Happy Monday! Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? Ours was wonderful! The weather was beautiful, food delicious and the company even better! Now my house is decked for Christmas with lots of twinkling lights and Christmas music and movies on all the time–I love it! Last week we had a cold front come through Tennessee with some freezing temps that called for a cozy fire and a pot of soup! I thought it was GREAT! Call me crazy, but I really miss the cold weather and snow we got when we lived in Utah, so I welcome it here in South with open arms! Of course, one of my favorite meals this time of year is soup and I am always on the lookout for something new. My friend Khiah brought this awesome Quinoa Chicken Parmesan soup to a church activity and it was so yummy that I asked her for the recipe. I knew my family would love it and couldn’t wait to make it for them. I think you could easily make this vegetarian and leave out the chicken altogether. I am thinking that cauliflower or sweet potatoes would make a good substitute. Next time I will try that and let you know!
This soup is pretty great and I think you should add it to your menu this week! Speaking of Menu Planning. Have you heard of Plan To Eat? It is a pretty awesome website that helps you get all your online recipes organized and easily create weekly menu plans. It even creates shopping lists for you! For Cyber Monday, you can get half off a yearly subscription (only $19.99/ year or $1.60 a month). If you join, then lets connect to share recipes. I am slowly adding my Sisters Cafe recipes on the site. I am LOVING it so far!! I am a serious menu planner and this website makes it so easy! Click here for more information!
Have a great week! xoxo
PrintQuinoa Chicken Parmasen Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 can (24 ounces) garlic & herb flavored spaghetti sauce
- 1 can (14.25 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
- 4–6 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: mozzarella cheese, fresh basil
Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with nonstick spray – be generous!
- Remove any fat from the chicken and cut into smaller pieces. I had 4-5 chicken chunks. Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Rinse the quinoa and add it to the slow cooker along with the Italian seasoning, dried oregano, pinch of red pepper flakes, garlic, chopped onion, spaghetti sauce, undrained petite diced tomatoes, and chicken broth.
- I poured in 4 cups of chicken broth. Stir everything really well and cover the slow cooker. Allow to cook on high for 3-4 hours. (If you have a really hot slow cooker, maybe even less time and you may have to stir it several times throughout cooking so the quinoa doesn’t stick to the edges)
- Remove the chicken chunks, shred the chicken with two forks, and add it back to the soup. Stir everything together and add in 1-2 more cups chicken broth if desired (I like it chunkier without the extra broth).
- Season with salt and pepper and any other additional seasonings if desired.
- Stir in the Parmesan (and mozzarella if desired – just as much as you want) cheese and allow to melt.
- Top with fresh basil (and an extra garnish of Parmesan cheese) and enjoy while it’s hot!
Recipe Source: My friend Khiah via Chelsea’s Messy Apron
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