Catfish Out of Water

I almost always have quinoa or lentils on hand. Quinoa in the summer because it pairs well with bright, refreshing ingredients and lentils in the winter because it has a more robust, hearty flavor profile. Think citrus and vinegar versus cinnamon and ginger. Although, you can mix and match your own favorite fruits, vegetables, and spices. I'm pretty fond of starting with a bade of sweet potatoes, onions and garlic or shallots, whatever produce that I have on hand, and whatever seasoning goes well with the vague notion of a dish that I have. Hence, the Quinoa w/ Sweet Potato, Spinach, & Garlic and fresh mozzarella pasta concoction that I have today.

Lentils and quinoa are incredibly simple to toss together in a rice cooker. I tend to use them for burritos on the go or nachos when I don't want to cook at night. Maybe a grilled salmon salad or enchiladas, if I'm feeling frisky. I don't always put them in pasta. But that is a fun play on a vegetarian pasta. Adding in lentils and a little bit of cheese gives it more of a casserole-feel without actually having to make a full casserole. It's also incredibly filling and nuttient-rich for those blistery winter days. Which we're not quite into yet. Although that cool winter chill is starting to rear its head. I'm avidly awaiting first frost.

Gallery

Variations of Sweet Potato Pasta

I'm not a stranger to adding all sorts of things to pasta. It's a quick and easy way to utilize leftovers and any anything that you're not quite sure what you're going to do with. This is kind of the casserole approach to tossing anything and everything into a dish together whether it initially sounds like they go together or not. But that is a very Midwestern attitude towards culinary endeavors. Other regions are far more into doing this with soups, stews, and curries.

Bean Dip w/ Fresh Mozzarella, Quinoa, Black Beans, & Corn

Rigatoni w/ Kabocha Squash Lentils & Fresh Mozzarella

Macaroni & Cheese w/ Spinach & Jade Peppers

Pasta w/ Sweet Potato, Spinach, Quinoa, & Fresh Mozzarella

This Sweet Potato Pasta consists of fresh mozzarella and a mix of spinach quinoa with garlic, tamari, rice vinegar, cumin, coriander, cloves, smoked paprika, ginger, salt & pepper.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian, Latin American

Servings 2 servings

Equipment

• Large Pot
• Large Saucepan
• Stovetop

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 lbs. pasta (I used rigatoni, although any pasta of choice will do)
• 1 sweet potato diced
• 3/4 c. spinach chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 c. white quinoa
• 3 c. water
• 1/4 c. tamari (or soy sauce of choice)
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• dash cumin
• dash coriander
• dash cloves
• dash smoked paprika
• dash ginger
• 4 oz. fresh mozzarella (optional, or parmesan)

Instructions

 

Cook Pasta

• Add about 4 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. This typically entails boiling for about 8-12 minutes, or until barely al dente.
• Remove the pasta from the water and set aside.

  DO NOT DRAIN. Keep the reserve pasta water. Just remove the pasta from the water, place in a large sauté pan, and make sure to stir it occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.

Cook Quinoa

• Add all of the produce and spices to a rice cooker.
• Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes.

Cook "Sauce"

• When the quinoa is fully cooked, fluff with a wooden spoon and transfer to a large sauté pan with the pasta.
• Bring to medium-low and begin to slowly stir in fresh mozzarella.

  You want to VERY SLOWLY stir in SMALL CHUNKS of mozzarella. It's not the kind of cheese that I would ordinarily use for pasta because it tends to cook into chunks rather than melting into a sauce. This makes it really good for things like pizza where you're just baking it on top. But not quite so ideal when you want the cheese to dissolve, rather than just melt! So, be very careful here or substitute something like parmesan or gruyère.
• Add in splashes of pasta water as needed. I usually end up mixing in about 1/8-1/4 cup. You can also substitute white wine. The only goal here is to add in moisture and keep the mozzarella from mixing into a big clump of cheese.

  I'm calling this a "sauce," but it's really more of a vegetable medley mix of leftovers. Feel free to mix and match in your own favorite produce and cheese, or whatever you have on hand.
• Serve immediately.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For a more in-depth article and tips and tricks on avocado dip, I have a distinct recipe for Quinoa w/ Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, & Garlic.