Quinoa Bake

I think it is safe to say that every college student fears living by themselves because of one hurdle: cooking. All it takes is attempting to create a dish on your own that instills a newfound appreciation for your mother’s homemade meals. Furthermore, between mounds of homework, involvement in extracurriculars and attempting to balance a social life, students barely have time to create nutritious meals throughout the week.

Being a full time student and a part of multiple organizations as well as tackling a part time job, I’ve found that prepping my meals on Sunday before the chaos of the week consumes my time helps to ensure that I am partaking in three nutritious meals everyday. One of my favorite protein packed meals that leaves lots of leftovers is my dad’s famous Quinoa Bake. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained 

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

• 1 medium yellow, onion finely chopped 

• 3 cloves garlic, minced 

• 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms (about 6 mushrooms), stems removed and finely chopped 

• 1 pound ground chicken 

• 5 ounces baby spinach 

• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 

• 8 basil leaves, finely chopped 

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 

• 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper 

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 

• ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar 

• 1 cup ricotta cheese 

• 6 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 ½ cups) 

• ¼ cup grated parmesan 

• ¼ cup whole-wheat Panko breadcrumbs 

Directions

1. In a small pot bring the quinoa and ½ cup of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover the pot with a lid, anc cook for 14 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed. Let the quinoa rest, covered, for 5 minutes, then stir with a fork. 

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

3. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, mushrooms and garlic. Let the mixture cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender. 

4. Add the ground chicken, making sure to break up the meat into small pieces. Let cook for 6-7 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink. 

5. Add the spinach. It will seem like a lot, but it wilt as it is cooked down. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly or until the spinach has fully wilted. 

6. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, salt, red pepper, oregano, and sugar. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened (Feel free to add less or more of red pepper, up to personal spice preferences). 

7. Fold in the quinoa, ½ cup ricotta and ½ a cup of grated mozzarella into the saucepan. Make sure that everything is well combined. 

8. Transfer half the quinoa mixture to a medium baking dish. Spread the remaining ¼ - ½ cup of ricotta cheese on top of the quinoa layer (Personal preference for cheese amount here. Can use less, more or none at all). Place the remaining quinoa mixture on top. 

9. Sprinkle the remaining grated mozzarella over the quinoa mixture in an even layer. Then add the parmesan and panko coating over top. 

10. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is lightly browned. 

11. Cool for 5 minutes before serving and voila! 

The best thing about this quinoa bake is that it is perfect to save as leftovers for the rest of the week, or even an easy dinner to share amongst roommates. With its comfort food style and protein packed quinoa it is easily one of my favorite dishes to share with my friends and package up as an easy on the go lunch and dinner.