Ground Turkey, Quinoa, and Broccoli Goodness

I was kind of in a pinch.  I needed to make dinner and pretty much only had ground turkey in the freezer.  I needed to make something that my husband, myself, and my 15 month old daughter would all eat.  Since I know that my husband likes to have well balanced meals that consist of a lean protein, carbohydrate and a vegetable I had to figure out what carb and veggie I would pair with the ground turkey. I was also feeling a bit lazy and wanted to make something pretty easy.  We had fresh broccoli in the frig, which my daughter LOVES, and we had brown rice, quinoa, and pasta in the pantry.  I am a huge fan of ground meat and rice, but didn't feel like rice because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to deal with the rice maker.  Pasta seemed an odd pairing since I wasn't planning on making even a light sauce, so quinoa it was.  From this was birthed my ground turkey, quinoa and broccoli goodness that has since become a family favorite.  You should see how much of this my daughter can and does eat!

It's very simple to make.

You'll need ground turkey, quinoa, fresh broccoli and the seasonings of your choice.

First, you need to start your water boiling for your quinoa and then you'll just follow the directions on the package to cook it.  You'll also want to start cooking your broccoli.  I have used both steamed broccoli and roasted broccoil in this dish.  I personally prefer the steamed broccoli, but my husband says like likes the roasted broccoli better.  It's just a matter of preference.

While the quinoa is getting started, you'll want to brown your ground turkey.  This is where it gets fun because you can get as creative as you like with the seasonings.  I always do some black pepper, but from there you can do just about anything.  I have used chili powder and garlic together.  I have used garlic and parsley.  I have also simply used a package of onion soup mix.  Taco seasoning is great too. You'll want to season to your liking.  We like bold flavors, so I'm a little heavy handed in adding the spices.

Once the turkey is cooked thoroughly and the quinoa and broccoli are cooked all you have to do is combine all the ingredients.  To make it easier and to have less clean up, I cook the turkey in a large dutch oven and then when I combine all the cooked ingredients I do the combining in the same dutch oven.

Voila!  You have a healthy dinner that consists of a lean protein, carbohydrate and vegetable that the whole family can enjoy!

This is so easy and so yummy that it has pretty much become a weekly staple in our home.  I hope your family enjoys it too.