Quinoa Corn Chowder Main Dish Recipe & Video

Low Fat Quinoa Recipe With Corn, Potato, Green Beans, Red Pepper

Quinoa corn chowder: Mild, with a hot spicy side; simple & satisfying vegan quinoa recipe.

Delicious corn chowder cooks in 30 minutes on the stovetop, 6 hours in a crockpot. Video included with stovetop directions.

Variations: Replace potatoes with veggie sausage or beans. Add chopped spinach or kale for more green power.

OR serve chowder with green salad, adding beans, nuts, toasted seeds, tofu or seitan for extra protein.

Total Prep & Cook Time: 50 min stovetop, 6 hrs 20 min crockpot

6 Servings

Nutrition Data Per Serving, 200g (2 cups): 217 cal, 41g carb, 4g fat, 211mg sodium, 5g fiber, 3g sugars, 7g protein, low Saturated Fat & Cholesterol, good source Vit B6, Vit C., Folate, Manganese. Estimated glycemic load 19

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw quinoa
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 - 3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 cup diced red pepper

1/2 tsp gr cumin
1/2 tsp paprika (smoked paprika is nice)
2 tsp gr coriander
Optional: Add more heat with a pinch or two of chipotle or cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable soup stock (unsalted if you can get it)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 pkg frozen corn kernels OR 3 - 4 ears fresh corn on the cob
1 cup chopped green beans, fresh or frozen
1 tsp dried oregano leaf
2 tsp dried basil leaf
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
Garnish: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro OR 4 scallions sliced, tender greens & whites

Stovetop Directions with Video:

Rinse quinoa in cold water, then drain into a colander. Set aside.
Add oil to the pan, turn it on low to heat up, while you prep the veggies
Peel & mince the onion, garlic & jalapeno
Wash and trim the celery, slice thin
Seed and dice the red pepper
Peel and chop the potatoes in bite sized pieces
If using fresh corn, peel and slice the kernels off the cobs
Sauté the onion until soft. Turn up the heat to medium, add the garlic, celery, red pepper & jalapeno, sauté 2 minutes
Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, optional chipotle or cayenne powder, stir for 1 minute
Add the soup stock or water, quinoa, potatoes, bayleaf, and fresh green beans if using
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 20 minutes
Add the oregano, basil, salt & pepper to taste, fresh or frozen corn, and frozen green beans, bring back to a boil, and simmer 5 - 10 more minutes, until it looks right to you
Serve garnished with chopped cilantro or scallions

Crockpot Directions:

4 - 6 qt crockpot, 6 hours on low heat, 1 hour on high heat

Rinse quinoa in cold water, then drain into a colander. Set aside.
Peel & mince the onion, garlic & jalapeno
Wash and trim the celery, slice thin
Seed and dice the red pepper
Peel and chop the potatoes in bite sized pieces
If using fresh corn, peel and slice the kernels off the cobs
Heat the oil on medium in a fry pan
Sauté onion until soft. Add garlic, celery, jalapeno & red pepper, sauté 2 minutes
Combine in a 4 - 6 qt crockpot: All ingredients including fresh green beans if using, but not corn, cilantro or scallions, salt & pepper
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours
Add the fresh or frozen corn kernels, frozen green beans if using, oregano and basil. Turn heat to high and cook another 1 hour
Add salt & pepper to taste
Serve garnished with chopped cilantro or scallions

Recipe Comments:

I made the corn and quinoa chowder and loved it. Very easy to make and taste wonderful. I only used about half a jalapeno. I do like spice but wanted my children to try it as well. I also added a can of black beans. I will definitely make this again - Monica W.

I made this soup a couple of nights ago. I thought it was delicious, but wanted to offer a couple of "tweaks." The flavor is good, but I think it needs something to add depth, so the next time I make it, I will add mushrooms. Caramelizing the onions and peppers would also help, maybe, as well maybe adding a carrot while caramelizing the onions. The corn I used was grilled, which helped give it some added flavor. I think I will also cut the quinoa to 1/2 c. since I had to add an extra can of broth to make it a soup. Do you have any other ideas for adding a deeper flavor? I am eager to hear them. Overall, I think this recipe is quite good and with a little tweaking could be awesome. Thank you so much for creating this recipe. - Peg B.

Hi Peg, We enjoy the mild sweet flavor of this soup, and I would want to keep that as a base, but I like some of your ideas. I do saute the veggies, but caramelizing the onions and peppers could work. I don't know about mushrooms (not a big fan), but shredded carrot sounds good. I might add some mellow miso and nutritional yeast or soy sauce. Also, a stronger broth would add more flavors. Try using a mushroom stock, maybe - Savvy Veg