by Vince Matteo

As a kid I grew up in an Italian family where big cheesy pasta meals were common. Fast forward to the present and I’ve eliminated pasta from my diet, my cheese intake has been reduced significantly and the cheese I do eat is reduced fat. Needless to say, it makes cooking a traditional family meal difficult.

This recipe is the modern day version of one of my childhood favorites using quinoa instead of lasagna noodles. Quinoa is a superfood because it has twice the protein of regular grains, has fewer carbohydrates and is a good source of fiber. In addition, it is a complete protein which means it contains all nine essential amino acids that are required to build muscle.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 5 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 stuffed cups of fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1.5 cups part-skim mozzarella, divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup

1. Place quinoa in a stockpot with two cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
3. In a stockpot, sauté onions, bell pepper, and celery in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat for four minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms, oregano, basil, marjoram and black pepper; continue cooking for one minute. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and spinach. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella.
5. In a 2.5qt greased baking dish, press 1.5 cups of cooked quinoa into the bottom and spread evenly. Transfer half of the stockpot mixture to the baking dish and top with cottage cheese mixture. Add 1 cup of cooked quinoa. Add remaining sauce mixture and top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for five minutes.