August 14, 2014

Creamy Provolone Baked Quinoa with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Pancetta & Onion

I can’t even with how much I love this dish.

CAN’T. EVEN. (literally)

If I could have this at my wedding, I would.  If I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life?  I just might.  If I could stick a fork through my computer and enjoy just one more bite of this crazy deliciousness that would be incredible anddd… I’d be pretty rich.

Food straight from your comp screen would be seriously next-level.

Le point is – This is mayj, my friends.  And we must gush over it immediately.

For the love of chee I cannot believe how long it took me to put together this dish.  I have been thinking about it for months, legit months, but between wedding and working and blah blah blah, I kept brushing it to the side.  But eventually I decided that you guys missed me (duh) and that I needed to come back into your lives with some gusto.  Gusto in the form of creamy provolone sauce.  And quinoa!  And veggie things!  And BACON.

Okay…pancetta.  But whateves, same diff.

I needed to DAZZLE you, you see?!  Razzle-dazzle you into wanting this cheese-tastic concoction everyday for the rest of your days until the end of forever.

Which is obviously a very reasonable and attainable goal for me to have.

But before I start yelping CHEESE! every 23 seconds, let’s have some Real Talk – I miss you guys!!!!  I miss this blog and being in my kitchen and getting to gab about all the thoughts my many personalities have.  Like, I haven’t even discussed with you my current avocado rampage (is 3 a day normal?), my nonstop bingeing on Sons of Anarchy season six (hi, 2:00am on Tuesday!), my recent ritual of watching the nightly news (Brian Williams is my friend), and my utter obsession with giving myself at-home facials (where did my rent check go?).

But beyond sharing with you my usual deluge of nonsense, I mostly miss chatting about food.  Being short on time makes me realize how much I loooove this damn place, and how freakishly I enjoy talking about sautéing and broiling and adding cheese to absolutely everything.  So let’s talk food, shall we?!  Let’s dance over cherry tomatoes and draw hearts around provolone and sing to the mountains about the glory of pancetta.

Let’s EAT!

I know I have a new #favoritedishever like, constantly, but this is seriously one of the best recipes I’ve ever made.  It’s so easy, SO versatile, and totally perfect for any occasion.  Like, Wednesday night dinner?  Make this.  Saturday night entertaining?  Serve it.  Leftovers for lunch?  Heat this baby right on up.

It all starts with your basic quinoa, which I strongly recommend preparing with chicken broth instead of water, because the flavor difference is simply huge.  Being in the throes of tomato season made roasting a bunch of cherry t’s the obvious veggie choice, but I threw in some sweet onion too because tomatoes and onion just always pair so nicely.  And the pancetta?  Perfection!  It added an incredible salty element while beefing up the texture, because the texture freak in me can never let anything be.  If you’re not the pancetta type (does that exist?) you could always opt for cubed prosciutto, plain ole’ bacon, or just nothing at all.  Because at the end of the day (fork?), the real star here is the creamy provolone.

Obviously I ate this provolone sauce by the spoon, licked my skillet clean, had to make two batches because I completely annihilated the first one, etc etc – The usual cheese crimes I commit.  But there really is something so simple yet so amaaazing about this sauce.  It’s not anything revolutionary – fix up a little roux, stir in some skim milk and shredded prov, and you’re done in about 5 minutes.  But the flavor and creaminess is to DIE for, I couldn’t believe how something so easy could taste so freakin’ good.  I love provolone because it’s the perfect mid-way of hard and soft cheeses, with equal parts sweet and nutty flavor making this sauce completely delish.  And when you get that one epic bite of everything all at once?! – It’s heaven peeps.  Wonderfully savory and creamy and filling and just ugh, YES.

So much freakin’ yes.

say CHEESE!

Creamy Provolone Baked Quinoa with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Pancetta & Onion

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups Cooked Quinoa
  • 2 1/4 cups Diced Cherry Tomatoes – approx.
  • 1 cup Diced Yellow Onion
  • 4 oz Cubed Pancetta (I used Citterio)
  • 1 1/2 cups Shredded Provolone Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup Skim Milk
  • 2 tbsps All Purpose Flour
  • 2 tbsps Light Butter (I used Land O Lakes)
  • 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Diced Fresh Basil
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt & Coarse Black Peppercorn – approx.

Directions:

  1. Prepare the quinoa as directed.  While quinoa cooks, dice cherry tomatoes before drizzling with EVOO and a few dashes salt & pepper.  Spread tomatoes evenly on baking sheet and broil in oven or toaster oven for 15 minutes until blistered – Set aside.
  2. Shred provolone and mozzarella cheeses, if needed.  Next, roughly dice fresh basil.
  3. Once quinoa and tomatoes are prepared, in large skillet melt butter over medium heat.  Quickly incorporate flour into melted butter, whisking both ingredients together into a thick consistency.  Next, begin adding milk and shredded provolone to skillet in alternating rotations, incorporating each until all ingredients have been used and a smooth, creamy mixture has formed.
  4. In large bowl pour provolone sauce over quinoa and combine thoroughly.  Add additional salt & pepper if needed, then stir in onions, pancetta, and half of shredded basil, combining well.  Lastly gently fold in roasted tomatoes, then transfer mixture to oven safe casserole dish, spreading evenly.  Top with mozzarella and remaining basil, then bake at 400F for 15 minutes until melted and bubbly.  Immediately plate and serve.

>> Prepare quinoa with chicken broth instead of water – it retains more flavor.

ps – it’s healthy too.

 

 

posted by Christine in: Hidden
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