Hearty Veggie & Quinoa Soup

I am growing quite fond of making soup.  I have found many inspirational recipes on Pinterest that are healthy and filling.  It is also convenient to be able to freeze the leftover soup for the following week.  I decided to make this soup because I already had the majority of the ingredients at home, which is always a plus!  The recipe I based my soup off of is from Two Peas and their Pod.  I substituted a few things and added chicken sausage.  I hope you enjoy this or your own version of the soup :)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 yellow squash, chopped

1 can low sodium green beans

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 package precooked chicken sausage (flavor of your choice)

1 box (32 ounces) low sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (refer to my tip on how to prolong basil life)

2 cups cooked quinoa (one cup uncooked)
Shredded Parmesan, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large pot (I only have a large saucepan so I used that) over medium low heat.  Add the onion once the pan is hot and cook until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.  Then add the carrots and yellow squash, cook for about 5 more minutes.  Remember to stir occasionally.

Add vegetable broth, green beans, chicken sausage, bay leaves, thyme and basil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender.  It took about 35 minutes, but make sure to monitor the progress.  Stir in the cooked quinoa.  Add some shredded Parmesan on top.  Make sure to remove the bay leaves before serving!

Enjoy!!!