Yes, I know it is Thanksgiving this week and every food blog on the planet is posting about Thanksgiving dinner, but not me. After gorging myself on Thanksgiving dinner, I want something healthy in the days after Thanksgiving. That is why, I’m planning to may this quinoa soup with bacon and arugula.
This recipe is a mash up two recipes I had on my trip to Peru. At our cooking class at Rooftop Kitchen in Cusco, we made an amazing quinoa with bacon and spinach. A few days later on our hike on the Lares Trek we had quinoa soup for lunch on the trail. In addition to being, delicious, quinoa is a superfood. So is arugula, so you can feel extra healthy post-Thanksgiving when you make this soup, you can feel extra healthy!
Note: You can use any leafy green for this recipe. On various occasions, I’m made it with spinach, swiss chard, and baby kale instead of arugula.
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Quinoa soup with bacon & arugula
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 1/2 oz. bacon or pancetta, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 c. quinoa
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 3-4 oz arugula or baby kale
- 6 c. chicken stock
- salt & pepper to taste
- garlic croutons (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Slice the mushrooms, mince the garlic, and dice the shallots and bacon.
- Step 2 Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red pepper and fry 1 min. Add bacon and fry 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown.
- Step 3 Add shallots and garlic and cook 2-3 min until they start to brown.
- Step 4 Add the quinoa and toast 2 min, stirring to make sure it gets coated in the oil.
- Step 5 Add mushrooms and saute 2-3 minutes until they soften.
- Step 6 Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Step 7 Add arugula and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 8 To server, top with garlic croutons or a piece of garlic toast if desired.
Step-by-step Pictures
