chicken quinoa soup with mustard greens and turmeric
Read on to hear more about cooking with mustard greens, the health benefits and get this yummy recipe for Lemon Turmeric Chicken Quinoa Soup with mustard greens. where Chicken Soup gets an anti-inflammatory boost from turmeric and mustard greens. It takes everyone’s favorite cold season health elixir to the next level! I’ve added in lemon and dill to make it super tasty and the quinoa stands in for noodles for added protein and fiber!
After four summers of tending a vegetable garden, this is the first where I have successfully grown a round of cool weather end-of-season veggies. Meaning, back in August, I sowed new seeds, and now in October, I’ve been bringing in mesclun greens, radishes and mustard greens from the garden! Yay me!
I think partly it’s due to the fact that it got cool in late August here in Vermont, so that the seeds could start off okay, and then we got a long stretch of warm weather. Yay nice weather!
Anywhoo, when I was working developing this anti-inflammatory Lemon Turmeric Chicken Quinoa Soup- I was super excited to incorporate turmeric, which everyone knows is a really helpful anti-inflammatory ingredient to add to our diets. But then I remembered those mustard greens in my garden and they were just the ticket to boost both the flavor and the health benefits of the recipe!
Because when it comes to health benefits, Mustard Greens have got it goin’ on!
Health Benefits of Mustard Greens
- -Mustard Greens are loaded- nay !!bursting!!! With Vitamin K! One cup of Mustard greens provided 524% of the RDA of Vitamin K.
- -Mustard greens are high in the antioxidants A and C. With 177% and 59% of the RDA respectively. Antioxidants help to prevent cell damage from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. This also provides anti-inflammatory benefits and may help to prevent macular degeneration as well.
- – Mustard Greens are in the Brassica Family (which also includes superfoods such as broccoli and cabbage.) This family of vegetables is associated with lowered risk of heart attack and atherosclerosis. Mustard greens may also lower cholesterol.
Tips for Storing and Cooking with Mustard Greens
- When you bring your mustard greens in from the field or market, submerge them in cool water. Drain and repeat until no sand or dirt is in the bottom of the bowl of water.
- Spin dry and store in good quality bags. I like Peakfresh reusable Produce bags and Glad Storage Zipper Gallon. Press extra air out of the bag, but do not crush leaves. Keep in the produce drawer up to 5 days.
- Not to bury the lead, but Mustard Greens are quite peppery in flavor! (Just like our favorite condiment- prepared mustard which comes from the seeds of the mustard plant!) You may have had them raw in a mesclun mix and gotten quite a surprise! The flavor is similar to wasabi, radish or horseradish. Depending on the variety, age and growing conditions, greens can vary widely in heat level.
- If you want to eat them raw, make sure you choose tender young mustard greens. They have generally the mildest flavor. Also hot growing conditions can make them hotter in flavor, so mustard greens grown in colder temperatures are sweeter and often less spicy.
- Mustard greens are in season in fall through the spring. Avoid mustard greens that have turned yellow along the edges or are wilted. They are past their prime, and have likely lost much of their phytonutrients.
- Though it is edible, I recommend removing the center stem from mature mustard greens as you would for kale. The stem is tender, but the texture is a bit wimpy when cooked. Sort of like overcooked bok choy. Not my fave. Leave a comment below if you have any tips on how to use mature mustard green stems in a favorable way. I always love learning new ways to prepare veggies!
- Mature mustard greens are best either wilted or cooked. One of my favorite ways to prepare them is to roast thin-skinned potatoes. Then when they come out of the oven, toss them with several cups of torn mustard green leaves. I make a dressing with whole grain mustard, cider vinegar and a drizzle of maple syrup and toss the whole shootin’ match in a big bowl. The heat from the potatoes wilts the greens and the bold flavors in the dressing tame the peppery greens! It’s divine!
- -Mustard greens cook very fast, like spinach or chard. Cook them until wilted, and then just a wee moment longer. Cooking will tame the heat a bit. This is great for those folks who are trying for the first time.
- -If you’ve never tried them before and your are looking to slowly incorporate mustard greens into your diet, try adding a handful of mustard greens into garlicky sautéed spinach or chard, then add a splash of apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar just before taking it off the heat. Delish!
Adding Mustard Greens To Chicken Soup
Possibly the easiest way to start cooking with mustard greens is to add them to soup.
Especially a soup with other strong flavors like curry, or a hearty lentil soup with coriander. And since you’re here: why not try this Lemon Turmeric Chicken Quinoa Soup. Just stir them in at the end of the cooking time! You’ll love it!
More Yummy Soup Recipes To Try
- Vegan Vegetable Soup, this is possibly the most delicious vegetable soup on the planet. If you like this Minestrone, you have to make this veggie soup too!
- Paleo Chicken and Vegetable Soup, if you eat poultry, you’ll want to save this one as well. It’s full of hearty veggies and has so much flavor!
- Chicken and Quinoa Soup plus what to do with mustard greens this is a “cures what ails ya” kind of recipe. It is super healthy (with turmeric too! Save it for when you have a cold! It will be your lifeline.)
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup a great weeknight soup dinner the whole family will love.
- Healthy New England Seafood Chowder if you haven’t made chowder from scratch, this is a great recipe for beginners.
- My Minestrone Soup is probably my most popular. It’s one of my personal favorites too!
- The newest kid on the block is my Corn Chowder recipe, and it’s already getting rave reviews!
Please let me know if you try this recipe by leaving a comment or rating below! I love hearing from you. And if you haven’t already I’d love it if you signed up for my weekly email newsletter. I send one out every Saturday morning, so you never miss a healthy recipe!
Happy Cooking!
~Katie
PrintLemon Turmeric Chicken Quinoa Soup with Mustard Greens
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Lemon Turmeric Chicken QUinoa Soup with Mustard Greens and fresh dill. It is a super flavorful and healthy soup for cold season with natural anti-inflamatory benefits.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 teaspoons herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ cup rinsed quinoa
- 2 cups chopped mustard greens or baby spinach
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot, salt and turmeric and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add broth, bell pepper, celery and herbs de Provence and bring to a simmer over high heat. Add chicken and quinoa and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the quinoa is tender, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Remove the chicken from the soup with tongs. Set on cutting board, and shred with two forks. Stir the chicken, greens lemon zest, lemon juice and dill into the soup and stir until the greens are wilted. Serve hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 cups
- Calories: 322
- Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g.
- Fiber: 5 g.
- Protein: 28
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I am super jealous of your garden 🙂 and your produce. Love this soup and your tips on how to store mustard greens.
I am so grateful to have a garden now. It is such a fun project!
One day when I get a house, I want a garden like yours!! This soup sounds yummy!!
It has been such a fun journey to start learning about vegetable gardening. Have a good one.
This is so helpful. I’ve never cooked with mustard greens before, I love the idea of tossing them with roasted potatoes and dressing. Thank you for the inspiration!
Oh yes! That’s the yummiest!
Such a hearty soup! We just started having soups for dinner on weekdays. Its a great detox!
I find soup so satisfying for dinner, and thankfully my family agrees! Glad you like it too. Have a great day.
This is such a healthful soup. Nicely done!
Thank you Jenni. And thank you for coming by. Have a great week.
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten mustard greens! This soup looks delicious – pinned 🙂
Well now you’ll have to seek them out! They’re so good for you.
I’m going to be coming back to this post all winter long! I get tired of my basic sauteed greens or pureed green/broccoli soup recipe – (and the additional recipes look delish too!)
Glad you find it useful Deanna!
Yummy soup, and beautiful garden! As big as a “leafy greens” lover as I am, I can’t believe I’ve never tried mustard greens (to my knowledge)-I must rectify that soon with this nourishing soup! We’re having a heat wave here (it’s in the 80s today), so as soon as it cools off, I’ll definitely be making this 🙂
Mustard greens are def under appreciated. They’re spicy! Hope it cools down soon. It has been a kooky fall!
I absolutely LOVE your recipes Katie …just made this soup and it was delicious.5/5 once again… Thank you!!
Thank you so much Diana. And for coming back to let me know you liked it. That means a ton! Have a great rest of your week and Happy Cooking!
This recipe is easy and really good!!
Hi Kathie. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know that you enjoyed the recipe. I appreciate it!
Ever since I found this recipe, I have been cooking it every week. My favorite soup. My family enjoys it as well. It is so flavorful. Thank you so much for sharing
★★★★★
Delicious. I substituted fennel for celery and tatsoi for mustard greens as that is what was in my veggie box. The dill and lemon lift this soup to another level.
★★★★