Baked Caprese Quinoa

I am slightly obsessed with tomatoes, basil & fresh mozzarella, it's my favorite summer food combination. I still have an ample supply of tomatoes in my garden but with summer coming to an end, soon they will be gone, so I put together another Caprese recipe while I still had the chance. This one is perfect for the cooler weather, yet still has the taste of summer. I hope you enjoy!

this recipe uses some of my favorite ingredients

 I like to cook my quinoa in chicken broth and this time I added a little Italian Seasoning to the mix. While the quinoa is cooking, roast your halved cherry tomatoes in the oven.

While the quinoa and cherry tomatoes are cooking, slice up some fresh mozzarella and roma tomatoes. This recipe was only tested with fresh mozzarella which I highly recommend.

sliced tomatoes & fresh mozzarella

Once the quinoa and cherry tomatoes are done combine them in a shallow baking dish and stir in the Parmesan and spices.

mix in a little Parmesan, garlic powder & basil 

Smooth down the top and layer the tomatoes & mozzarella, overlapping each other.

layer the cheese & tomatoes

While the dish was baking I made some balsamic reduction by simply slowly boiling down some balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until it turned thick & was reduced in half.

topped with fresh basil leaves & drizzled with a little balsamic reduction

Once finished baking, top with some fresh basil leaves and optional balsamic reduction.

Baked Caprese Quinoa Recipe

Ingredients:

1 C uncooked quinoa
2 C water or chicken broth
1 t Italian Seasoning
15 - 20 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 T Olive Oil
Fresh Salt & Pepper
2 - 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
1/2 C shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 t Garlic Powder
1 t Dried Basil
Fresh Basil Leaves for topping
Optional Balsamic Reduction

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine quinoa and broth or water and cook according to package directions.
• Drizzle halved cherry tomatoes with 1/2 T olive oil and salt/pepper, roast at 400 for 10-15 minutes.
• Transfer cooked quinoa to and roasted cherry tomatoes to baking dish and stir in Parmesan, garlic powder & basil. Pat down to smooth out the top.
• Layer sliced roma tomatoes and mozzarella, slightly overlapping each other on top of the quinoa mixture.
• Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.
• Top with fresh basil leaves and optional balsamic reduction drizzle before serving.