Smoked Sausage and Quinoa Stir-Fry
I found the original version of this recipe, or rather, something close to it in a family cookbook. I love smoked sausage in just about anything: hash for breakfast, as a sandwich, with pasta….. But sometimes stir-fry can get a little muddy for me.
Smoked sausage was never the protein I typically associated with stir-fry. The sweet/salty combo was worth a swing, however. Bonus factor: this dish is actually quite healthy.
The other thing I love about recipes like this is that they are completely adaptable. Can’t get your head around the kielbasa? Use ground turkey. Not a quinoa fan? The original recipe called for rice or pasta.
When you mix that already smoky, salty goodness of the sausage with a layer of soy, honey, brown sugar and garlic, you will have my entire family committed to dinner. Easily.
Cooking Notes
Mix together garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar and honey in a measuring cup and set it aside.
Pour chicken broth over the quinoa in a pot. Bring the broth to a boil and cook the quinoa for 12-15 minutes. Package instructions vary, so follow the directions for your quinoa of choice.
Meanwhile, get started on chopping your veggies. What you use, like other parts of this recipe, is a matter of taste. The carrots and cabbage are original to the recipe I started with.
If, unlike me, you can get away with putting mushrooms or zucchini in front of your children, those are also great choices.
Here I added broccolini and green peppers for three reasons. I love them. They bring color to the dish. And they scream “stir fry vegetables”.
Coat a medium saute pan with olive oil and add crushed red pepper. As the pepper warms, toss in your sliced sausage and allow it to brown a bit in the pan. Pull the sausage out when lightly golden, and set aside on a plate.
Add your selection of veggies here and let them soften slightly. Semi-crisp veggies will add great texture to this dish, so don’t overcook. When your quinoa is done, add it to the saute pan.
Pour the reserved sauce over the pan. Add the sausage back in and toss everything together and serve.
If you’ve successfully catered to a everyone’s tastes while also sneaking in a variety of vegetables, we call that a job well done.
Smoked Sausage and Quinoa Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes more to taste
- 1 lb. turkey kielbasa or smoked sausage sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup chopped cabbage
- 1-2 cups other veggies of choice diced bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, broccoli florets, etc
For the Sauce:
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp honey
Instructions
- Mix together the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger brown sugar and honey in a bowl or measuring cup; set aside
- Place quinoa and chicken broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil
- Cook for 12-15 minutes until the moisture is absorbed
- Coat saute pan with olive oil and add crushed red pepper
- Place sliced sausage, carrots, cabbage and chosen vegetables into pan
- Cook until sausage is browned a bit on either side and veggies soften
- Add quinoa to pan and toss with meat and veggies
- Mix in the sauce to coat ingredients and bring just to simmer before serving
