We eat a lot of pasta at my house ranging from beef to sausage to plain old veggie. I had some leftover quinoa from a quinoa breakfast attempt this morning and had it calling my name from the fridge, so i put together this basic veggie sauce. I figured I might as well use up the quinoa andhad a hunch that it might work ok in pasta sauce so i threw it right in. Somewhat surprisingly, it added a really neat texture and thickness to the sauce. Quinoa might just be my new favourite addition.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 green onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 cups penne

Cooking Directions

1. Add the diced garlic, onion and carrot to a heated frying pan (with a dollop of oil in it). Put a lid on it and let saute for a few minutes to soften the carrot. Add the remaining veggies and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the canned tomato and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.When the sauce is just about finished, add the cooked quinoa (from the basic quinoa recipe).
2. In the meantime, add a pinch of salt to a pot of cold water. Add the penne and bring to a boil. When the noodles are just slightly under cooked (el dante), add them to the sauce. Here they will finish cooking and come out beautifully.