This Herb Infused Sun-Dried Tomato Quinoa is the perfect side dish to go with most chicken, pork or meat dishes. We love to serve it with our Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Mushroom Gravy. The pungent kick from the sun-dried tomatoes and feta compliment the quinoa with arugula perfectly. This dish looks gourmet, but truly anyone can make it! It impresses easily, but you won’t believe how simple it is.
The key to making this sun-dried tomato quinoa dish is to have a delicious, good quality olive oil to drizzle on the quinoa. I love Redstone Olive Oil Co. and they have a delicious olive oil called Tuscan Herb (pictured below). It is infused with delicious herbs that give it deep flavor. They have a store in Farmington Station near me, but they also ship anywhere, so check out their website at www.redstoneoliveoil.com. They were so generous to donate many oils & vinegars to us when we catered a dinner in Park City for Beddy’s Spark event. It was a total blast to learn more about the quality of their oils and to be able to rub shoulders with the wonderful gals at Beddy’s and everyone they invited to their coveted Spark Event. We served this quinoa recipe along with our Shaved Brussel Sprouts with Craisins, Pistachio’s and Parmesan Cheese, as well as our Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Mushroom Gravy.
Herb Infused Sun-Dried Tomato Quinoa
This sun-dried tomato quinoa dish is the perfect compliment to most meat dishes. The pungent flavors of the sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese with the herb infused quinoa is divine! If you don’t want to make your own herb infused oil, we recommend using Redstone Tuscan Herb olive oil. It’s so delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 c. dry quinoa
- 2 c. chicken broth (I prefer making mine with Orrington Farms Chicken Broth Powder)
- 1/4 – 1/3 c. Tuscan Herb Olive Oil (We love Redstone Co., but you can make your own as well – you can also use other flavors. A basil olive oil would work well with this recipe too)
- 1 small onion, petite dice (about 1/2 c.)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes (dry or packed in olive oil)
- 1-2 c. arugula, chopped
- 1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 – 1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in chicken broth. Bring broth to a boil in small pot. Add quinoa, turn down heat to low and cover. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside. You can make the quinoa ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to use (keeps well up to almost a week).
- In a large saute pan, heat 2 Tbls. Tuscan or herb flavored olive oil over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add the onion and cook for at least 3-5 minutes. You can cook them longer if you want them to caramelize. Then add the fresh chopped garlic and let it cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Next, add the sun-dried tomatoes and arugula. Stir for another minute or two until the arugula starts to wilt and get smaller.
- Add the quinoa to the pan and continually stir it around until it starts to get coated with the oil. Drizzle up to 1/4 c. more on the quinoa as it’s warming until the desired flavor is achieved. Test it every once in a while. You don’t want too much oil but you really want to be able to taste the herbed oil.
- Once the quinoa is warmed through, remove from heat & toss with feta cheese.
- Pour warmed quinoa dish into a bowl. Before serving, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and extra feta cheese. You can also put some fresh arugula and sun dried tomatoes on top for garnish. It’s a beautiful dish. Enjoy!!
Notes
- You can make your own herb infused oil by putting fresh herbs in a good olive oil and let them infuse over time. The longer they sit, the stronger the flavor will be. Just remove them when the flavor seems right.
- If you don’t want to make your own, I would recommend buying the Tuscan Herb or the Basil Olive Oil from Redstone Olive Oil Co. (This is a link to their website. They are local here in Utah and they import nothing but the best in olive oil. Olive oil is such a healthy fat and is high in polyphenols, so don’t be afraid of it! It’s good for you! )
- Make your quinoa ahead of time. Then when it’s almost time to serve, you can throw this dish together quickly. It also stays good just on low heat on the stove or in the oven on warm if you need to make it ahead of time. If you keep it on the stove just make sure to toss it every once in a while.
