Creamy White Bean Soup with Crispy Quinoa

This soup is so savory and creamy, and the crunch from the crispy quinoa makes the texture incredible! The soup has no cream, and it's easy to make the dish vegan, just make sure you use veggie stock rather than chicken stock! The crispy quinoa actually stay crispy even after soaking in the soup, adding a nice crunch through the whole meal. Don't skip the swirl of olive oil on top, its my favorite part!

This dish happens to be vegan, but is something even non-vegans (like myself) are sure to enjoy. The beans make this dish filling enough that you won't be missing meat in the meal! This is a great option to work into your rotation if you're looking to do a meatless Monday, or just reduce your meat consumption.

Key Tips - Creamy White Bean Soup with Crispy Quinoa

Don't skip all the "optional" ingredients

• A few of the ingredients listed are not things everyone keeps stocked, so it's okay to omit them if you don't have them on hand. That said, I don't recommend omitting them all, just one or so if you don't have it.
• If you don’t keep MSG stocked in your kitchen, you may be missing out! Despite the bad reputation it picked up in the early 2000’s MSG is a safe seasoning to consume and occurs naturally in many foods including tomatoes. Check out this article to read more about how it got this reputation. MSG is a “flavor enhancer” similar to salt, that makes foods taste more savory. It’s an awesome thing to keep on hand for soups, sauces, and just about anything! I typically buy mine online, here!

Use fresh thyme

• The fresh thyme is really delicious in this dish, but in a pinch you could substitute dried thyme or powdered thyme (only use about ¼ the quantity if subbing powdered thyme).

The crispy quinoa can be made ahead of time.

• If desired, the crispy quinoa can be made even a few weeks ahead of time. Just store it in an airtight container at room temp until ready to use.
• Leftover crispy quinoa is a great salad topping! If you don't use all of it in this recipe, try adding it to some other meals!

Don't skip the olive oil swirl!

• The swirl of olive oil is for more than just show, it's delicious! It's one of my favorite parts of this dish, so don't skip it!

Dietary Restrictions - Creamy White Bean Soup with Crispy Quinoa

This dish is naturally Dairy-Free.

Make it Vegan:

• Just make sure you choose veggie stock rather than chicken stock for the base!

Make it Gluten-Free:

• Substitute the all-purpose flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour.

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. While this is listed as 4 servings, most people would prefer to have more than one serving. I typically serve this dish as 2-3 large dinner servings or 4 small lunch/side servings.

Creamy White Bean Soup with Crispy Quinoa

Savory, creamy white bean soup topped with crispy baked quinoa. Use veggie stock to make this dish vegan!

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Simmer Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 15 oz cans white cannellini or great northern beans drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup quinoa I use red
• 1 large yellow or white onion chopped
• 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
• 2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves optional
• 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil optional
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoon olive oil plus more for drizzling
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon MSG optional
• salt

Instructions

 

Preparation - Crispy Quinoa

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Cook the quinoa per package instructions (I follow the microwave method for this, combining the quinoa with ½ cup of water, microwaving on high for 6 minutes and stopping halfway through to mix). All the water should be absorbed by the quinoa.
• Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread the quinoa out as much as possible. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the quinoa every 10 minutes. Dust with salt.

Preparation - Soup

• Warm 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft and translucent.
• Add the sesame oil and garlic and cook for ~30 seconds until fragrant, then dust with the flour and mix well. Continue cooking the mixture for about 2 minutes.
• Next add the stock, beans, thyme, bay leaves, 1.5 teaspoon salt, pepper, and MSG. Bring to a heavy simmer over medium to medium/low heat.
• Simmer for 30-35 minutes, the liquid level should reduce a good bit. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and blend the soup using an immersion blender or by transferring it in batches to a standard blender.
• Bring the blended soup back to a simmer before serving. If it is too thick, add a little water. If it is too thin, allow it to simmer until the desired consistency is reached. Taste and add more salt/pepper if desired.
• Ladle into serving bowls, then top with a swirl of olive oil (this isn’t just for looks, it’s delicious). Top with the crispy quinoa and serve (you may have extra quinoa leftover).

Notes

MSG doesn’t deserve the bad reputation it’s received and adds savoriness to the dish, but it’s fine to omit if you don’t have any on hand. 

Keyword Creamy Soup, Creamy White Bean Soup, Creamy White Bean Soup with Crispy Quinoa, Crispy Quinoa, Quinoa, Vegan, Vegetarian, White bean, White Bean Soup

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