One Pan Quinoa with Ground Turkey, Kale, Mushrooms, Tomatoes (VIDEO)
Posted: 07/29/2015
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One pan quinoa with ground turkey, kale, mushroom and tomatoes – a great clean-out the fridge meal!
Yesterday you read about the food blogging retreat I hosted – Sharing by the Shore. Well, what I didn’t include was what happened Thursday when I arrived to set up the retreat.
I had just dropped off a huge load of groceries and swag at the house we rented and I had more or less been driving ALL DAY LONG. It had taken me about 5 hours to arrive in Suttons Bay after leaving my house fairly early that morning. I got back in the car to drive the 35 minutes to the airport to pick up Krista and I get an email from Cherry Republic. The email says that Traverse City will start shutting down roads for the 6:00 parade at 4:00. I look at the clock – 4:02. I chatted with the chef at Cherry Republic and he said I could get to their store to pick up some swag if I took an alley – but, FYI, it was a one way alley. He gave me directions….but I’m not so great with those. I had already gone past the store on my way to the airport so I had to backtrack quite a bit.
Roads were already being blocked. I drove around for an HOUR trying to get to Cherry Republic (don’t worry – Erin jumped in and took over Krista’s airport pick-up!). I finally found that dang alley! Hooray. Except, I was at the wrong end of the one-way alley. At that point, I was OVER IT and I had a 6:00 wine tasting/dinner to make, which at this point I desperately needed. So, I headed back out of Traverse City. This also took me nearly an hour. Every road I turned down was blocked or full of traffic attempting to do the same thing I was trying to do – get outta town!
I finally reached a road I was familiar with, the main highway going through Traverse City. Except I was on a small side street running parallel to it. But I knew eventually I would be able to get on that road I needed to. I finally had a stretch of clear road! I finally knew where I was going! I was finally FREE. And then. Red lights. Blue lights. Sirens.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?”
NO I DO NOT
“Do you know what the speed limit is here?”
NO I DO NOT
“There’s a playground right there – we get a lot of complaints about speeding here.”
*cue tears*
I was so so so SO over driving, being stuck and lost, and getting NOTHING accomplished. And then THIS.
Mr. Police Officer (PS: shouldn’t you be directing parade traffic?): “Keep your head up…..enjoy the rest of your weekend.” Oh and by the way, here’s your ticket.
I’m sorry for all the crying, Mr. Police Officer. You gave me my first ticket ever and made me feel like a bad human being because THERE WAS A PLAYGROUND. So now I’m missing my kids, feeling bad about all the other kids in the world, and I have a speeding ticket. And my make-up is all jacked up.
Still, fantastic weekend. And immediately after getting the speeding ticket, I got to go hug some beautiful friends and then taste some wine with them. Not a bad way to recover if you ask me.
Anyways, 600 words later. If you’re still here, let’s talk about this one pan quinoa with ground turkey! It’s the bomb on evenings where you’ve just HAD ENOUGH of the day and want to make something quick, easy and nutritious for dinner.
About this One Pan Quinoa with Ground Turkey
This meal falls into the category of “I didn’t know what I was making for dinner until 10 minutes after I started cooking it.”
This one pan quinoa dinner might not be the most beautiful looking thing in the world, but it certainly is tasty! And healthy.
As you know, I frequently make and freeze quinoa which makes this meal even easier (and legitimately one pan, if you already have the quinoa prepped).
I like the Italian flavors in this one pan quinoa with ground turkey – mushrooms, tomatoes, and a good dose of fresh herbs. Basil, parsley, and oregano seem to be the easiest for me to grow. Maybe your thumb is greener than mine. Between the beautiful fresh herbs, a little slosh of wine, and some grated Parmesan on top, this sauté has really great flavor. It might remind you of spaghetti (or it might not), but it’s super fresh, flavorful and healthy. And easy to make. WIN.
One more bonus of this one pan quinoa with ground turkey is that it packs a punch – by my non-nutritionist calculations, you’re getting 40 grams of protein per serving and less than 450 calories. It’s a dinner-win, if you ask me!
More quinoa recipes
Are you a quinoa fanatic like I am? Try these quinoa recipes, or:
- Quinoa Wheat Berry Salad
- Vegan Quinoa Salad with Brussels Sprouts & Pepitas
- Apple Spice Quinoa Pancakes
- Quinoa Power Pancakes
- Lentil and Quinoa Vegan Bolognese
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Blackberries & Candied Pepitas
- Savory Quinoa Muffins
- Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad from Joyful Healthy Eats
- Mediterranean Quinoa Burgers from Well Plated
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
One pan quinoa with ground turkey, kale, mushroom and tomatoes is an easy, healthy dinner you can have on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces ground turkey (use ground turkey breast, if desired)
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced into thin half moons
- 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups tightly packed baby kale (5 oz. package)
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- ¼ cup fresh herbs, minced (I recommend a mixture of basil, oregano and parsley)
- Parmesan cheese to garnish
Instructions
- In a large high-sided skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add turkey and onions and season with salt and pepper. Break up the turkey and cook until turkey is cooked through and brown.
- Transfer turkey and onions to a bowl and add the mushrooms to the pan. Sauté mushrooms until golden brown and cooked.
- Add tomatoes and kale and cook until kale is wilted.
- Increase heat to medium high and add turkey and onion mixture back in. Add wine. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until wine is reduced by about half.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in quinoa and herbs. Continue to cook until warmed through.
- Serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: Cook the quinoa ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it. I usually cook the entire package at once and freeze it . It thaws out quickly. Try Instant Pot Quinoa.
- Spinach can be substituted for the kale.
- Any type of tomato can be used. Choose whatever looks best. If you use grape or cherry tomatoes, cut them in half before adding them to the skillet.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 438kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 285mg, Potassium: 1471mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 7185IU, Vitamin C: 82mg, Calcium: 251mg, Iron: 6mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Austin Shepherd says
Hey- Do I need to cook the quinoa first or just add it in?
Rachel Gurk says
It should be cooked first.
Doris says
This was delicious! I added quite a bit of garlic and used chicken broth instead of wine. Added a bit of lemon juice at the end.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Marie says
I am not sure if I did something wrong but this recipe was really bland.
Rachel Gurk says
Did you use the fresh herbs?
Dana Green says
Loved this! I used a balsamic vinaigrette instead of the dry white wine…solo good!
Rachel Gurk says
Oh yum! That sounds terrific! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Marybeth @ My Fearless Kitchen says
This looks so simple, and I love all those veggies!
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
What a wonderful, healthy recipe!!
Mindy says
Do you have a substitute for white wine? I personally dont like the taste of wine when cooking
Rachel Gurk says
You can use chicken broth or stock. :)
Valentina says
I really really liked this and so did my family. It felt balanced and filling. The turkey/onion/mushroom combo is always killer especially with some tasty super grain, Thank for sharing!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to let me know :)
Christina says
Gee Rachel, I wonder how you were able to navigate during those 5 hours to safely arrive at TC if you weren’t paying attention to the road or your surroundings? Some people are idiots and don’t have a life, so they enjoy going around the internet making people feel awful to make themselves feel better. I don’t get it, but whatever, they’re the ones who are putting out bad karma.
As for your recipe, I think it sounds wonderful and I’m so glad you finally had a good ending to your frustrating day!
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you so much for your kind words. <3
Mike D says
Sounds like you shouldn’t be driving since you are obviously not paying attention to the road and your surroundings. Maybe you should take Ubers from now on so no one gets killed.
I came here for the recipe, not a sob story, and after its all said and done.. the recipe didn’t sound that interesting to even bother with.
Rachel Gurk says
I do believe Uber drivers have killed more people than I have (still at zero over here!) but I’ll keep that advice in mind, Mike. Have a great day, I hope you find that interesting sob-story-free recipe you’re looking for.
Pamela says
I guess your mother never taught you that if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. I feel sad for you that you seem so miserable!
Rachel Gurk says
:)
Anne Reder says
Mike..um…its a BLOG… and you are a jerk…its a GREAT recipe.
Rachel Gurk says
;) Thanks, Anne.
Allison says
Do you drain turkey/onions before adding back in? Or do you use that liquid to cook mushrooms? I end up with a lot of liquid if I keep it, but if I drain it all, my mushrooms burn. Love this recipe but could probably execute it better!
Rachel Gurk says
I use the very lean turkey breast so there isn’t much (if anything) to drain from it. If you used a greasier blend of meat then yes, I would drain it. If your mushrooms are burning you could add a touch more oil or reduce the heat. Hope that helps!
Barrett says
Hey!
I found this recipe because I wanted a savory quinoa recipe that was relatively simple. This did the trick. I did make a few modifications.
+ 6 cloves of garlic
+ crushed red pepper flakes
+ substitute spinach for kale
I also cooked the quinoa in a vegetable stock / herb blend. Other than that, I followed it to the letter. It was delicious. Thanks!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! I’d amp up the garlic too, but my husband would have a fit. ;)
Teri says
This was amazing!!!!! The flavors are spot on – clean, yet flavorful. I had no wine, so I used chicken broth. Still a winner! Thanks for creating and posting! This is going to be regular at my house.
Teri
P.S. This was my first exposure to quinoa. :) Not as intimidating as I thought.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you loved it! I hope this is the beginning of a long and happy relationship with quinoa. ;)
Liz says
Last time I got pulled over I was lost in campus construction trying to get to my volunteer gig at the children’s hospital. Thank goodness I must have looked frazzled as I got off with a warning. So sorry about your ticket, but the rest of your weekend looked wonderful!!! As does your quinoa :)
Patty K says
Yikes! I’m very sorry to hear about the ticket, especially after the overwhelming driving experience you encountered. Glad the rest of your weekend was great.