Italian Chicken Sausage Quinoa Skillet
Italian Chicken Sausage Quinoa Skillet is a one-skillet weeknight dinner with chicken sausage, Italian seasonings, diced tomatoes, quinoa, spinach, and cheese! It's a family-favorite in our household and I'm sure it will be in yours, too.
I'm always, always, ALWAYS a fan of one skillet meals. Less dishes to clean up? Yes, please! While we love making my Butternut Squash Chicken Sausage Quinoa Skillet, I felt like another version was in order. So, I came up with this Italian Chicken Sausage Quinoa Skillet! It hit all of my requirements for a weeknight meal: easy, healthy, and delicious!
Ingredients in Chicken Sausage Quinoa Skillet
Onion and Garlic - so much flavor!
Chicken Sausage - I used Italian chicken sausage links. I love the Aidell's brand.
Italian seasoning - I love having Italian seasoning on hand, instead of all of the individual spices. It makes it so much easier.
Diced Tomatoes - canned diced tomatoes add some veggies and flavor to the dish.
Quinoa - I used white quinoa, but red quinoa would work just as well.
Chicken Broth
Chopped Spinach - fresh spinach is best for this recipe.
Italian Cheese - can't go wrong with the addition of cheese, right?!
How to Make Italian Chicken Sausage Quinoa
This dish starts by sauteing the onion and chicken sausage in olive oil. You want the onion to be softened and the chicken sausage to get a little browned on each side.
Next, add the garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, followed by the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and quinoa. The mixture is brought to a boil and covered, and simmered for about 15-20 minutes. The broth should be entirely absorbed and the quinoa will be fluffy. Next, the chopped spinach is added and cooked for just a minute or two until it is wilted.
Lastly, it is topped with Italian shredded cheese and put under the broiler until melted. Serve topped with chopped parsley and dinner is ready!
This one skillet dinner was a huge hit with the entire family. The quinoa was enough like rice, which the boys love, that they didn't snub their noses at it at all, and it was also easy for Emma to eat. Of course, they love chicken sausage so that also made it easy for them to love. And I loved they were also eating some spinach and getting lots of protein in at mealtime!
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Italian Chicken Sausage Quinoa Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 4 chicken sausages, cut into bite-sized pieces (12 ounces)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup quinoa
- 5 ounces chopped fresh spinach
- 1 cup Italian shredded cheese
- fresh parsley, for topping
Instructions
- In a large, oven-proof skillet (such as a cast iron), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and chicken sausage, and cook until the onion has softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, and cook for another minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and quinoa. Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is fluffy and the chicken broth has been absorbed.
- Stir in the chopped spinach and cook a few minutes until it's wilted.
- Top with Italian cheese.
- Turn on broiler.
- Place pan in oven and broil until cheese has melted and is slightly golden.
- Serve topped with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Easy, delicious and made in one pan - I'm in! Healthy, too - what more could you ask for?
I used regular smoked sausage. Threw in some red and yellow mini peppers. We liked this and will put it on our list to make again.