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Quinoa Corn Chowder

By 63 Comments 30 Minute MealsOn The Healthy/Lighter SideOne-Pot Meals

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This Quinoa Corn Chowder is an easy meal in one! It’s thick, creamy, hearty and packed with protein and fiber!

This Quinoa Corn Chowder is an easy meal in one! It's thick, creamy, hearty and packed with protein and fiber!

This is exactly what I want in a meal from about September until April. It’s thick, creamy, hearty, and goes perfectly with freshly baked bread.

It’s even healthy.

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Not like kind-of-healthy, but really healthy.

This Quinoa Corn Chowder is an easy meal in one! It's thick, creamy, hearty and packed with protein and fiber!

There’s just nothing bad in it. So I can eat my bowl of thick, creamy chowder and not even feel bad about it. What’s not to love?

I don’t have a lot of experience cooking with quinoa. I know it’s a really big deal right now (and for the last 5 years), but the first time I made it I wasn’t a big fan of the texture. Therefore, I haven’t spent much time experimenting with it.

This Quinoa Corn Chowder is an easy meal in one! It's thick, creamy, hearty and packed with protein and fiber!

I came across this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine of my mom’s. I immediately thought, “now that’s how I like my quinoa!” You get some of the texture of the quinoa, but with everything else that’s going on in this soup, you hardly notice.

This Quinoa Corn Chowder is an easy meal in one! It's thick, creamy, hearty and packed with protein and fiber!

This chowder is everything I love about fall and winter meals, just made extra healthy with a good dose of protein and fiber from the quinoa and beans. It will definitely be added to our regular rotation!

And since it’s 30 Minute Thursday today, you can find a collection of other easy, 30 minute meals from friends just down below the recipe!

Quinoa Corn Chowder

Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 313 kcal
Author: Ashley Fehr
A rich, creamy, comforting chowder that's packed full of protein and fiber from quinoa and beans!
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 cups frozen corn or fresh
  • 1 can white kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • Optional: shredded cheese to garnish

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, toast quinoa over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add oil, onion and pepper to the pot and saute over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until soft. Add garlic, parsley, thyme and salt and cook 1 minute.
  3. Stir in flour until combined (you don't want to see any white left -- add gradually and if there's a little left over that's okay). Whisk in broth and then milk one cup at a time, whisking and waiting until the soup has thickened slightly before adding the next cup. (You can dump it all in at once, too -- it will just take a little longer to thicken!)
  4. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium (or medium-low) and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is cooked, stirring often. Add corn and beans and heat through, serve.

Recipe Notes

**NOTE: Nutrition information is estimated and will vary depending on exact serving size, types and brands of products used.
Nutrition Facts
Quinoa Corn Chowder
Amount Per Serving
Calories 313 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Total Carbohydrates 48g 16%
Dietary Fiber 6g 24%
Sugars 11g
Protein 12g 24%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Comments

  1. I made this recipe twice and the first time it didn’t turn out at all! I just made it the second time after reading all the comments and it came out very well. In the instructions it never tells you to remove the quinoa from the pot after it’s toasted. If you don’t remove it and add it back later the soup turns gluey. Also, I added a 1tsp of chili powder and 1/2 tsp of cumin for some kick. Now it’s great!

    Reply

    • I took out the part where the quinoa is removed because I have made it both ways, and honestly both ways have been great! I know lots who have made it without removing the quinoa and haven’t had issues. I appreciate your note!

      Reply

  2. This chowder is SO GOOD! I made it vegan by using vegetable broth and flax milk. I thought it wasn’t going to be enough before the beans and corn, but boy was I wrong. Delicious!

    Reply

  5. HI Ashley:

    I saw someone else’s post about using almondmilk instead of cow’s milk, but I was wondering about using coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. Have you tried this? If so, how did it work? If not, thoughts on how it would work?

    Thank you!

    Reply

  6. I just made the chowder and it was really good but do i see potatoes in the picture above? I just didn’t see the recipe calling for red potatoes? Is there anything else in the recipe that we should know about?

    Reply

  9. Thank you for the recipe, this was delicious! Very flavorful & filling. I will definitely make it again. I made just a few small mods: celery instead of onion, no red pepper, 3/4 tsp salt & veggie broth and it was wonderful. My first time toasting quinoa, yum!

    Reply

  10. I made this for dinner tonight. My husband and my 3 year old both loved it! Thank you for a great recipe. Fast, healthy, affordable, one pot, what else could you want!

    Reply

  11. I just made this and it was absolutely wonderful and extremely filling. I substituted 1.5 Tbsp arrowroot powder for the flour, and it seemed to work fine. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Looking forward to making it again!

    Reply

  13. I wanted to know whether to cook the white beans whole out of the can? I just don’t want to smash them thinking the soup to be finely soupy instead of whole beans with it.

    P.S. sorry, I am a law student with the least cooking experience as possible so making sure.

    Yesha

    Reply

    • No you don’t need to cook them! Just add them at the end and they’ll heat through but remain whole. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  14. I made this yesterday and it was a big hit! Thank you for posting it. The one thing I swapped out was the chicken broth for vegetable stock to make it vegetarian friendly. Also my husband couldn’t find organic white beans at the market so we used organic pinto which made our soup not as pretty as yours haha.

    Reply

  15. I made this last night for dinner, and it was so fun to make! The quinoa smelled so good toasting, and bell peppers are my favorite vegetable to chop. It was a very hearty soup! Perfect for the chilly weather right now. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  16. I made this once and it is delicious! My favorite new recipe of this past fall. I was wondering if anyone had tried freezing it and how it went? I usually double recipes and freeze the leftovers but not sure how that would go with this dish.

    Reply

  17. Just made this tonight. It certainly does not TASTE as healthy as it is! Fantastic! And my husband, who is a very picky eater and rarely goes back for second helpings of my cooking, requested to take the leftovers to work tomorrow for lunch. Success!

    Reply

    • I don’t have the nutrition information for this recipe unfortunately. I adapted the recipe from a Taste of Home recipe. There are lots of great nutrition/calorie calculators out there if you’re needing to find the details!

      Reply

    • It would definitely work, but it would likely change the flavour. The whole wheat flour might give it a bit more texture — normally I use whole wheat flour for everything, but I use all purpose when I’m making a roux just because it’s smoother. Maybe white whole wheat flour? The almond milk would have a bit of a different flavour, but if that’s what you’re used to drinking and you like the flavour, you probably wouldn’t notice it as much as we would here!

      Reply

    • It is straight from the bag because you toast it first, then add it in later to simmer and cook with everything else. At least that was my impression and what I did! 😀

      Reply

    • Sorry I missed your comment Lane — it is straight from the bag. Toast it in the pot,then remove it and add it back in later when it says.

      Reply

  25. Wow I love this recipe. Quinoa is a favorite of mine, it’s so healthy and can sustain you all day long. Adding the quinoa to the corn chowder sounds fantastic and hearty. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  26. Yeah I kind of cringe when I eat quinoa by itself! ha! The texture is a bit off putting. I really like that you used it in a nice hearty soup though! I bet it goes great with the other flavors!

    Reply

  28. I love eating soup anytime of the year, but especially during the fall and winter. This soup looks incredible, Ashley! I love your creativity of adding in quinoa. I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate it into meals, so this looks like the perfect one! Pinned!

    Reply

    • It is a great idea! I wish I could take all the credit 😉 I just love how good it is for you. I need to balance out some of the other naughty things I’m eating… lol

      Reply

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