This Quinoa dish is one of our favorite healthy comfort food. The combo of the portobello, bell pepper, quinoa and amazing spices with fresh herbs really feels comforting while maintaining amazing health benefits. This dish is versatile enough to convert it into a vegetarian or vegan friendly meal.
This recipe was designed to layer the flavors to truly confuse the plate in a brilliant manner. The tri-color quinoa was first cooked in ghee and sautéed to bring out its nutty flavor – I love to use ghee instead of butter as it’s a bit healthier while adding a hint of butter taste. For this recipe the use of chicken stock/broth adds even more flavor [you can substitute veggie broth or just use water to keep it vegetarian/vegan friendly.] More flavors were layered in by roasting the portobellos with fresh oregano, and extra virgin olive oil. For the hearty comfort feel, the use of lean ground turkey cooked in spices and more fresh herbs, peppers and onions all worked so perfectly. The cooked quinoa and mushrooms were then added in to make it complete. Wow – what a beauty of nutrition and taste. Now, this is one recipe that’s a must try.
A few notes about quinoa: It’s a great source of a host of nutrition – it’s high in plant protein, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals. It’s also gluten free for those who are gluten intolerance. Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Northwestern South America and it has been around for over 5,000 years. It was first used to feed livestocks and human consumption began over 3,000 to 4,000 years ago in Peru and Bolivia. Cultivation of Quinoa has now spread to countries like Kenya, India, United States and in European Countries.Because of its wide consumption, quinoa crop prices have tripled.
I hope you’ll enjoy this meal as much as we do. Happy Cooking.
You may also want to try these Quinoa recipes:
Quinoa salad grilled vegetables and prawns with Prosecco dressing.
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Quinoa Ground Turkey with Roasted Portobello & Veggies
This is one of our favorite healthy grain recipes. It's quite delicious with a lot of good for you nutrition; lean turkey meat, tri-color Quinoa, meaty textured mushrooms, veggies and amazing spices makes this dish so flavor packed.
Ingredients
For the Quinoa
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 cup tri color quinoa rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to your diet
- 2 Cups chicken broth or can substitute Veggie broth
For the Mushrooms
- 6 large Portobello Mushrooms caps Rinsed and dried. Cut into 1/8 inch slices
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano chopped
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt adjust for your diet
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil use enough oil to coat the mushrooms
For the turkey and veggies
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic finely minced/chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
- 1 bell pepper orange, yellow or red. Seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust for your diet
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey can use either dark or white meat. Can sub chicken or beef.
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. Cut in halves. I used a mix of the two.
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves Chiffonade (i.e. cut into thin ribbons). Chiffonade right before adding to the pan.
- 1/4 cup scallions chopped (optional)
Instructions
Cook the Quinoa
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Add the ghee to a small saucepan. Add in the quinoa. Season with salt. Turn on the heat to medium and cook (toast) the quinoa for 1 to 2 minutes until you hear crackling sounds.
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Add in the broth. Stir. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook quinoa for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Turn off the stove. Keep the pot covered for 10 minutes – this will help to separate the grains. Fluff and set aside.
For the Mushrooms
Preheat oven 425F degrees
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While the quinoa is cooking, place the sliced mushrooms on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
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Add the oregano, garlic, salt and black pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil. Mix to coat the mushrooms.
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Roast the mushrooms in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until they start to dry out. Remove from the oven
For the Turkey and Veggies
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While the mushrooms are roasting, add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to a large pan.
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Using medium heat, Add the onions and sauté until translucent. About 2 minutes.
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Add in the turmeric, cumin and cardamom. Stir. Cook until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
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Add in the garlic and oregano. Stir and cook 30 to 60 seconds.
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Add in the bell peppers and season with a pinch of the salt and fresh ground black pepper. Stir. Cook 2 to 3 minutes.
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Add in the the ground meat. Season with the remaining salt and FGBP. Use the back of the spoon to break up the meat and mix it in with the veggies. Continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink. About 7 to 8 minutes.
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Add in the tomatoes. Mix and cook just until tomatoes are slightly wilted. About 2 minutes.
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Add in the cilantro. Mix. Turn off the stove.
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Add in the basil and the roasted mushrooms. Mix.
Note: can reserve some of the mushrooms for garnish/topping.
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If using scallions for garnish. Can add it in now or sprinkle on when serving.
Serve hot and enjoy.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Video Tutorial available for Quinoa Ground Turkey with Roasted Portobello and Veggies.
Nutritional Facts will vary depending on actual serving size. Suggested nutrition is based on ingredients listed in the recipe and calculated by a third party vendor.
