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Quinoa Puttanesca with Parmesan Cheese

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 or 4 anchovies
  • 1/2 cup pitted black olives
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
  • 1 large (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • Pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa
  • 6 ounces Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 cups grated)
  • Several sprigs fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and salt it. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Peel 2 cloves garlic; chop them together with 3 or 4 anchovies.
    Pit 1/2 cup olives if necessary and chop them too.
  3. Add the garlic, 3 or 4 anchovies, and 1/2 cup olives to the oil along with 2 tablespoons capers and 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, for a minute.
  4. Add the tomatoes and their juice and sprinkle with pepper. (Wait to add salt until later.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and thicken the sauce, 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Put 1 1/2 cups quinoa in a strainer and rinse under running water for about a minute; shake it to drain well.
  6. When the water boils, add the quinoa. Adjust the heat so it bubbles steadily, and stir occasionally. Start tasting after 7 minutes; you’re looking for the kernels to pop and go from gritty to fluffy.
  7. Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 4 inches from the heat.
  8. Grate 1 1/2 cups Parmesan.
    Strip the leaves from several basil sprigs and chop or tear them.
  9. When the quinoa is tender and rings appear around the outside of the kernels, drain it through a strainer, reserving some cooking water. Add the quinoa to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and a splash of cooking water if you want to make it saucier. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more chile flakes if you like.
  10. Transfer the mixture to a broiler-proof baking dish (or use the skillet if it doesn’t have a wooden or plastic handle). Scatter the remaining Parmesan on top and broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Scatter the basil over the top and let the dish cool for a few minutes to set, then serve.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Quinoa Puttanesca with Ricotta Instead of the mozzarella, use 2 cups whole milk ricotta (one 15-ounce container). You can season it with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg if you like. In Step 7, drop tablespoons of the cheese on top of the quinoa, spread it around a little with the back of the spoon, and broil as directed.

Lemony Farro with Mascarpone Lighter and super-bright tasting. Omit the tomatoes, anchovies, olives, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Grate the zest from a lemon and juice the fruit, removing the seeds. Substitute farro for the quinoa and add the lemon juice to the cooking water; the cooking time should be about the same as for the quinoa for pleasantly chewy not gummy kernels. Instead of the mozzarella, use mascarpone; stir the lemon zest into the cheese. In Step 7, drop tablespoons of the cheese on top of the farro, spread it around a little with the back of the spoon, and broil as directed. Garnish with chives instead of basil if you like.

Zucchini Rice with Parmesan Omit the tomatoes, anchovies, olives, and mozzarella. Use long-grain white rice instead of quinoa; the cooking time will be about the same. Double the amount of Parmesan to 8 ounces (2 cups grated). Trim and grate 1 pound zucchini (2 medium). Instead of making the puttanesca sauce in Steps 2 and 3, cook the zucchini with the garlic in the oil, stirring until it releases water and the pan dries, about 10 minutes. Add half the cheese to the skillet in Step 6 and use what remains to scatter over the rice and zucchini before broiling. Garnish with fresh chopped dill instead of basil.