We were cooped up in the house on a dreary, cold Sunday afternoon. My husband was in Europe on a business trip, and the kids were driving me nuts so out to lunch we went. They wanted McDonald’s of course. But I insisted on Panera because of the somewhat healthier menu choices (hmm rethinking that statement. That kids mac n’ cheese is ridiculously rich.) Anyway, my other motive for choosing Panera: the new broth bowls!
While the kids deconstructed their ham sandwiches and squirted their juice boxes at each other in between crawling under the table to play tag, I sat there completely occupied by my Lentil Quinoa Broth Bowl. I was totally “that mom” with the crazy kids in public, but I didn’t even care. I could not put my spoon down. I’m telling you, the flavor in this soup is incredible. Well done, Panera!
While I licked the bowl clean, I confirmed that this would definitely go on my list of dishes to recreate. And here we are! A couple notes about this recreation:
- Panera’s version has also contains brown rice. I had no brown rice so the quinoa stands alone.
- The list of ingredients in this soup is impressive, extensive, and completely random. For example, Korean broth and molasses made the list -two ingredients I’d never think to pair together. I didn’t even come close to having all of the ingredients so I made up my own combo based on fridge staples.
- At Panera, you can order this dish with chicken or hard boiled eggs. I ordered the chicken, and it was a great choice. But for this recreation, I kept those ingredients as optional. There’s enough filling protein from the lentils and quinoa.
- For the soup base, I blended the tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic into a quick puree. By doing this, the veggies cook down quickly and they dissolve right into the broth, allowing the lentils and quinoa to shine.
- The lentils and quinoa cook together right in the broth. No need to pre-cook them!
This soup easily comes together for a hearty meal with some warm bread or alongside a salad. Box up the leftovers for a quick lunch on-the-go! I promise, while eating this soup, you will be utterly amazed at the flavor and completely unaware of anything going on around you!
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
- 3 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 3 roma tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 teaspoon oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons Bouquet Garni herb blend (or ¼ tsp each of dried rosemary, thyme, and parsley)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
- ½ cup uncooked lentils
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups roughly chopped kale
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- juice of 1 lemon
- 4 hard boiled eggs (optional)
- 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (optional)
- Place the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and tomatoes in a food processor, blender, or Nutribullet. Blend until a puree forms.
- Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Once heated, add the vegetable puree. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the herbs. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the soy sauce, diced tomatoes, lentils, and quinoa. Stir to combine.
- Add the vegetable broth and water and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer.
- Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, give the lentils a taste. If they're still a little firm, let the soup simmer for a few more minutes until the lentils are tender.
- Uncover the pot and add the kale, spinach, and lemon juice. Stir until combined. Give the soup a taste and add salt, pepper, and/or additional lemon juice to taste.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with a hard boiled egg and/or chicken, if desired.
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 191 Fat: 2.8g Carb: 31g Fiber: 9.3g Protein: 12.4g Sugar 6.6 g Sodium: 1162mg
Soup and Sandwich Recipes:
Tomato, Fennel, and White Bean Soup
Brussels Sprout, Bacon, and Gruyere Quesadillas with Apple Butter
Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup
Steamed Shrimp Po Boys with Cajun Vegetable Quinoa
Pulled Pork, Roasted Pear, and Gorgonzola Paninis
Chipotle Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Wild Rice Soup
Asparagus, Mushroom, and Swiss Flatbread Melts
Hi! I'm Krista, a self-proclaimed vegetable lover who likes to put a creative spin on healthy cooking. Here you'll find a variety of lightened up recipes using fresh and wholesome ingredients! 
What size can of diced tomatoes?
Hi Erica – A 14.5 ounce can. Thanks for asking. I will update the recipe!
Love the quinoa and lentil soup from panara bread thanks for the recipe
Isn’t it delicious!? Hope you enjoy this version!
I just had Panera Bread for the first time ever last night and I ordered the Lentil, Quinoa and Chicken bowl. I was blown away by the meal and so glad I found your website with a recipe!
This is certainly going on the list for meals.
Thanks!
I know, isn’t it just amazing?! I hope you enjoy this version!
Where can I find the original recipe you mention with the Korean broth and the molasses?
I have yet to find the actual recipe, but I found the list of ingredients here: https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu-categories/broth-bowls.html#lentil-quinoa-bowl-with-cage-free-egg
Delicious!! Thank you for recreating panera’s soup. I would never have figured it out on my own. Husband gave it a “very good” and ate the kale with no complaints. Clean bowls all around!
What a sweet comment, Rachel. You are so welcome! I’m glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Agree completely! This was awesome and tastes exactly like Panera’s version. Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear that Robin! Thanks for circling back to let me know. I hope to keep making more Panera-inspired recipes this year!
I made this for dinner tonight but cooked it in my Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker). I sauteed the puree first to get rid of the raw onion flavour (there is a setting for that on my IP), then cooked it at high pressure for 18 minutes. The texture was amazing!
After eating it, I clicked over to look at the ingredients in the Panera recipe…wow, this is so much more wholesome! Thanks for putting the effort into creating this wonderful meal!
How neat that you made this in the pressure cooker! I’ve never used one in my life, but I’ve heard great things. So happy you enjoyed the soup! Thanks for the sweet comment.
Thank you so much, I just made this soup it is even better than panera bread!!!
Best compliment ever! So happy you enjoyed it, Natalie!
This was great! I made some small
Adjustments, but it was so on point! I made a huge pot, and then froze in 2-4 serving freezer bags! So yum! Thanks a bunch.
You’re so welcome! That’s great to hear, Lauren! Love that you made it into freezer meals. Such a great idea! Thanks so much for the sweet comment.
Wow! I made this the other day following your recipe exactly and it came out amazing! I was looking for a recipe that combined lentils,quinoa and kale and goggled it and found your website. I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks so much for posting this.
Absolutely, Chris! I’m so happy you tried it! It’s a really nice combination of flavors and texture, and a comforting and healthy dish! Thanks so much for the sweet comment!
Supper super super Delicious recipe. loved it. Thanks.
I’m so glad you liked it Wajeeha! Thanks for commenting to let me know!
Do you drain the can of diced tomatoes or just add all of it??
Hi Violet, I did not drain the diced tomatoes.
I just had the Lentil Quinoa with Egg Broth Bowl from Panera last night! I immediately started researching home recipes to mimic Panera’s and so far I am more pulled to yours! I just have one question. Granted I am no professional cook, but is the broth close to the taste of Panera’s?? The reason why Im asking is because I LOVE LOVE LOOVE miso soup and noticed that other recipes used miso paste. I don’t want to ruin the recipe and add it if it isn’t necessary or if you used a different way to mimic the taste of miso. I was also curious of your take with using miso paste. You’re definitely more experienced and knowledgeable than I am when it comes to cooking 🙂 Either way I am going to the store to get all of the ingredients for your recipe!!!! Can’t wait to see how it turns out! So excited to try more of your recipes!
Hi Meagan! Thanks for the comment! I’m so excited you’re going to try out the recipe. Given your love for miso, I would DEFINITELY add it to the recipe. The reasons I left it out are: I wasn’t sure where to purchase it and I’ve no experience cooking with it! 🙁 I used soy sauce to give the soup somewhat of a salty, fermented kick, but soy sauce is no miso! I think the miso would only enhance the soup’s flavor. If you decide to use it, let me know how the it turns out! Thanks again for the sweet comment!
Is it possible to make this recipe in a slow cooker? I apologise for the naïve question. I just got my first slow cooker, and I love lentil soup.
Hi James! No apology needed! I haven’t tried it myself, but I think that you could definitely make this soup in the slow cooker. I’d hold off on adding the kale until right before you’re ready to serve so it stays vibrant green and still has some texture. Please report back if you do try this in the slow cooker!
When calculating the nutritional facts did you include the hard boiled egg?
Hi Ryann, the nutrition facts do not include the hard boiled egg.
I am going to make this tomorrow. I think I’m going to sub out the soy sauce for miso and add some sriracha because I did detect a little spicy kick in the broth bowl I had at Panera today 🙂
Those sound like excellent substitutions and additions…especially the sriracha! I’m obsessed with that sauce! Be sure to report back on how it turns out! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Hi. I made the soup/broth bowl last night. I questioned the water content and wondered if I should have cut it down to 2 or 3 cups vs 6. Well…definitely should have. Once I put all 6 cups in was no turning back. The flavor went from bursting to bland. I added almost half bottle of soy sauce just to give it some flavor. Next time Im cutting the water in half or by 2/3 and possibly using less grains to compensate for this change.
Hi Ivana. Thank you for the feedback! I’m sorry you had to compensate with extra soy sauce to add flavor. I am definitely making note of your experience and will make adjustments as needed when I make this recipe again in the near future.
This recipe is amazing! I have already made it twice! Thanks so much for posting it!
So happy to hear that Kelli! Isn’t it awesome making a Panera favorite at home?! Thanks for the sweet comment.
Awesome recipe!
I loved this bowl at Panera but don’t want to shell out the $10 every time for lunch. I knew there had to be a good copy cat recipe out there somewhere… and VOILA! It’s here. Thank you so much for it.
I wanted to make sure the broth wouldn’t be bland so instead, I added 4 cups of water instead of the 6 and it definitely helped to retain all that veggie puree goodness.
I’m so happy to hear this, Kristy! I love making my restaurant faves at home. Thanks for the kind comment!
Thanks for the recipe, just wondering if you could use Rotel which is a spicy canned tomatoes with jalapenos instead of regular canned tomatoes?
Hi Sandi! Absolutely –especially if you like the extra heat!
This is a very quick, great tasting soup! I have eaten it at Panera a few times. This is slightly different, but has a really great taste! I didn’t have tomatoes, so used a second can of diced tomatoes in the puree. This one is going in the “keep” file! Thank you!
Thanks so much for the kind comment! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
If i wanted to add the brown rice, how much would i add?
I’m unsure of the brown rice to quinoa ratio that Panera uses. If you want to replace the quinoa with brown rice, I’d use 1/2 cup. If using both, perhaps 1/3 cup would be a good amount.
Hello, thank you so much for this recipe. I actually made it yesterday. I was worried my pot might not be large enough for the amount of liquid but it work out. I think next I make this, I will increase the amount of lentils, quinoa and spinach. Even though the broth is absolutely delicious. I love this and will be making it again. 5 star recipe!
I love hearing this, Cecilia! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!