Crockpot Butternut Squash, Chicken, and Quinoa Soup

• Meat

  • 1 1/2 lbs Chicken breasts, boneless skinless

• Produce

  • 1 (~4 cups small butternut squash, small
  • 1 can Corn
  • 2 tsp Garlic
  • 1 can Kidney beans
  • 1 can Tomatoes, petite

• Canned Goods

  • 5 cups Chicken broth

• Pasta & Grains

  • 1 cup Quinoa

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 packet Fajita seasoning mix
  • 1 Salt and pepper

Found on chelseasmessyapron.com

Description

Directions

• Remove the fat from the chicken. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve to remove the bitter saponin coating.
• Peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash into small bite-sized pieces (or buy pre-chopped butternut squash for an even faster prep).
• Rinse and drain the kidney beans and corn.
• Lightly grease your slow cooker with nonstick spray (I use a 6-quart crockpot). Add in the chicken, quinoa, chopped squash, kidney beans, corn, undrained tomatoes, garlic, and fajita seasoning packet. (OR try a chili seasoning packet if you enjoy those flavors better).
• Pour in the chicken broth and give everything a good stir.
• Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the quinoa is cooked through and the squash is very tender.
• At this point you can remove some of the squash and mash it with a potato masher and then put it back in the soup. This is totally optional, but makes it a bit heartier.
• Add some salt and pepper to taste and any other seasonings desired. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
• If desired, stir in some sour cream (we use and love reduced fat or fat free) and some freshly grated cheddar cheese.
• NOTE: slow cookers are known for cooking at different speeds - if yours tends to cook faster your chicken and squash could be done even earlier than 3 hours and alternatively everything may take longer to cook in a cooler slow cooker. The longer this cooks the more liquid the quinoa absorbs - if you dont mind thats fine, otherwise you can always add some more chicken broth and seasoning.