Turkey Quinoa Taco Bake

Ingredients

3 cups water
1-1/2 cups quinoa (I like to use organic)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped leftover turkey (white and dark)
1 medium onion , chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (I like to use organic)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 heaping cups Monterey Jack Cheese, divided
1 (4-ounce) can sliced olives (optional)
Chopped green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 15 minutes (or according to package directions). Turn off heat and set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onions are soft. Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir in the beans and quinoa. At this point, add the turkey.
4. Place half of the quinoa mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of the cheese. Spread the remaining quinoa mixture over the cheese, then top with remaining cheese and the olives. Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with green onions for color.

Notes

You can use 1lb of ground turkey if you wish. Also, this recipe uses about 10 oz of dry quinoa (yields about 4.5 cups). You can scale this up/down as you see fit. We used one 7 oz box (yielded about 3 cups).