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Pistachio Quinoa Dukkah Crusted Chicken Fingers with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto.
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So, this is what I call healthy comfort food.
I know spring is supposed to be all about lighter eats and well, less cheese, but come on? Where is the fun in that? Plus, we all know that the month of April has plenty of showers, or in my snow. Ugh.
Yes, it’s still snowing here in the Rockies and yes, I HATE it.
And yes, this is why today you are seeing cheesy, comfort food. BUT this dish is full of all things healthy, so it really is healthy comfort food. And well, as far as the cheese goes, you don’t have to add as much as I did…
But you should. Just sayin.
So let me just tell you about all the things I love about this little bake here.
>>>It’s probably got to be the easiest thing you can make. You literally dirty just one dish and one spoon/fork or whatever you decide to use. You may have to dirty two if you don’t have any leftover quinoa in the fridge, but lately I have been cooking up big batches of grains (ok, I know that quinoa is not technically a grain) on Sunday so I have easy sides for dinners, or as a way to hearty up salads and such for the week. Wow, that sounds so grown up and all.
Man. My brothers are right, I am so old for my age. I need to act a little more “21-ish” sometimes.
>>>Aside from this being insanely easy to make on any given night of the week, it’s also insanely delicious. Like insanely. I basically took the idea of my dad’s Friday night pasta and swapped the pasta for quinoa and added some sun-dried tomato pesto + roasted artichokes. It’s such a good combo of ingredients and definitely one of my favorite dishes. Like I have been making it once a week for the past month.
>>>The colors!! I just love, love, love the pretty vibrant colors (and flavors) going on here. Can you say color freak? YUP.
>>>Though this is ideal for busy weeknights or a day when you want to prep dinner before work and then cook when you get home, I personally love this on a Friday or Saturday night. It’s just something about those peppers and cheese together. For me, that combo will always scream “it’s the weekend, lets relax!”. Kind of odd, but I am learning I am a pretty odd person. And I am OK with that.
>>>It’s a foolproof recipe with a ten minute prep time and about 40 minutes in the oven…which clearly means that the 40 minutes in the oven gives you 40 minutes for a beer (wine, margarita, whatever you drink), talk time with a friend or significant other, or just time to read a trashy magazine and relax…. OK, fine that only happens in a perfect word, but maybe you can drink the wine while vacuuming? Life.
>>>Finally, you can totally adapt this and make it vegan!! Yes, vegan. Just leave out the cheeses all together or swap in some vegan cheese. I can’t say it will be just as good because I love cheese, but it will still be completely awesome. You could even make it into a quinoa salad and just skip baking this all together, toss everything in a bowl and eat warm or cold. Perfect for on the go lunches!!
Also, how pretty are those tomatoes?? I know tomatoes are not in season just yet (well, the heirlooms are!!), but they looked too pretty not to buy, and wow, they actually tasted amazing!!
Have any of you started your summer gardens yet? If so, I ENVY you. I want so badly to have a garden full of veggies and fruits, but where I live, there are only 30 nights a year where the temps do not go below freezing. I know people have gardens up here, but it’s just a lot harder to manage. I am currently trying to convince my dad that we should build a greenhouse…unfortunately I think little Asher has him heavily distracted with this whole “daddy will you please buy me a horse thing”. The girl has the poor guy pretty well wrapped around her sweet little finger. Poor Dad!
Anyway, the point of this rambling is that I really want you guys to make this one-pan spring Tuscan quinoa bake.
And make it soon!!
SO. You all know what you are all making for dinner one night this week, right?
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
K. Cool. Let’s do this!
I made this for dinner and it was amazing! I had some Trader Joes Red Pepper Spread that I used in place of the sun dried pesto and it worked well. I also don’t like olives (I know I know) so I used a little extra artichoke—still delicious! I think this will be made over and over at our place. Thank you.
Am I misreading? 8-12 pepperonis? As in, the sausage you put on pizza? Are they supposed to be sliced?
The rest of the dish sounds amazing, I’m just confused by that one item! It seems out of place and I can’t see it in the pictures.
Hey Jacquelyn,
Sorry to confuse you you! Yes, it is right and yes, just sliced pepperonis like the ones on pizza. They are hiding under all the veggies. Hope you love this!
I would love to make this as a side dish with salmon…any suggestions for a light salmon recipe that would pair well with this?
Ooohh so pretty, I hope it tastes half as good as it looks, these are some real stunning photos. I live in the Rockies too, well Denver lol but I agree the snow has got everyone down this week, making up this dish I think will help bring back the spring joy. Went to the store immediately this morning following the foodie email and got all the missing ingredients. Going to pair this with a kale salad this evening, can’t wait to try it all out. Thanks a ton for posting this little gem.
Wow! Looks amazing! Stunning and delicious photos!
I love everything about this dish and I can’t wait to try it! I just came across it on Pinterest and it led me here to Half Baked Harvest. I’m really looking forward to checking out the rest of your blog, especially if you have more recipes (and gorgeous foodie porn) like this. Thanks for sharing!
This looks perfectly delicious!
Goodness! I need to get some of this in my tummy, asap! 😀
Sorry about the snow :/ At least you have this delicious quinoa to perk you up! Your photos are stunning. Love this recipe so much!
Thanks Connie!
This is my idea of comfort food, I’m love the colors and Tuscan flavors!
Thanks Laura!!
This looks amazing and sounds so simply and doable! Also, that plate in the last photos! I am so in love with it! Where is it from?
Thanks Chelsea!! It’s from TJ Max!
What a wonderful combo of ingredients!!! So colorful!!!! So healthy!!!!
I like your comment that it’s fool proof. I don’t feel like thinking after work. I have an intense job.
I don’t normally talk about ME, but please make note of the slight name change from Wild Goose Tea. New web design—whoopee and adding new features along the way.
This looks insanely delicious! I’ve pinned for future reference and I can’t wait to give it a try!
xo, Liz
http://lipstickandconfetti.com
Thanks Liz!
The plate in that last picture is to-die-for! Love the idea of using quinoa in place of pasta in a baked dish…so good!
Thanks Jessica!!
It can’t look so fantastic, come on! Must be really delicious then, need to pin this right now! 🙂
Thanks Lily!!