Quinoa With Pasta Sauce and Cheese

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Rinse the quinoa if the packaging does not indicate that it's pre-rinsed. Rinsing quinoa removes naturally occurring plant chemicals that are harmless but can cause a bitter flavor in quinoa. Use a fine-mesh strainer so you don't lose any tiny quinoa seeds down the drain.

2. Step 2

   In a deep pot, bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Lower the heat, so the water is at a simmer and cover the pot.

3. Step 3

   Simmer 12 to 15 minutes. If water remains in the pot, drain it off (again, use a fine-mesh strainer).

4. Step 4

   In the same pot, add the pasta sauce. Stir well. Add more sauce to taste, if needed. Simmer another 1 or 2 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is heated.

5. Step 5

   Turn off the heat and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes (with the lid on the pot).

6. Step 6

   To each bowl of quinoa and pasta sauce, add a generous amount of grated cheese.

7. Step 7

   To add even more flavor to the dish, consider topping the quinoa and tomato sauce with sautéed vegetables, cooked and drained Italian sausage, ground beef or ground turkey, and fresh herbs.