Cheesy Beef & Broccoli Quinoa

 

It’s a few weeks after the New Year, and I bet everyone is trying to get back into their normal healthy meal routine after all those extra indulgent holiday meals (just like me). At 7 months prego, it’s hard to know how much of this last months weight gain was due to Christmas cookies vs actual necessary baby weight gain (I think I’ll stick with the it’s all baby story). Either way, I think it’s a perfect time for another #HealthyInUnder30 recipe. After all, what better way to kick off a healthy year than with broccoli, right?

 

Not only does this hearty dish come together in no time, but there are only 6 ingredients, so assembly is a breeze. I originally created this recipe for my sister-in-law and myself one night when both of our husbands were out of town, but we didn’t want to be unhealthy and order pizza. I also wanted something I could make that afternoon at home and easily transport to her house to eat later. The beauty of quinoa as a grain base is that it really doesn’t get mushy like pasta and rice do after being reheated.

 

If you are a non-meat eater and want to make it a vegetarian or vegan dish, just sub black beans for the beef, and omit the cheese. If you aren’t a vegan, don’t omit the cheese! It’s really just a garnish, so it isn’t making the dish unhealthy, and it adds that perfect tangy finishing kick.

 

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{Cheesy Beef & Broccoli Quinoa}

This 30 minute meal comes together quickly, with relatively few ingredients. The beef and quinoa make a very heart protein-rich meal. The broccoli and tomatoes add a good dose of vegetables with color! 

 

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, dry

2 cups vegetable broth

1 lb lean ground beef

2 large broccoli heads, fresh (about 3/4 lb)

1 can medium rotel (diced tomatoes with chiles), drained

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

optional: 1/2 tsp salt–depending on the saltiness of your vegetable broth. My broth was not salty at all, so I ended up adding in 1/2 tsp salt to the beef as it was cooking.

 

Directions

Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a small pot on the stove, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15-18 minutes, or until broth is completely absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, cook ground beef over medium heat, immediately cut broccoli florets directly off the stem into the pan with the beef (that way you don’t have to get out a cutting board). Once beef and broccoli are cooked through, dump in rotel and heat 2 more minutes. Stir cooked quinoa into beef mixture, and divide into 4 servings. Top each serving with 2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese.

 

 

 

Nutrition info per serving 4 (with cheese): 450  cal, 15  g fat, 41 g carb, 36 g protein, 5 g fiber

 

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