Can winter fare be both vibrant and comforting? I think this colourful soup is proof that it can. Sometimes it feels difficult to pack in as many bright coloured vegetables and fruit into one’s diet this time of the year, but it’s certainly possible. Just think of all the bright colours in season right now – winter squash galore, sweet potatoes, kale, pomegranates, citrus, radish, apples, cranberries, pears, persimmons, etc. If you feel yourself in a cold weather food rut, try busting out some of these into your shopping cart each week. The pop of colour will instantly boost your mood no matter what the weather is like outside. And if it doesn’t, well at least they are pretty to photograph!
Last week, I picked up a couple sweet potatoes because it had been a while since I had any. I usually prefer squash over sweet potatoes, but it’s nice to change it up once and a while. This hearty soup is filled with sweet potato chunks, fluffy protein-packed quinoa, black beans, and is seasoned with cumin, coriander, and chili powder. While it’s a good soup on its own, it really shines with toppings like avocado, cherry tomatoes or salsa, cilantro, crushed corn chips, and green onion, giving it a Tex-Mex flare. Cashew cream would also be nice on top too, as I used in my Raw Taco Salad recipe. If sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, feel free to use butternut squash in its place.
This was hands down, the most fun bowl to eat so far this season!
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Red Quinoa Soup
Yield
4-6 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This hearty soup is filled with sweet potato chunks, fluffy red quinoa, black beans, and is seasoned with cumin, coriander, and chili powder. While it’s a good soup on it’s own, it really shines with toppings like avocado, cherry tomatoes or salsa, cilantro, crushed corn chips, and green onion, giving it a Tex-Mex flare. Inspired by: Sprouted Kitchen & Coconut & Quinoa.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked red quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (or other oil)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cup diced sweet onion (about 1/2 large)
- 1 jalapeno, seeded if preferred and diced
- 1 large sweet potato (350 g), peeled and chopped to 1/2-1 inch dice (2.5-3 cups)*
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1.5 cups cooked black beans (one (15-oz) can rinsed and drained)
- fine grain sea salt and black pepper, to taste (I used 1/2 tsp salt or a bit more)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes)
- 2 handfuls Spinach or kale leaves, optional
For the toppings
- avocado
- corn chips
- cilantro
- cashew cream
- lime juice
- tomatoes or salsa
- green onion
Directions
- In a medium-sized pot, add quinoa along with 1.5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cover with tight fitting lid. Simmer covered for about 17 minutes or until the water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, and keep it covered until ready to use.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large wok or pot. Add garlic and onion and sauté for a few minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Now add in the jalapeno and sweet potato and sauté for 5-7 minutes more.
- Stir in the cumin, chili powder, coriander, and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 18-20 minutes uncovered, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Just before serving, stir in the cooked quinoa, drained and rinsed black beans, cayenne, and optional spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more spice if desired.
- Garnish soup with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, green onion, corn chips, avocado, and/or cashew cream.
- Feast on tasty, vibrant comfort food!
Tip:
Note: Feel free to use butternut squash in place of sweet potato.
Updates!
I did some major updating on my FAQ page, adding some common questions and I also wrote an update on my knee injury in the running section.
Well, we’re off to our first Christmas party of the season tomorrow and Sunday is going to be dedicated to picking out our tree and decorating. It should be a festive one….just what I love this time of year. Have a great weekend!
This soup was delicious! I have made so many of your recipes but never commented. I used white quinoa instead of red and butternut squash instead of sweet potato. Thanks so much for your amazing vegan recipes…I love them!
Hey Julianne, Im so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment :)
I made this soup this weekend with regular quinoa and chicken broth…it was delicious. So glad I didn’t halve the recipe so we will have leftovers again later this week. Thanks for the satisfying and nutritious recipe!
Hi Angela,
I’m a relatively new reader, and I made this soup Saturday for a bonfire party. It was delicious! Thanks for the great blog,
Shelly in Kansas City, Kansas
Hey Shelly, Thank you for trying it out! So glad you enjoyed it…sounds like a fun party :)
I made this soup for dinner tonight and it was seriously SOOO good! My non vegan family loved it! I agree with you that the toppings are definitely a must. Thanks for a great recipe.
This recipe is great! Just finished my first bowl and am going back for seconds! I am definitely adding this to my rotation. Thanks!!!
Wonderful soup! It has all my favorite ingredients in it so…couldnt be better!!! I still had a tomato plant inside the house and I used my very last garden tomato in eat. Simply delicious!! thx for that :)
Thanks for this post. Our family enjoyed it very much. It was a splendid combination of flavors that left us full, comforted, and planning when we would make it again. Thank you so much. Cheers.
Aww Angela this looks SO good! When I saw it, it reminded me of Martha Stewart’s tortilla soup (which I just made) except much more wholesome. I can’t wait to try it!
And thank you for updating your FAQ page with your knee injury info–I recently was diagnosed with chondromalacia in my right knee (from overuse) and it just sucks. I never imagined having to lay off running and all other forms of impact cardio for six months! But like you said, it has made me appreciate what my body can do, and I’ve been getting much more into yoga and pilates! It’s always good to hear similar stories :)
This soup was amazing!! I made it tonight for dinner and it came together so fast and easy! I’ll definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
This is now officially one of my favorite soups! I absolutely loved it! The best part is that my 15 month old and 4 1/2 year old agreed! It was a huge hit and will be a fall/winter favorite in our house. I love how easy it was to make. I must confess. I can’t get enough veggies so I always double the veggies in any soup. I also doubled the quinoa. I like soups on the thicker side and it also helps my 15 month old. The thicker it is the easier it is for my girls to eat!
Im so glad to hear that Christy!
I tried this recipe. It’s great. I like to eat salad for lunch but freeze when I do because it’s cold outside. I felt warm and like I got my veggies with this. The recipe has several steps but it was worth it. Thanks.
Soups are the Best foods to be had in Winter!!! They keep us warm as well as healthy!! Great one to be had for Breakfast or as a Snack!!!
Yum! This is now one of my favorite soups! All of the omnis who ate it agreed, too :)
I just made this yesterday and it’s all gone! This soup is so delicious!! Thank you again, Angela for another wonderful recipe! I keep spreading the word about Oh She Glows saying that I’m not vegan but I could be if I lived at your house :)
I made this for a bunch of my buddies when they came over to watch UFC. Needless to say they all loved it, and this is coming from 5 macho men! Keep up the good work Angela!
whohoo! Glad to hear that Jon.
Angela – This looks amazing! I love how you left everything fairly deconstructed in the bowl too. Awesome
I made this for dinner last night! Amazing! I have it for lunch today too. I love having leftovers that I am excited about eating. I added celery because I had some in the fridge that needed to be used. It worked well with the onion and other flavors.
Thanks for all of the delish recipes. They get me excited about cooking!
This looks so nourishing. Beautifully taken. xoxooxxox
Love, Love, Love! So yummy! We really enjoyed and will be making for our family when they visit for the holiday!
Hey there! I just wanted to let you know I made this soup tonight for my family. Oh my goodness! SO DELICIOUS! I am so thrilled that everything I have made for my family the last couple of days since trying Vegan/Gluten Free has been so yummy, even to my 8 and 12 year old! This soup has so many great ingredients in it! It feels good to be eating things that are so good for us! Thank you again so much for sharing this with us!
Aw Im so happy to hear that Jacquie!