Tonight I decided to try Quinoa. For the first time.
I bought some a few weeks ago and it's been sitting in my cabinet, waiting for me to have time to start experimenting with my cooking again.
I love making recipes that use what I have on hand, obviously because it's way easier than running for the store for one or two things...
So tonights main components are quinoa, sweet Italian style sausage, and kale.
I've decided to go with an Italian taste, because it usually goes well in our house. So I'm adding garlic, cheese, tomatoes...
Since hubby is working late tonight, my kids get to be the lucky little guinea pigs :)
I'm going to try to work on getting better pictures, before we start eating... (this was taken at a close-up angle, because we started digging in before I thought to snap a pic!)
Anyway, for those of you looking to try a kid friendly way to incorporate Quinoa into your meals, like me, I will share...
Quinoa Sausage and Kale Casserole
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
3 sweet italian sausage links, casings removed
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes (I used about 1/2 of a 14.5 oz can, only because my kids are not big tomato fans)
5 cups chopped kale leaves
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook quinoa as per package instructions.
3. While quinoa is cooking, brown sausage in skillet, finely chopping into crumbles. Once browned, add onion and garlic and sauté for a minute or two.
4. Add tomatoes to skillet. Slowly stir in handfuls of kale, letting it soften and mix in well. once all kale is added, remove from heat.
5. In a 9x13 baking dish mix cooked quinoa and sausage mixture. Top with salt and pepper and cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and serve warm.
I loved this! My son preferred to make it into a sandwich with some 12 grain bread, but he's a growing pre-teen so he always wants bread! Even my picky 4 year old ate every bite on her plate, which really says a lot. I think she liked the shape and texture of the quinoa... so we will definitely be trying it again!
I'm sure this, like most of my recipes that I throw together, can be played with to your liking... maybe more cheese, a different meat (or none at all), I think even adding some peppers and mushrooms next time would be good.
But this is what I had on hand tonight :)
