Sausage Quinoa

May 23, 2020

This quick dish is full of tasty pork sausage and tender quinoa. But, it is also packed with fresh veggies and herbs for nutrition and flavor your family will love. I make this dish with ingredients I grow myself, so it’s cheap, wholesome, and fresh.

Sausage Quinoa

4-6 servings

Ready in 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork sausage
2 medium onions
6 cloves of garlic
1 handful any kind of fresh greens
2 medium yellow squash or zucchini
5 oz box of quinoa
Rosemary
Olive Oil
Water

In a large heavy pot, crumble and brown sausage over medium high heat.

While it is browning, trim and rinse onions and peel garlic.

Chop onions and add to pot.

Add a drizzle of olive oil if the sausage begins to stick, and stir frequently.

Smash garlic cloves, chop and add to pot.

Stir and cook about one minute, then turn heat down to low. Let it cook while you prepare the greens. Today I used beet greens. Any greens will work, so use whatever you have in the garden or fridge.

Rinse greens well to remove grit. I like to float mine in water, then swish, float and swish again. Then lift the greens out of the water, avoiding the dirt that settles at the bottom. I usually do this twice, because nothing ruins a great dish faster than a little garden grit. Pat them dry, or use a salad spinner.

Remove long stem ends. I stack the greens and slice lengthwise into 2 inch slices, then slice the other direction to create bite-size pieces.

Add chopped greens to pot and turn heat back up to medium high, stirring greens just until they wilt.

This happens quickly, so don’t overcook them!

Remove hot sausage mixture from pot and place into a large serving bowl. Set aside. Return your empty pot to the stove, ready for the next step.

Chop squash into small pieces, removing any pithy center or seeds, if desired. You can use small tender squash, or a big one like I did here. It’s all good food!

Put chopped squash into pot, with all the brown bits still stuck to the bottom. The browned bits that stuck as you cooked will ultimately give this dish so much flavor, so don’t worry about the stuck bits. Turn heat to medium high. Add another drizzle of olive oil. Stir and cook squash for about 3 minutes.

Open quinoa package and follow directions for stovetop preparation, except simply place the water and quinoa and seasoning packet in with the squash as it cooks.

I wanted to stretch the recipe this time, so I doubled the quinoa. Therefore, into the pot with the squash I put 2 boxes of quinoa, 3 cups water, and the 2 seasoning packets from my delicious Aldi quinoa (such a bargain!) Just follow the directions for your box of quinoa, and cook it in the same pot with your squash. Cover the pot and bring all to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 13 minutes. Pick some fresh rosemary (please get a bush if you don’t have one!)

Remove the leaves from the stem. It’s easy to do if you hold the tip in one hand and strip the leaves gently backward with the other hand.

Mince the rosemary and add to the pot.

Cover and cook one minute, then remove from heat. In serving bowl, gently toss together quinoa mixture with the sausage mixture. It’s ready!

This is such a delicious meal, all in one bowl. Full of fresh garden flavors, packed with protein, and hearty enough even your hard-working guys will love it! Try it and let me know how your crew likes it.

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