Hearty Sausage and Quinoa Minestrone

Name: Hearty Sausage and Quinoa Minestrone
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 5
Ingredients: 2 Italian sausages, casings removed; 1 onion, diced; 1 carrot, peeled and diced; 1 celery stalk, diced; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 796-mL can diced tomatoes; 1 900-mL carton low-sodium chicken broth; 1/4 cup dry quinoa; 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning; 2 cups packed spinach

Prep Time10 mins
Total Time40 mins
Makes5 adult servings

Photo: Maya Visnyei

Perfect for the cooler months, this hearty quinoa minestrone soup eats like a meal and is a breeze to put together.

Ingredients

2 Italian sausages, casings removed
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 796-mL can diced tomatoes
1 900-mL carton low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry quinoa
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups packed spinach

Instructions

Heat a large saucepan over medium. Crumble in sausage meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 min. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic to pan. Cook until onion starts to soften, about 3 min.
Add tomatoes, broth, quinoa and Italian seasoning. Gently boil until quinoa is cooked, about 20 min. Stir in spinach until just wilted, about 1 min.

Nutrition (per serving)

Protein 11g, Carbohydrates 17g, Fat 10g, Fibre 3g, Sodium 948mg.

Originally published in the Today’s Parent November 2014 issue, this recipe has a triple-tested guarantee from the Chatelaine Kitchen.

This article was originally published on Nov 10, 2015