I eat lentils and quinoa with practically every meal. As a vegetarian, these ingredients are an easy and tasty source of protein + fiber. You can add them to soups, salads, casseroles…basically anything. They’re superfoods in my book!

I prepped this soup last Sunday to eat for lunch throughout the week. It’s packed with vegetables and is just a tad bit spicy—feel free to top it with some nutritional yeast, shredded cheese or sour cream for balance. The soup was the perfect, hearty lunch and kept me full without feeling stuffed! Definitely adding this to the monthly rotation.

INGREDIENTS

1 yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. butter (sub olive oil for vegan version)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce + 1 T. adobo sauce
6 c. vegetable broth
1 - 14.5 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 - 14.5 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. oregano
2 t. Italian seasoning
1 c. uncooked lentils
1 c. uncooked quinoa
Salt & pepper, to taste

STEPS

1) Cook the quinoa according to package directions and set aside.

2) Melt the butter or olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for six minutes.

3) Add the bell peppers and cook for two minutes.

4) Chop the chipotle peppers and add them to the pot along with the tablespoon of adobo sauce. Cook for two minutes.

5) Pour in the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir well. Season with the red pepper flakes, oregano and Italian seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if desired.

6) Add the lentils to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.

7) Remove the lid and stir in the cooked quinoa (add less quinoa if you don’t want the soup to be too thick). Remove from heat and serve.