Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1medium onion,diced
1red bell pepper,diced
1zucchini,cubed
2clovesgarlic
28ouncescanned diced tomatoesdrained
15ouncescanned great northern beansrinsed and drained
¼cupparsley,finely chopped
½teaspoondried thyme
½teaspoondried rosemary
¾teaspoondried oregano
⅛teaspooncrushed red pepper
2cupsItalian cheese blend
½cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to broil on high and place an oven rack in the highest position. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil in the oven until soft and beginning to brown, stirring once or twice, about 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them as oven temperatures may vary, you don't want them to burn. After removing the eggplant, lower the rack to the middle position and turn the oven to bake at 375ºF.
Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the vegetable stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1 cup of Italian cheese blend, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, top with remaining cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.