Happy Monday, everyone! How was your weekend? Mine started with a trip to the downtown farmer’s market on Saturday morning with my favorite shopping partner – my Mom!
It was her birthday on Saturday, so we started celebrating with a latte and long stroll through the market (no pics of the birthday girl, unfortunately – what was I thinking?!) where we ooed and aahd over all the beautiful fall produce interspersed with late-season summer goodies like these beautiful heirloom-y-ish cherry tomatoes. I can’t remember exactly what they were called but the red, yellow, orange, and purple hues knocked my socks off.
I wanted to take home ALL THE FALL THINGS, but restrained myself because apple picking was on the agenda for Sunday afternoon at Berry Patch Farm!
Ben and I found this adorable small berry farm and apple orchard about 30 minutes away from our house in 2009 and have gone almost every year since. Berry Patch Farm is free to get into and their pick your own prices for berries, apples, and pumpkins are ridiiiculous. One year I think I got 10lbs of Honeycrisp apples for $5 or something!
This year my Mom really wanted to get all the kids and grandkids together to go apple picking for her birthday so off we went on a sunny Sunday afternoon. My niece and nephew loved picking late-season raspberries and running up and down the endless rows of apple trees.
I had a little monkey on my back the whole time and was sweatin’ – summer just doesn’t seem to want to quit!
After berry picking we headed for the Honeycrisps then walked and walked and walked to find some unpicked trees which we quickly stripped. Can’t wait to enjoy our fresh pickins’ over the next few weeks.
We tried to continue Ben’s and my tradition of heading to nearby Hickory Park for lunch afterwards, but everyone in the vicinity had the same idea and there was nearly a 1 hour wait to eat. With two kiddos under three who needed an afternoon nap, unfortunately we had to call it a wrap, but what a fun day anyway!
Now, although I didn’t get a chance to use yesterday’s goodies in today’s recipe, I made it with our orchard visit in mind. Smoked Sausage, Kale and Cider Quinoa Skillet combines smoked sausage, fresh kale, apple cider, sage, and dried cranberries with fluffy quinoa in a hearty, all-fall main dish. No side required!
I burned the roof of my mouth eating this dish because I simply could not wait one minute longer for it to cool down before digging in. Not a second! The ingredients include some of my all-time favorites and the dish is bursting with flavor from the inside out. Smoked sausage? Gimme. Fresh sage, kale, and dried cranberries? Quintessential fall comfort food. Quinoa cooked in chicken broth AND cider? A revelation.
Now, don’t think that since this dish is made with apple cider that it’s sweet. I promise it’s not. The apple cider, when combined with chicken broth, gives the quinoa just a hint of savory apple flavor. I served it to Ben with the warning, you might not like this!, on account of his distaste for sweeter suppers you see, but he demolished his plate.
Even better than the flavor is the fact that this dish is seriously simple and made in just one skillet. Cleanup in aisle not your kitchen, amiright?
Start by sauteing 12oz smoked sausage that’s been sliced in half then into half moons with 4 cups chopped lacinato kale, 1 large shallot, and 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage in 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until the sausage starts to turn golden brown and the kale is tender, 5-7 minutes.
I used Johnsonville smoked sausage, by the way. It’s gluten-free and tastes awesome. It was Ben’s and my favorite part of the whole dish! It should be right next to the keilbasa, etc at the grocery store.
Next add 1 cup each apple cider and chicken broth then turn the heat up to bring the liquid to a boil. Now, like I mentioned, the apple cider does not make this dish taste sweet, just…yummy! Hard to explain, but you’ve got to taste it for yourself to understand.
Make sure you’re using apple cider vs apple juice, by the way. Juice will make the dish taste sweet since it’s almost always loaded with extra sugar. Pure, unfiltered apple cider is where it’s at.
Now add 1 cup rinsed quinoa to the skillet. Quinoa is coated in a naturally-occuring bitter substance that needs to be rinsed off under running water in a fine mesh sieve first. Oo, oo! I discovered a cool new trick to make sure none of the quinoa falls through the sieve (a huge pet peeve of mine!) Wet the sieve with water before adding the quinoa. The water creates a barrier and not a single quinoa pearl fell through.
Turn the heat down to medium then place a lid on top and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid and is tender, 20-25 minutes.
Finally, stir in 1/4 cup dried cranberries (which ARE sweet, so if you don’t like sweet dinners then you can leave them out,) then take the skillet off the heat but leave the lid on for 5 minutes to heat the dried cranberries through.
Scoop onto plates then dig in!
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Smoked Sausage, Kale and Cider Quinoa Skillet
Description
Smoked Sausage, Kale and Cider Quinoa Skillet is simple, full of hearty fall flavors, and made in just one skillet.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 12oz smoked sausage (I used Johnsonville)
- 4 cups chopped lacinato kale
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed very well under cold running water
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add sausage, kale, shallot, and sage. Season lightly with salt and pepper then saute until sausage begins to turn golden brown and kale is tender, 5-7 minutes. Add cider and chicken broth then turn heat up to bring to a boil. Add rinsed quinoa, place a lid on top, then turn heat down to medium and simmer until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid and is tender, 20-25 minutes. Remove skillet from heat then stir in cranberries and let sit with the lid on for 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I was so happy with how filling this dish is on account of the sausage and protein-packed quinoa. The kale helped heft up each bite and the cider and sage really reinforced this cozy comfort factor of this dish. Enjoy it!
Oh yum! I am loving kale right now and will make it any way possible. I love this one pot dish! Perfect for weeknights :)
My birthday was also on Saturday! Happy birthday to your mom. Beautiful weekend for the farmer’s market and apple picking.
Yum! I literally just tried the apple cider + quinoa trick myself in a recipe last week. It’s so delicious!
This looks delicious! I love the mix of sweet and savory flavors and the addition of the cider. Looks like it was a beautiful weekend to be outside!
Love the cider idea..looks great!
This looks amazing! This is exactly the recipe I need to make use of fall flavors and produce! We went apple picking on Saturday and it was insanely busy and so hot! So worth it though. The apples are delicious!
What a GREAT family pic! Happy b-day to Mom IGE! :)
I have been on the biggest sausage kick lately, so this is right up my alley! Although I never got used to the texture of quinoa! I prefer rice!
I CANNOT wait to try this! YUM. Also, kudos for using Louisburg cider – grew up going to that cider mill for cider, pumpkins, and warm cider DONUTS. :)
I am always so impressed with your amazing photos! My son would definitely approve of that orchard… the hay wagon is being pulled by an Oliver tractor – his favorite! My dad has over 30 Olivers that he has collected over the years and restored so, of course, my son is equally obsessed with them. ;)
Looks delicious. Too bad my husband is not a fan of sausage. Can’t wait to go apple picking this weekend. I think my son will have a blast running and picking the fruit. That, and apples are his absolute favorite right now.
I make dinners like this all the time, but I like this twist on the ingredients! I’m gonna try it out :) Also, I CANNOT wait to try that quinoa trick. I hate when they fall out into the sink!!
You are speaking my language with this one. Thank you!!
This looks so tasty. I wonder if I could do a wild rice instead of quinoa… I am allergic!
Sure! You’ll just need to adjust cooking times/amount of liquid accordingly.
The flavor combinations in this dish sound incredible. Thanks so much for the recipe, Kristin!
Quinoa is making a comeback at our dinner table, this is going to have to hit the menu! We also visited an orchard this weekend so there are apples coming out of our ears. Definitely a good problem to have! ;-)
clean up in aisle not your kitchen, hahahahahaha. can’t stop giggling.
I’m hoping this will be just as good with those apple chicken sausages at Trader Joe’s that I always want to try but never know what to put with!
Love your farmers markets pictures! I just can’t get enough apple cider this time of year. Love it in this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
I’m not a big fan of kale (I know!)…Could I use spinach as a substitute?
Sure! I’d probably add it with the dried cranberries at the end since it will just need to wilt for a few minutes.
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This recipe looked so dang good when you posted it yesterday that I knew I HAD to make it that night. So I did! It turned out amazing! My husband and I had to stop ourselves from eating the whole pan. I am definitely glad I added in the cranberries because I think the dish needed a little something sweet to balance out the salty savory part.
Love your blog! :)
I love the combination of all of these flavors; it’s the perfect cozy-up-on-the-couch meal!
Looks like you had a fabulous fall-themed weekend, even if the weather was summery! I LIVE for Honeycrisp season.
I made this last night and it was perfect. I am always looking for ways to incorporate kale without it being too overpowering. Using the cider gave it just the right amount of sweetness.
Made this the other night and my husband and I enjoyed it…been following and trying your recipes for awhile – great work!
I don’t know that I have ever commented before, but just wanted to say that I made this dish for dinner last night with some kale from our CSA that had been languishing in the fridge. It was delicious!!! My 18-month old could not get enough of it, and the 5-year old at least liked the sausage and the craisins. Thanks! I’d love to see more lip-smacking kale recipes like this.
Hooray! Here are all my kale recipes – I’m especially obsessed with the Kale Fried Rice. We make it all the time! >> http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/?search_term=kale&ui=402
I made this the other night and we thought it was delicious. The only apple cider I could find was in a gallon jug so I used unsweetened apple juice and it worked very well. I also was able to find dried cranberries that only have half the amount of sugar. Another favorite that we really enjoy is you Thai Chicken quinoa bowl. Keep those quinoa bowl recipes coming.It’s our new favorite way to eat.
I was so excited to try this all week! I made it tonight and my husband declared it one of the best things I’ve ever made!! And then he proceeded to eat it out of the skillet with the serving spoon! This was so good!
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This was great! My husband loved it! We will definitely be making this again.
My husband said this was the best meal he’d ever had!
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This was really delicious, made it tonight. Kids were not impressed with the first look, but are it very well. I wonder if the kale could be added with the quinoa to make it not so colorless when it’s all complete. That’s my only observation, it is very good otherwise. I’d be careful with the salt in the beginning, too, I hardly added any and it was plenty (and I don’t mind salt).
Just made this for lunch and to bring to work tomorrow, and I completely disregarded the “Serves 4″… It’s amazing! I’ll admit that I had my reservations when it was a little soupy at first, before it simmered down and the quinoa cooked, but it definitely went above and beyond expectations; I’m definitely going to have to be a little more adventurous with quinoa from now on! :D
[…] Smoked Sausage, Kale and Cider Quinoa Skillet from Iowa Girl Eats […]
I’m a vegetarian and made this last night (using veggie sausage and vegetable broth) and it was divine! Thanks for the recipe.
Made it. Ate it. LOVED it. Thanks!!
I used brussels sprouts and spinach instead of sausage and kale. No broth. Added craisins. So good!
[…] Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats […]
I made this tonight and followed the directions but my quinoa burned on the bottom but yet wasn’t fully cooked;( I still saved the sausages pieces though. Not sure what I did wrong but I can tell this is an awesome recipe so I want to try it again. So you think one could cook the kale/sausage/sage/shallots in one pan and cook the quinoa in a saucepan and then combine? Would you still use 2 cups liquid for the quinoa? Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Hey Meredith! It sounds like maybe your heat was too high when cooking the quinoa. Was it on medium or high? If it was on medium and it still burned you could definitely cook the quinoa separately. I’d use 3/4 cup apple cider and 1 cup chicken broth in that case. )
Has anyone tried this with hard cider? I’m thinking it’d be okay as long as it’s a true cider, not a sweetened malt (aka like Sam Smith). Thoughts?
I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t have any scallions so I substituted with 1/4 of an onion and some garlic powder. It was a hit, thanks for posting!
[…] Smoked Sausage Kale and Cider Quinoa Skillet from Iowa Girl […]
I saw this recipe a while back, remembered it, and just made it tonight using half sausage and half chicken thighs. It was delicious–and my kids agree! Thanks for the great recipe!
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