Chopped Spinach and Quinoa Goat Cheese Caesar Salad

Let’s have some real talk for a minute. I’ve been utterly horribly awful about cooking dinner on weeknights lately. I’m such a good meal planner, but then I get home from work and I see my couch and I can’t even imagine spending another hour away from it. Though I’m trying to force myself to be better, I also try to stock my kitchen with “don’t have to cook” meals. And that includes a pizza in the freezer.

My husband and I even have a term for frozen pizzas. We call them “emergency pizzas,” shortened to “emergencies.” I can actually write on our grocery list “emergency” and he knows exactly what to buy (he’s amazing and offers to go grocery shopping quite often!). When we’re having an “emergency” night, it means we can skip the time in the kitchen and spend relaxing time together. And yes, usually the couch, too. And sometimes the Bachelorette (p.s. who’s excited that Bachelor in Paradise is coming back in August??? Sorry…. don’t mind me).

Another thing I try to do is always keep some sort of homemade salad on hand. I can make a salad on a Sunday evening and pack it for work lunches for a couple days or have a ready-to-eat dinner when we need it. These couple do-ahead fixes make me feel a whole lot better about being lazy during the week.

DIGIORNO just came out with their new thin crust pizzas, pizzeria!™ thin, and this makes my husband VERY happy. I only really like thin crust pizza and have never let my husband get in the past. But now? We can both have our way! We recently tried their new Primo Pepperoni pizza since pepperoni is one thing we both agree on.

You basically spend zero time prepping it, unless you consider pre-heating your oven heavy work.

And if you have that side salad already made, all the better. I think that Caesar salad is pretty much the best pizza pairing ever, so I was thrilled to have this healthy twist ready to go. I replaced the romaine lettuce with chopped spinach and added quinoa and tomatoes. Plus, goat cheese!

I’ve made this dressing a thousand times and I’ll probably make it a thousand more. If you’re not a fan of the anchovies, you don’t have to add them, but I promise you that they’re worth it. They just add a ridiculously awesome umami that isn’t fishy at all.

This was an incredibly satisfying literally no-work-after-work dinner.

And when I say satisfying, I mean it. We actually had  leftovers from the DIGIORNO pizzeria!™ thin pizza… Which means I don’t have to make lunch for work the next day. I think that’s rare to get from a thin crust pizza, so that makes me super happy.

And I can spend time with my husband… And finish work stuff. And do some blogging. And watch the 2-hour Bachelorette. Why can’t there be more time in the evenings??

I’ve learned to stop feeling bad about not cooking a from scratch dinner every night. I’m at the office for 10+ hours a day, plus commuting time, plus everything else I have going on… So I need to give myself a break. And this is the perfect way!

I may look like I was run over by a bus at the end of a long work day, but at least I’m happy??

What are some of your emergency “I need to relax” weeknight dinners?

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Chopped Spinach and Quinoa Goat Cheese Caesar Salad

This take on a Caesar salad has the added health benefits of spinach and quinoa, but all the umami deliciousness.

Course: Side

Author: We are not Martha

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C cooked and cooled quinoa
• 5 oz. baby spinach chopped
• 1/2 C sliced grape tomatoes
• 2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
• Caesar dressing see recipe below

Caesar Dressing:

• 4 anchovy fillets optional
• 2 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 T dijon mustard
• 1½ T fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ T water
• ¼ C- ½ C extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ C grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Put quinoa, chopped spinach, tomatoes, and goat cheese in a large bowl.
2. Toss with Caesar dressing until well coated.
3. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Caesar Dressing:

1. Put anchovies (if using), garlic, egg yolk, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and water in a blender and process for about 30-40 seconds, until the mixture is smooth.
2. With the blender running, pour the extra virgin olive oil in slowly, until you reach the desired consistency.
3. Remove dressing to bowl. Stir in the parmesan cheese and ground pepper.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.