Easy, Healthy Weeknight Dinner: Quinoa with Pasta Sauce

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. 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. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes. If water remains in the pot, drain it off (again, use a fine-mesh strainer). 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. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes (with the lid on the pot). To each bowl of quinoa and pasta sauce, add a generous amount of grated cheese. 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.