Quinoa Lentil Broth Bowl, a Panera copycat recipe, is an easy recipe for a hearty bowl of soup filled with lentils, quinoa, carrots, kale and a hint of lemon in a light tomato broth.

Switch out the chicken broth for vegetable broth, top with an egg and you'll have a perfect Meatless Monday dinner!
Jump to:
Broth Bowl
Treasured friends. Such an important part of my life.
Just like the Girl Scout song goes, some are silver and the others gold. Janice, my college roommate, a dear friend for many, many, many decades, is one of my golden friends and it's truly wonderful to spend time together.
We recently sampled Panera's new broth bowls for lunch and they were fabulous!
So fabulous that I went home and created my version of a quinoa lentil bowl, my copycat Panera recipe.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Panera's bowls are Asian inspired with a unami soy-miso broth but I made my broth bowl more universal with a chicken tomato broth and a harvest grains blend in my favorite bowls.
Quinoa Lentil Broth Bowl is filled with lentils and quinoa or a grains blend, carrots and kale, oh, and a hint of lemon too, in a light tomato broth.

Feel free to switch out the chicken broth for vegetable broth, top with an egg and you'll have a perfect Meatless Monday dinner!
Panera offers topping their bowls with a cage free egg, or chicken raised without antibiotics, which is why I love Panera so much because they love us and care about our nutrition!
Treasure your friends and treasure your nutritional well-being!
Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's personal kitchen recommendations!
Hungry for more? Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter for my latest recipes.
How to make a broth bowl
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in saucepot. Cook lemon wheels until golden and caramelized, turning once and reserve.
- Cook onion, kale, carrots, celery and Sazan seasoning until vegetables are just tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken or vegetable broth, diced tomatoes with their juices and reserved lemon wheels. Bring to a boil. Stir in lentils and quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until grains are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Top with sliced cooked chicken, if desired.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Make it vegetarian - Make the recipe with vegetable broth and add an egg
- Make it a hearty meal - Make the recipe with chicken broth and top your serving with sliced cooked chicken
Substitutions
- You can substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth
- Taco seasoning can be used in place of sazon seasoning
- Spinach is a good substitute for the kale leaves
- You can replace the quinoa with couscous or orzo
Ingredients
- olive oil
- lemon
- onion
- kale leaves
- carrots
- celery
- Sazon seasoning
- chicken
- canned diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onion
- lentils
- quinoa
Homemade Soup Recipes
When the weather begins to turn and there's a chill in the air, I always crave a bowl of piping hot homemade soup. And with lots of soup recipes here at Swirls, a bowl of soup is always different. Check these out!

Chicken Lentil Soup is an easy weeknight recipe made with chicken thighs and vegetables that will warm you up!
Ready in a matter of minutes, Instant Pot Curried Cauliflower Soup is amazingly rich and silky, packed with fresh veggies and great flavor. You won’t believe that there’s no cream or cheese in it!
Cannellini beans, baby kale mix and a swirl of pesto give Pesto Minestrone a new twist on a classic favorite!
Filled with fresh veggies, seasoned with fresh ginger, cilantro and lime, and finished with rice noodles, Thai Ginger Vegetable Noodle Soup has arrived in your kitchen!
Quinoa Lentil Broth Bowl Recipe
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 6 thinly sliced lemon wheels
- 1 onion, chopped, 1 cup
- 2 cups packed chopped kale leaves, abut 2 ounces
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped, 1 cup
- 1 rib celery, chopped, 1/2 cup
- 1 envelope Sazan seasoning, Goya or Knorr brand
- 3 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth or vegetable broth, 5 1/4 cups
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onion
- 1/3 cup lentils*
- 1/3 cup quinoa*
- cooked sliced chicken optional
I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in saucepot. Cook lemon wheels until golden and caramelized, turning once and reserve.
- Cook onion, kale, carrots, celery and Sazan seasoning until vegetables are just tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken or vegetable broth, diced tomatoes with their juices and reserved lemon wheels. Bring to a boil. Stir in lentils and quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until grains are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Top with sliced cooked chicken, if desired.
I didn’t have a lemon so I left it out and I think that’s a important ingredient. It tastes ok but something is definitely missing.
I made my own sazón seasoning and I don’t k Ow how much is in a packet of Goya Sazón seasoning so I just puta tablespoon in. Definitely not enough so I put another 1/8 of a cup d it’s much better.
Yes, lemon brightens the recipe and adds an important flavor. You can add as much sazon to get the amount of seasoning you prefer!