Zesty Quinoa Packed with Veggies and White Beans

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup quinoa
• 4 ounces hot giardiniera
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Warm some oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the carrots, celery, bell pepper, and onion, and cook them until they’re just tender but still have a bit of crunch—this should take about 5 minutes. Next, add the white beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, quinoa, giardiniera, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the pan. Give everything a good stir and bring it all up to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and let it cook until most of the liquid is gone and the quinoa is nice and fluffy, which usually takes around 20 minutes. Check occasionally and give it a stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. When it’s ready, taste and adjust the seasoning if you need to, then serve and enjoy!