Hello hello!

Happy Friday!

I just wanted to pop in and share this recipe with you. I mentioned it on Wednesday and promised you all I’d have the recipe up by the weekend. Thanks for holding me to it, Jessie! 😉

This honestly started out as a leftovers dish. We had leftover red meat sauce in the fridge, but I didn’t want to eat it with pasta because of all of the carbs. I personally think that protein-filled, gluten free quinoa is a great exchange for pasta, and when I added a few handfuls of spinach, this felt like a really healthy meal! Almost embarrassingly easy, too. Can’t beat that!

Cheesy Quinoa Bake with Spinach (egg, nut, and gluten free)
serves 1

Ingredients:
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth or water

1/2 cup red meat sauce (recipe follows)
3/4 – 1 cup baby spinach, torn into small pieces
1 tbsp. grated parmesan

3 tbsp. shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. In a small pot, bring quinoa and broth (or water) to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid is gone and quinoa is tender and fluffy.
3. Stir in the red meat sauce, spinach, and grated parmesan.
4. Allow everything to heat through until the spinach is wilted.
5. Spray a small, oven-safe dish with cooking spray.
6. Pour the quinoa mixture into the dish, and top with the mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the quinoa is hot and the cheese on top is melted and browned.
8. Enjoy!

—————

Red Meat Sauce Recipe (egg, nut, dairy, and gluten-free)
makes about 10 (1/2 cup) servings

Ingredients:
– 1 lb. lean ground beef (try to choose something as lean as 85/15 or less!)
– 1/2 onion, chopped
– Garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste
– 1 jar (23.25 oz.) of reduced sodium pasta sauce (I like Prego Heart Smart)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, begin browning the onion and meat over medium heat.
2. As the beef is cooking, sprinkle over the seasonings, to taste. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.
3. Pour over the pasta sauce, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

—————

Notes:
– Obviously, if you’re going to serve this as a family meal, increase the amount of ingredients according to the amount of people you’re serving. 😉
– If you’re vegetarian, simply leave the ground beef out of the red sauce, or use a ground beef substitute.

So there you have it! A protein packed, nutritious meal perfect for one – or a crowd!

Have a great weekend, everyone! 🙂