Today’s recipe has been a staple in our apartment for a while, and we actually started making it for the first time while on vacation! Two summers ago now, in September 2020, we went on the only vacation we essentially could at the time, camping! We were researching camping friendly vegetarian meals and stumbled upon an easy enough looking recipe for a one pot quinoa and bean skillet. We prepped all the ingredients, and made it on the fire the night before my birthday. It came out delicious (as pictured below) and we have been making it ever since! 

It has evolved quite a bit since the picture above, however the principle has remained the same: quinoa, beans, vegetables and one pot. A key ingredient here is the fire-roasted tomatoes. They add a smokiness and depth of flavor that regular canned tomatoes would fail to bring. This recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner, there is little prep and only one pot to clean. It makes plentiful leftovers that keep well for lunches on the following days. I hope you enjoy it!

Active time 25 minutes

Cook time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed
• 28oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups cannellini beans (2 15oz cans), drained
• 1 tablespoon dried italian seasoning
• ¼ – ½ tsp dried red chili flakes (?depending on spice tolerance)
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 60g shredded parmesan
• Salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Heat a large dutch oven on medium low heat. Once warm add in the olive oil and sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and red bell peppers with a pinch of salt until they begin to soften for about 3-4 minutes while stirring occasionally. While the vegetables cook, take the opportunity to crack a lot of fresh black pepper in. Then, add in the minced garlic and continue until the garlic is fragrant, 2-3 minutes. 
2. Add in the tomatoes, quinoa, broth, beans, italian seasoning, chili flakes and 1 tsp of salt and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Once it begins to bubble turn the heat down to low and simmer for 14-17 minutes with the lid ajar until the quinoa is cooked al-dente. 
3. Once complete, turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach and the shredded parmesan. This may take a moment or two as the spinach wilts. Taste for salt levels and adjust. Enjoy while warm!