For my first quinoa in place of rice dish, I opted to go with an old and flavorful favorite: Black Beans and Rice. We decided this was a keeper. It’s different from the black beans and rice, somehow…the texture maybe. But quite tasty and still familiar. And of course, a super source of protein between the quinoa, beans, and sausage. Serves: 4 (if served with a side, such as a salad), 3 if served alone.
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked turkey sausage (I prefer Oscar Meyer), sliced
- 1 can of black beans, drained
- 1 can of rotel, undrained
- 2 cups of quinoa, cooked
- 1/2 cup diced, roasted red peppers
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- cumin
- cilantro
- paprika
Directions:
- Saute the garlic and onion over medium high heat until onion is just translucent.
- Add in sausage and roasted red peppers. Cook until sausage begins to brown.
- Add black beans, rotel, and chicken stock. Bring to a bubble then reduce heat to medium low.
- Add 1 tsp cilantro, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin (and these are guesstimates, as I wasn’t measuring, just dumping and sniffing!)
- Simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
- Add quinoa. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Serve with a crusty French bread to mop up the flavors left on the bottom of the bowl.
Bon appetite!
2 thoughts on “Black Beans and Quinoa”
That looks really yummy – we are trying to sub out rice sometimes too – definitely one to try out 🙂 Thanks for posting.
I recently discovered quinoa, too, and I love this recipe. I especially like that it’s equally good warm for dinner and cold the next day for lunch—maybe even better!