In the beginning of the week, I try my best to meal prep my lunches. Breakfast is simple – it’s usually a smoothie with granola, or some oatmeal with banana and nut butter. And dinner, I either have blog recipe testing leftovers or I work from home, so I can usually throw together dinner, because I don’t get home late.
However, lunch is always something I dread making- do I have a sandwich? A soup? A salad? Dinner leftovers? Cold? Hot?
Usually what I do is meal prep by roasting a bunch of vegetables and making a batch of quinoa or lentils.
After I have all those prepped veggies and grains/pulses, I throw them together in a bowl with some avocado and drizzle on some tahini. It’s my favorite way to ensure I get enough veggies into my day – and is super fibrous and filling!
Thus, I always have a bunch of quinoa in the refrigerator to throw together other meals, like today’s Caprese Quinoa and Spiralized Zucchini Bake.
When I was in Florida, I constantly craved summer foods (because it’s so sunny and warm down there, always.) I missed caprese salads, and I had leftover quinoa in the fridge, so I decided to do a little spin on the caprese, using zucchini noodles and ditching the balsamic drizzle!
I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Quinoa in this recipe – that’s the only quinoa I ever use! I get asked a lot about my lentils and quinoa – it’s always Bob’s! I love their Tri-Color quinoa as well, but I figured the white quinoa would look best in this dish – and I think it does!
Quinoa’s a complete protein and paired with white beans, you’re getting enough protein in this dish for those of you hesitant to make vegetarian meals! The fiber from the zucchini and the vitamins in the tomatoes make for a heart healthy meal that can be made all year long!
To winterize this dish, you could use sweet potato noodles instead of zucchini and swap the basil for the parsley, although it won’t be a true caprese that way!
Although this dish has enough nutrients to serve as an entree, it works beautifully as a side dish also, so feel free to whip it up for guests as an appetizer, salad, or side!
Note: Although this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, all opinions are my own, always.
Now you can watch a cooking video of this recipe:
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Caprese Quinoa and Spiralized Zucchini Bake
Ingredients
- Ā½ cup white quinoa Bobās Red Mill
- 1 cup water
- 2 medium zucchinis Blade A
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup canned cannellini beans drained, rinsed
- Ā½ pint cherry tomatoes halved
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil torn, to garnish
- olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until fluffy, about 10 minutes (or cook to package directions.)
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add the zucchini noodles. Cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
- In a baking dish or baking sheet, lay out the zucchini noodles. Sprinkle evenly over with garlic, cannellini beans and tomatoes and evenly spread out the quinoa. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Transfer to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts.
- Immediately garnish with basil and if desired, a drizzle of olive oil. Serve.
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