Turkey Taco Bake

Quinoa is amazing! Not only is it delicious, but it is very easy to cook.

If you have never had it, it is a nutritious seed that is high in protein and fiber, making it a fantastic alternative to rice or pastas.

My kids love it so I like to use it as often as possible.

Lately dinner time is chaos in my house with a 3 week old baby that eats all the time, a not quite 2 year old vying for my attention and two older kids who are tired of being cooped up this summer and fighting like cats and dogs….

Normally cooking dinner is my stress relief but lately I’m just trying to survive and get something edible on the table….even better if I can prep it one handed.

The only things I needed 2 hands for here were chopping the garlic onion and pepper and shredding the zucchini and cheese so I did all of that first and set them aside to make sure I had everything ready.

The turkey mixtures comes together in about the same time it takes the quinoa to cook and my oven to preheat so it makes this a pretty time efficient meal for me right now and it still tastes great!

Here is how I made it

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked quinoa

1 pound ground turkey*

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 TBSP chili powder

2 tsp cumin

½ medium white onion- diced

½ green bell pepper diced

1 can diced tomato

2 small zucchini (shredded) ~1 cup

½ cup shredded cheese

Sliced avocado

Fresh cilantro

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350

Cook quinoa according to package

you know its done when the little string around it lets go and opens up

While the quinoa is cooking, brown the turkey with the cumin, chili powder and garlic

Once the turkey is cooked through, add the onion, pepper and tomatoes and sauté for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.

Add the zucchini to the pan and heat through for just for a minute or so- trust me no one will even notice this is in here but it adds an extra vegetable to your daily intake! Win-Win!!

Grab a casserole dish and cover the bottom with the cooked quinoa,

Then spread the meat and vegetable mixture evenly over the quinoa

Top with shredded cheese and fresh cilantro

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Serve with a few slices of avocado on top and enjoy!

*To make this vegetarian replace turkey with chopped baby bella mushrooms-

it’s still just as tasty!