Simple Southwest Quinoa Bake

A quick, budget-friendly dish that is packed with nutrients! You’ll be sure to have plenty of leftovers making your week a bit less chaotic.

What You’ll Need

• 1 cup quinoa

• 1 lb ground beef (turkey or chicken)

• 1 pkt of taco seasoning

• 1 green bell pepper

• 1 onion

• 1 can of corn, drained

• 1 can of black beans, drained

Toppings

• lettuce, spinach, or kale or a mix of all

• salsa

• sour cream or plain greek yogurt

• tortilla or corn chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Wash and chop bell pepper and onion, set aside

3. Cook quinoa according to package

4. In an oven proof skillet, begin browning your meat for about 5 minutes. Toss in chopped bell pepper and onion. You may want to drain some of the meat fat out of the pan. Once cooked, coat mixture with taco seasoning packet

5. Add in corn, black beans, and cooked quinoa, mix altogether

6. Flatten mixture out to cover pan and top with cheese

7. Place into oven and bake until cheese is melted

Notes

If you don’t have an oven-safe pan, just transfer the mixture into a casserole dish and complete the steps.

Store leftovers in the fridge (up to 5 days) for a easy lunch!

Nutritional Benefits

• Plant-based protein coming from the quinoa and black beans

• Animal-based protein from the ground beef

• Nutritious, whole grain carbohydrates from the quinoa, corn, and corn chips if you choose to have those

• Adding micronutrients and fiber with the corn, black beans, bell pepper, onion, and salsa

• Healthful and satisfying fat from the cheese