Hello! It's been a while since our last post, I hope your 2015 is going well so far!
Things have been a little crazy around here. Perhaps you've noticed our new look? We wanted something clean, simple and easy to navigate. It's funny how striving for simplicity can be such a complicated process! There's still plenty of tweaking to do but we've made it through the worst of it with only a handful of meltdowns, a lot of cursing, and 1 pizza night.
I've been a little scatterbrained lately so please let me know if you come across any bugs while you're browsing the site. We finally set up our email client so if you've subscribed to receive posts by email, this one should be the first post to make it's way into your inbox. If you're not subscribed, there's no time like the present! I'd love it if you did!
Annnd, if you love cute puppy pictures as much as I do, you have to meet our new foster pup, Lacey. (Yes, this is an invitation to send me pictures of your furry friends!) But enough with the updates, let's get to the food!
When I'm busy it's pretty easy to rely on smoothies, peanut butter & banana toast, trail mix, and oatmeal for fuel. But you can only go so long before it's time for a good hearty meal. If cooking isn't high on your priority list it's important to find some simple, reliable recipes that are satisfying and delicious!
For me, there are a few recipes that I come back to over and over again: peanut stir-fry, tofu noodle soup, chickpea & lentil coconut curry, sriracha & soy sauce tofu, vegetable rolls, and this chickpea & vegetable coconut curry soup!
What do they have in common?
- relatively quick (even quicker if you meal prep)
- customizable recipes where it's easy to swap ingredients in and out as needed
- you can clean out your fridge and use up ingredients you have on hand
- if you're experienced in the kitchen you probably don't need to follow the recipe too closely
- simple and easy!
I've made similar variations of this soup a number of times now. Here's one I posted to Tumblr, and another one that went on Instagram. They both seemed to be popular so I figured it was time to share the recipe!
This warming winter soup features chickpeas, red lentils, quinoa, zucchini, carrot, spinach, and a mild & creamy coconut curry broth. As you may have guessed from the ingredient list, this soup is PACKED with plant-based protein. I love serving this with a slice or two of whole grain bread spread with Earth Balance. It makes a great satisfying, warming winter meal.
Usually I'm making this soup specifically because I have cooked lentils, brown rice, or quinoa on hand. This time I didn't have any of that prepared so rather than cook the "grains" separately I tried making this a 1 pot affair for simplicity's sake. I'm happy to report that it worked beautifully!
This soup reheats easily in the microwave or on the stove top. As the soup sits in the fridge the grains continue absorbing the broth so you might find it necessary to add some extra vegetable stock or water when you reheat it.
This is a very mild curry. If you want to up the heat factor you can add a finely chopped thai chili or jalapeño when you sauté the vegetables, or add a good dash of sriracha or a pinch of cayenne. Be careful to taste and adjust as you go, you don't want to overdo it!
Chickpea & Vegetable Coconut Curry Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 7 cups 1x
- Category: Soup, Entrée, Main Course
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp coconut oil
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 zucchini, quartered and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 bunch kale, destemmed and finely chopped (or 2 handfuls of spinach, chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp + 1 teaspoon mild yellow curry powder (store bought or homemade)
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp coriander
- ⅓ cup rinsed, uncooked quinoa
- ⅓ cup rinsed, uncooked red lentils
- 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 can coconut milk
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat. Add the chickpeas, zucchini, carrot, garlic, and if you're using kale instead of spinach, add that now too.
- Cook until garlic becomes translucent. Add the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add 1 litre of vegetable stock, ⅓ cup uncooked red lentils, ⅓ cup rinsed, uncooked quinoa.
- Turn heat up to medium-high. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add more liquid as needed.
- Add 1 can of coconut milk. Bring back to a simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes. Thin with water or vegetable stock as needed.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Orange
This soup was heavenly! I did as another review and doubled all the individual spices to 1/2 tsp since we like more intense flavors. To my own bowl I added a wee bit of hot chili powder for a kick. I loved that I could use all frozen vegetables to save time chopping. It's perfect lunch for a cold winter day. I'll definitely be making it again. Thank you!!!!
★★★★★
Jen
This is the third or fourth time I’ve made this soup. It’s quickly becoming a staple in our home. Only adjustments I’ve made was to add some ginger with the garlic and a packet of red Thai curry paste when the spices go in. It quite literally tastes like good health in a bowl. So delicious.
Diane
My son introduced us to this recipe. We love it! Can’t tell you how many times we’ve made it. I also add some eggplant and baby corn to it. So tasty!
★★★★★
Ash
Delicious and filling! At the end, I seasoned with a little soy sauce and lime, to round it out
★★★★★
Madti
Wonderful soup! Thank you
★★★★★
Angie
This soup is AMAZING and perfect for meal prepping at the start of the week!
★★★★★
Richard Muir
Thanks for this recipe, I’m in Dubai, it’s little cold well forDubai and I’ve made this for dinner . Super health easy and tasty !! Thank you
★★★★★
Nicki
Ok this soup is just amazing, added in a onon and red pepper, omitted the quinoa ( as I am not a fan of it ), and doubled up on the lentils...love them!
So yummy on a cold winter's night ..vegan or not this soup is a must try!
Brittany
Yay! That sounds delicious Nicki! Thanks so much!
Magda
I made this for dinner tonight. It was so quick and easy to make! So much flavor! I am definitely making this again. Thank you for the tasty recipe!
★★★★★
Brittany
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, this is one of my favourites!
Win
This recipe was an absolute winner!
I made some minor tweak in ingredients to suit what I have & my diet.
I was more generous with my spices (1/2 tsp) each. Also added corn, onion & more carrots for extra sweetness. Instead of lentils, quinoa & chick peas because they made me bloated, I used 1 whole cauliflower as the "filler" instead for the soup. I also didn't have coconut milk, so used 1 can of coconut cream + 1 can of coconut water instead.
I squeeze lime wedge prior to serve to each bowl & that just made the whole soup popped!
★★★★★
Adam Burton
I had a very similar soup to this ( almost exact) at a restaurant here in Vancouver, and did a search and found this. I made it tonight - it was delicious. I used canned lentils and they worked great. This soup is wonderful.
★★★★★
Denise
I love this recipe. I make this soup once a month and it is a great way to use up extra vegetables. I have used kale and spinach alternately and substituted cauliflower or broccoli for the zucchini. This soup has a fabulous flavor and is very filling. Thanks for all of your great recipes. Your blog is my go-to for great vegan recipes.
★★★★★
Kira
Super yummy and perfect for a rainy afternoon! I didn't have carrots so I added red onion and I didn't have red lentils so I used green and simmered it a little longer. I love the flavor and the vegan coconut creaminess! I also added a little red curry paste for spice. Only I might change next time is up the lentil and quinoa quantity. I ended up with a lot of broth (maybe I didn't simmer long enough?)
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!!
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks so much Kira! I'm glad you liked it! 😀
Carlee
I gotta say I really don't understand recipes like this, I followed it to a T, Zucchini was overcooked and mushy, carrots were undercooked and hard. The broth was absolutely flavorless tasted like watery coconut, but smelled like curry, what a waste! Maybe its just me, but I definitely will not be the making this again. So disappointed.
Brittany
Sorry to hear you had issues with this recipe Carlee. What kind of vegetable broth did you use? Was your zucchini on the thinner/smaller side?
leslie
I made this tonight and we loved it. Used some broccoli instead of squash , and farro in place of quinoa and put it over rice noodles. Delicious!
★★★★★
Brittany
Ooh! That sounds delicious Leslie! I"m going to try curry over rice noodles, it sounds very intriguing!
Rob
This was yummy! What a great base for future variations! Definitely a keeper. I doubled the spice and added fresh coriander for the last minute and a squeeze of lime in the bowl. I didn’t have zucchini but added asparagus when it was time to add the spinach.
★★★★★
Audrey
I love this soup, it is a staple in our home. Do you think this can be done in a slow cooker?
J
Making this today and adding chilli pepper to make it a bit spicier! fantastic recipe and instructions! many thanks <3
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks so much! Extra chili pepper sounds like a great addition!
Erik Fountain
I tried this and it was delicious. My daughter is vegan, and this was a big hit with her. Next time I make it, I'm going to add Cauliflower which I think will be even more tasty.
★★★★★
Brittany
Oh yes, cauliflower sounds perfect in this soup!
Brinn
This was so good! We're not vegetarian so I subbed homemade chicken broth, otherwise followed your recipe exactly. Thanks for the awesome recipe. Easy, Healthy and Delicious... will definitely be adding this to the regular rotation.
Brittany
Thanks for commenting Brinn! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Alix
I made this tonight for my boyfriend and myself. I put it over some Japanese sticky rice. We both loved it! Thank you for the recipe. It is a delicious curry!
JoaNne
delicious! My vegan daughter will love it!
Tracy
I made this for my husband when he had the flu earlier this year because it's full of nutrients and now it's my favorite. I add rice noodles. Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Noreen
I made this soup on Monday. It's delicious! I've taken it to work for lunch this week and had enough for 4 days from this recipe. I made it exactly as per this recipe and it was perfect. I added more water every day as it does tend to thicken. A work colleague tasted it and liked it so much she made it too. :). Thank you for sharing this wonderful, tasty, healthy soup.
Brittany
Thanks so much Noreen! The quinoa likes to absorb all the broth as it sits, I'm glad adding a little water helps! Thanks for commenting 😀
Amanda
Hey,
I plan to make this tomorrow - just wondering if you used pre-ground coriander or did you grind it fresh? Or just throw them in whole? And same with the cumin? Just curious what you think is best for this recipe.
Also for the red lentils, did you use split red or whole red (they look more brown than red) lentils?
Thanks,
Amanda
Brittany
Hi Amanda! I did grind the coriander and cumin fresh for this recipe, however I often used pre-ground in other recipes. Either would work fine. As for the lentils, you'll want to use split lentils for this recipe. I hope you enjoy this soup! Let me know how it turns out! 😀
Jane
Wondering why my soup is orange and your photos show it as green? I used spinach and twice the red lentils rather than quinoa, but not sure either of those subs would account for the color difference. Love the taste!
Brittany
Yeah, it's probably the red lentils! Every soup I make with lots of red lentils goes orange. Also, my soup was a little more yellow than green in real life, my photos colouring is probably a little off.
priscilla
great recipe! if i want my curry to have less liquid and thicker i.e. less of asoup but a dish to go with rice... wht shud i do? reduce the amt of broth? but then lentils and quinoa wont have enough liquid to cook? thanks!
Brittany
Yep! I'd reduce the liquid called for by about half. There should still be plenty of liquid to cook the quinoa and lentils properly. Let the "soup" simmer until it reaches your desired thickness. I've done this a few times and it's really good!
leah van horn
hello, this recipe caught my eye on Pinterest and i made it this morning. boy was it good! Slight substitutions were the following:
chicken stock instead of vegetable stock
Orzo instead of quinoa
EVOO instead of coconut oil
I added Green curry paste to kick it up
Otherwise the same basic recipe. thanks from another foodie 🙂
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks Leah! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe 😀 I'll have to try orzo in it sometime, that sounds fantastic! Thanks for commenting!
Amallia @DesireToEat
wow, the soup looks so delicious, very healthy dish. 🙂
Brittany
Thanks Amallia!
Summer
I just made this delicious soup today! It is amazing. Thank you so much for the healthy recipe. I will be making this again!
Brittany
Thank you Summer! That's wonderful to hear, this is one of my favourite recipes so I'm very glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Laura King
I was interested in adding more vegan meals to our diet, when I ran across this one. Made it tonight for the family (perfect for our cold evening) and we loved it! I added some cilantro, green onions, and de-veined jalapenos from my garden along with the spinach at the end. I made with quinoa and red lentils, but noticed brown rice is in the pictures and blog, but not mentioned in the recipe. I guess if you used it, you'd have to add precooked brown rice, or it wouldn't have time to cook, right? I'll definitely be making this again!
Brittany
That's so great to hear Laura! I'm glad you enjoyed it, your tweaks sound delicious! For the soup shown in this post I did not use brown rice. If you checked out the versions I'd posted on Instagram or Tumblr I had included brown rice in those ones. Brown rice is a great addition if you have some precooked that you can just add in at the end!
Evi @ greenevi
Wow, there are just so much goodness in this recipe! I love that you added quinoa to it, great idea!
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks Evi! The quinoa is awesome in this recipe 😀 (You have a beautiful blog by the way!)
sam
Made it! Very nice. Thanks...
Esmeralda
I have only just come across your blog. Absolutely loving it. God bless you and your ideas and thank you for sharing them with us all 🙂
Brittany
Thank you very much Esmeralda! I'm so happy to hear that you're enjoying my blog! 😀
Wanda
I'd like to jump into that bowl of soup. Looks fantastic!
Brittany
Thanks Wanda!
Jennifer Andrews
Mmm... This soup encompasses everything I love about winter comfort food in one bowl: it's warm, satisfying and full of delicious spices and hearty plant based ingredients! Pretty photos as well 🙂
Brittany
Thank you very much Jennifer! I agree, this soup makes some pretty great winter comfort food. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Meaghan
The soup looks fantastic! I am trying to cook more with lentils - I actually love lentils but never cook with them - so thanks for sharing this recipe can't wait to give it a try!
Brittany
That's funny that you say that, I'm the exact same way! I've just started making a big effort to include more of them in my diet. Thanks for commenting, I hope you enjoy the recipe! 😀
Teresa
My partner follows your blog religiously now, since I sent him a link. He sent me a link back to this post a couple of days ago, saying he knew what our weekend food plans were going to be. This looks wonderful and it incorporates two of his favourite things - coconut curry and chickpeas.
Brittany
What a lovely thing to hear Teresa! Thank you very much 😀 I sure hope you both enjoy this recipe!
Fraida
The ingredients say 1/3 cup lentils and quinoa but the instructions say 1/2. Which is it?
Brittany
I apologize! It's 1/3 cup.
Sam
I can almost taste it from the pics. Very nice looking.
Brittany
Thanks Sam!