Quinoa Fajita Bake

Life is full, in our house, and I’m sure much like you- time to prep elaborate meals can hard to come by, which is why I love relying on recipes that I can cook once and use eat twice– but maybe not how you think.

One of my favorite budget strategies is to repurpose leftovers; that is make a larger amount of a protein or a grain and use it in more than one meal; or repurpose a meal into something entirely different- rather than feeling like you’re eating the same thing over and over again (a deterrent for many families in using leftovers). So often we have leftovers we leave to go bad in the fridge– and food thrown away is money thrown away (hard truth, but it’s true!).

This recipe is one of my family’s long time FAVORITE easy prep-ahead dinners: quinoa fajita bake. You can use whatever leftover chicken (or whatever meat you prefer!) you have– whether it be instant pot chicken, leftover slow cooker chicken or rotisserie, along with some easily prepped peppers and onions and pre-cooked quinoa to make this dinner happen in NO time. Make it, this week! 

Quinoa Fajita Skillet Bake
Serves 4-5

1 cup (uncooked) quinoa or 3 cups cooked
1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
sea salt, to taste
juice of 1 lime
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (optional)
To top: sour cream, avocado, cilantro or green onions

1. Cook quinoa with 2 cups of water on stove or in rice cooker (to cook on stove, add to pan, bring to boil, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork).
2. Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil to medium high in a large cast iron or sauté pan. Add peppers & onions and season well with sea salt. Cook until starting to blacken. Stir, turn heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.
3. Stir in garlic for 10-15 seconds.
4. Mix quinoa with shredded chicken, broth, spices and and pepper/onion mix. Squeeze in lime juice. Season to taste.
5. Transfer to a baking dish, or back into cast iron. Top with shredded cheese and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Broil 1-2 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

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