Go Back
Print

Pesto Quinoa

Pesto Quinoa is a delicious side dish that tastes great hot or cold. It's simple to make and takes only 3 ingredients.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Quinoa bulk or boxed
  • Jarred pesto or your own recipe
  • Small container of prepared bruschetta or your own recipe

Instructions

  1. Prepare the quinoa according to box or preferred directions. Always rinse your quinoa well before cooking - until water is no longer foamy.
  2. Once quinoa is finished cooking, put in a bowl and add the container of bruschetta; mix well. Next, add about 2 tbsp of pesto. Taste and adjust according to your preference level. I add upwards of 4-5 tbsp as I love pesto and I use boxed which tends to make quite a bit.
  3. Serve hot or cold. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Recipe Notes

The boxed quinoa I buy is about 1 cup of dry quinoa. I add the rinsed quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water. I cover and let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
I'm very picky about pesto (2 weeks travelling around Italy will do that to you!). I have found non-brand name pesto to be tastier. Also look for Genovese or Ligurian pesto (it should be the name on the jar). Minimal ingredients make for a better pesto - look for basil to be the first ingredient, followed by olive oil, pine nuts and/or cashews, parmesan and garlic. Good pesto doesn't require much more than this.