Add the onion, carrot, and ground beef to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the ground beef with a spoon, until the beef is almost fully cooked.
Stir in the garlic, marinara sauce, paprika, and pepper. Increase heat to bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the cabbage and dried quinoa. The skillet will be very full, but the cabbage will cook down.
Reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until the quinoa is cooked through and the cabbage is very tender. About halfway through the cooking time, you will likely need to add about 1 cup of water to the skillet. You always want there to be enough liquid in the skillet to maintain a gentle simmer so that the quinoa cooks.
When the quinoa is finished cooking, remove the skillet from heat. Serve and enjoy!
Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
To cut back on cooking time, you can just stir in 1.5 cups cooked quinoa instead of letting it cook in the skillet. However, the vegetables will not be as tender if you forego the long simmering time. It's up to you and your preferences.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet, adding water if needed to prevent scorching, until warmed through. You can also reheat a serving in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.