I've had a 10lb turkey in the freezer which I finally thawed out this week and roasted yesterday. After the kids de-legged the bird and did their best Vikings impersonations, I de-boned the rest of it and made broth last night. Today was a chilly, busy day of de-cluttering and 5th grade volleyball tournaments. So tonight a big pot of soup for dinner sounded wonderful. I had no soup noodles or wild rice on hand so thought I'd try substituting quinoa for the grain. It worked great! I used white quinoa in this thinking it would still cook like the soup the kids expected, but red or black would be a colorful addition if that's what you have. I tend to save my red quinoa for those dishes that need a pop of color.
Turkey and Quinoa soup
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 med. onion, chopped
- 2 lg. carrots, sliced
- 4 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. rosemary
- 1/4 tsp. ground sage
- 1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 cups homemade turkey broth
- 3-4 cups chopped cooked turkey, (depending on how chunky you want it)
Heat olive oil in dutch oven or large soup pot. Cook onions, carrot and celery in oil until slightly soft, about 10 mins. Add garlic, spices and stir and cook 2-3 mins more. Stir in quinoa and allow it to heat for another 1-2 mins. Add broth, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for 12 mins, until quinoa is done, (you can tell it's done when the little "tails" come out). Add turkey and heat through.
