Pre-Game Quinoa Penne with Goat Cheese, Tomato and Herbs

Ingredients

We call this pre-game penne because it is packed with the concentrated goodness promised by ovendried or sundried tomatoes and mixed herb pesto di verdure, delivers super grain quinoa carbs, and finishes with lactose-free goat milk cheese and monounsaturated olive oil. It's hearty and filling but doesn't slow you down.  The best part - most of the work happens months before game day (when you load the freezer up with ovendried tomatoes and herb pesto), which means hungry teenagers can prepare it themselves in under 15 minutes, without destroying the kitchen.

• 2 - 454gr (1lb) boxes organic quinoa or kamut penne pasta
• 245 gr (80z) frozen mixed herb pesto, or jarred pesto.
• 500 gr (16 oz) frozen ovendried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil, or jarred sundried tomatoes. We use 8 oz each dried red cascades and yellow sungolds.
• 245 gr (80z) log goat cheese (chevre)
• sea salt
• olive oil for drizzling (we prefer Domenic Fiore)
• dried crushed chilis (optional)

Methodology

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Salt the water so that it tastes of the sea.
Remove containers from freezer. Turn tomatoes out onto cutting board and slice while frozen, into thick ribbons.

Put the sliced tomatoes into a wide, shallow bowl to thaw completely, or put in the microwave on high for 1.5 minutes. Transfer the pesto to a glass bowl and defrost in the microwave for 1 minute.  Set aside.  If using jarred tomatoes and pesto, simply slice tomatoes and use pesto as-is.

Remove the goat cheese log from the refrigerator and slice thinly crosswise.  Set aside.

Add pasta to boiling water, stir and return to boil until cooked al dente.

Drain pasta, stir in pesto - thinned with olive oil if needed. Fold tomatoes in gradually. Top with goat cheese slices, drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt and crushed chilis.

Serve hot as the goat cheese melts lusciously into the pasta. Perfect with a crispy green salad.

Submitted by:

C@H Kitchen