I discovered pasta puttanesca years ago when I was too lazy to go out to the shop and I had few ingredients in the fridge. Quick google search and pasta puttanesca appeared (btw google is life saver when you don’t know what to cook!). My eating habits changed a little since then and I often substitute pasta with quinoa or rice. This combination was first introduced to me by Sophie’s Nutrition Bootcamp and it really works great!
Quinoa puttanesca bowl
This is so fast that you will not think of ordering a takeaway!
Ingredients
- 0.5 cup quinoa rinsed
- 0.75 cup boiling water
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp chilli flakes or less if you prefer less spicy
- 2 tsp small capers
- 3-4 anchovies in oil chopped
- 1 tin of plum tomatoes
- 1 handful of black olives
- basil
- parmesan
Instructions
-
Rinse quinoa in cold water. Put in the pan, cover with boiling water and season with salt and turmeric. Simmer (covered) for about 10min or until the water is absorbed. Take off the heat and let it stand covered for another 10 min. This will result in perfectly fluffy quinoa.
-
Meanwhile, finely chop anchovies and add to frying pan (on medium heat). Make sure to use a little oil from anchovies as it is full of umami flavours. Add garlic and chilli flakes and fry gently for about a minute. Make sure not to burn the garlic. Now add the capers and tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 min on low heat.
-
To finish the sauce, add olives and basil. Serve quinoa and sauce in a bowl, grate some parmesan on top and tear some more fresh basil.
Recipe Notes
Quinoa is a great source of complete protein which is good news if you are on a plant based diet.
Hope you enjoy it! Let me know where do you use quinoa?