. Also, it took much longer for the vegetables to get soft than is stated here. Be aware when you are looking at your timing. Delicious.

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