Pesto Quinoa Salad

Serves | 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked

• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

• Pesto

• Cherry tomatoes

• Kale or spinach

• Shredded carrots

• 1 pound ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef, or pork)

Directions:

1. Cook ground meat in a skillet on medium-high heat, breaking apart with a spatula until browned and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and set aside. Optional: sauté carrots and kale or spinach in the same pan on high heat with a drizzle of oil, seasoning with salt and pepper until softened to preference. You can skip this step for a bit of crunch in your dish.

2. Cook quinoa following the package directions. Season with two heaping spoonfuls of pesto and mix.

3. Assemble bowls by layering pesto quinoa on the bottom, followed by kale or spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots, crumbled bacon, and cooked meat. Top with more pesto.
   
   Notes: Our preferred variation is ground beef, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and sautéd carrots and kale, topped with a big drizzle of pesto. Amount of vegetables will depend on the preference of each individual, but we usually add about a handful for each serving. You can sub quinoa for any cooked rice. You can sub ground meat for steak, chicken breasts, or chicken thighs. Our favorite method to cook bacon is baking in the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F, arrange bacon slices on a foil lined baking sheet, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy.

   You’ll find this recipe (and more like it!) in my original cookbook, Feeding the Nobles: Keep It Simple and Just Eat Real Food.