The QUINOA, LENTIL AND CHICKPEA SOUP is a concentrated dose of well-being in every spoonful. 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’re looking for healthy, filling, and wholesome comfort food. Perfect as a one-dish meal, it wins over with its simple but rich flavor, capable of warming and nourishing without being heavy.
A versatile recipe, to be customized with seasonal vegetables or a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, that celebrates natural cooking and balanced flavors.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 5/8 cup lentils
- 5/8 cup chickpeas (weight given is cooked)
- 5/8 cup quinoa
- 6 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 carrot
- Half yellow onion
- 1 leek (medium-small)
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 2 oz guanciale (cured pork jowl) (speck or pancetta)
- to taste extra-virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- rosemary
For the quinoa, lentil and chickpea soup you will need
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Cutting board
Preparation: Quinoa, Lentil and Chickpea Soup
To prepare this quinoa, lentil and chickpea soup, first of all, if you are using dried chickpeas, soak them for 12 hours. Then drain them and simmer for about 2 hours, salting halfway through cooking. Alternatively, use 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 cut into rings, the cherry tomatoes deseeded and cut into small pieces, the rinsed and drained lentils, the chickpeas and the quinoa, taking care to rinse the quinoa well under running water to remove the saponins.Mix 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 raw extra-virgin olive oil, a sprig of rosemary and toasted bread.
Tips
For a creamier texture, purée part 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
