Pesto and quinoa make an elegant side dish that pairs beautifully with a variety of different main dishes to create meals everyone will love. All you need are a handful of fresh, wholesome ingredients to make the a simple pesto quinoa with roasted tomatoes that's packed with so much flavor and sure to elevate any meal.
Wash tomatoes and remove any stems. Slice in half horizontally. Place cut-side-up in a larger casserole dish. It is ok if they overlap a bit. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Nestle 4 garlic cloves in one corner of the pan. (You’ll need to fish these out early.)
Place the dish in the oven to roast. Remove the garlic with a small spoon after about 20 minutes, but continue roasting the tomatoes for a total of 35 minutes, or until softened with a little bit of dark coloring on top.
Meanwhile, rinse and drain the quinoa. Heat a medium-sized pot (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the drained quinoa to the dry skillet and toast for about 2-3 minutes. This adds a nutty flavor and removes some of the bitterness.
Add the water or broth (1 ¾ cup), and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, covered. Remove from heat and rest for 5-10 minutes (with the lid on).
In another small skillet, toast the walnuts for about 2-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. DO NOT WALK AWAY (or they will burn!). (Alternatively, you can toss them in the oven on a separate pan from the tomatoes and roast for 3-6 minutes.) Once cool, roughly chop the walnuts.
In a large bowl, place the roasted garlic cloves (remove their peels first), and mash well with a fork. Add the quinoa and stir well to combine. Stir in about half the walnuts, half the grated Parmesan, and 3-4 Tablespoons of pesto.
When the tomatoes are ready, carefully remove them from the dish and place them atop the pesto quinoa, drizzling a bit of the tomato liquid on them as well. Top the dish with the remaining walnuts, Parmesan, and optionally, a little more pesto, and serve.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Notes
This is a simple but elegant side dish that pairs beautifully with crispy stovetop chicken thighs, grilled meats, and more.Freshly grated parmesan is, of course, delicious, but sometimes pre-shaved parmesan is cheaper. If that’s what you have, blitz the shaved parmesan in your food processor first before mixing it into the quinoa, or just use it as a garnish instead of a mix-in.I never throw away the tomato juice! You can mix it with the quinoa, or reserve it to use in sauces, soups, stews, or to flavor beans and grains.