During winter when I’m craving a big warm cozy bowl of soup, I always make a big batch of vegetable soup. This year I switched it up from my best-ever vegetable soup and made this roasted poblano and quinoa vegetable soup.
The backbone of the two soups is the same, plenty of aromatics, flavorful broth, a sprinkle of seasonings and a balance of different flavored vegetables. I love the heat of the poblanos balanced with the sweetness of corn and bell pepper in this version.
In the past, most of my use of quinoa has been limited to options like veggie burgers, stuffed peppers or quinoa salad. I have to say, I really enjoyed quinoa in soup.
Quinoa made the soup more hearty and filling as a whole grain with plenty of protein. The texture of the quinoa wasn’t crunchy or chewy, instead it melted into the background because the grains as so small and cooked in so much liquid in the soup.
Variations to the Roasted Poblano and Quinoa Soup recipe:
- Poblanos have tough skin, so peeling them aids in digestion. Charring also helps to infuse the soup with some smokey flavor.
- If you can’t find poblanos, try using a can of fire roasted diced green chilies. They will have a similar flavor profile!
- I used an orange bell pepper to add more color to the soup. Any color will do, but I would likely choose a sweeter pepper like red or yellow over green.
- Swap out the black beans for another bean like pinto beans or kidney beans. You could even try this recipe with chickpeas!
- 1 large or 2 small poblano peppers (or more if you want it spicy)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 stalk celery, diced
- 1 medium orange bell pepper
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp each: oregano, garlic powder, and cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp each: salt and black pepper
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 15 oz can black beans, drained
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup sweet corn (frozen is fine)
- ⅓ cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 TBS lime juice, from one small lime
- Turn on your oven broiler. Place whole poblanos on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil until charred and blackened, about 5 minutes. Flip the peppers over and broil a second time, about 3 minutes. Wrap the poblanos in the foil and let rest for 10 minutes while you prep the veggies.
- Meanwhile, saute the onion, celery, and orange bell pepper in olive oil until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste, fresh garlic, oregano, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and let saute about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Meanwhile, peel the blackened skin off the poblanos as best you can. Dice them, removing the seeds to reduce the heat.
- Mix in the tomatoes, beans, bay leaf, broth, sweet corn, and diced poblanos into the onion mixture. Bring to a boil and add quinoa. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the quinoa starts to pop open.
- Remove from heat, remove the bay leaf, and stir in the lime juice. Serve.
Recipe inspired by Running to the Kitchen.
