I know, I know…soup in August?!  It’s crazy.  But with the chilly mornings and evenings we’ve been having lately in Minnesota, the weather is starting to feel more and more like early fall.  Which is a-okay by me.  While I love all four seasons (yes, even a Minnesota winter is growing on me!) I have a big soft spot for fall.  Since the weather had me craving all things fall, I chose to embrace the chillier evenings by making soup.

I really love a thick and chunky potato soup and I particularly like a potato and leek soup.  Adding a vegetable like leeks to soup, or any dish really, helps to keep the ingredient list short since they have such great flavor on their own.  I also decided to add my own twist to potato leek soup and throw in some quinoa.  I knew the quinoa would make it a much more filling soup along with adding some protein.

This soup is everything I was hoping it would be.  The leeks and thyme give it great flavor, and the red chili flakes add a bit of heat which I really liked.  If you want a more mild soup, I’d leave the chili flakes out.  The quinoa definitely gives it the staying-power that I thought it would, which has made it a great lunch to bring to work.

While it might not be soup season in your neck of the woods yet (okay, it most likely isn’t), it is definitely near.  It’s so close!  Gone will be the days of fresh tomatoes and peaches, and instead they will be replaced by apples and pumpkins.  So when the time comes and there’s a chill in the air, remember this soup…it will surely warm you up.