The QUINOA, LENTIL AND CHICKPEA SOUP is a spoonful of wellbeing. A complete and balanced dish where the plant proteins of the legumes meet the lightness of quinoa, giving a creamy yet pleasantly rustic texture.
It’s the ideal soup for cold days, when you look for a healthy, satisfying and wholesome comfort food. Perfect as a one-dish meal, it wins you over with its simple but rich flavor, capable of warming and nourishing without weighing you down.
A versatile recipe to personalize with seasonal vegetables or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, celebrating natural cooking and balanced tastes.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 5/8 cup lentils
- 2/3 cup chickpeas (weight when cooked)
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 6 1/3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- Half yellow onion
- 1 leek (medium-small)
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 2 oz guanciale (speck or pancetta)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- rosemary
What you’ll need for the quinoa, lentil and chickpea soup
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Cutting board
Preparation — quinoa, lentil and chickpea soup
To prepare this quinoa, lentil and chickpea soup, first, if you are using dried chickpeas, soak them for 12 hours. Then drain and simmer them for about 2 hours, seasoning with salt halfway through. Alternatively, use canned/pre-cooked chickpeas.
Prepare the vegetable broth and keep it hot.
In a pot add a drizzle of oil and sauté the celery, carrot and onion.
Add the diced guanciale, the leek sliced into rounds, the cherry tomatoes (seeded and cut into small pieces), the rinsed and drained lentils, the chickpeas and the quinoa — make sure to rinse the quinoa well under running water to remove the saponins.Stir everything well and add the hot vegetable broth.
Let the soup simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, adding more liquid if it becomes too dry. Before turning off the heat, adjust salt and pepper to taste.Let the soup rest for 5 minutes and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprig of rosemary and toasted bread.
Tips
For a creamier texture, blend a portion of the soup.
For a vegetarian version, omit the cured meat.
Storage
In the refrigerator: 2–3 days in an airtight container
In the freezer: up to 2 months
