Savory Pumpkin Quinoa

I had some pumpkin left over from another recipe and I wanted to come up with something fun but I didn’t have a lot of time for dinner. When time is tight, I turn to quinoa, it’s a quick meal that I can through all the ingredients into a pan, mix and serve.

A few years back I had pumpkin ravioli that was served in a butter sage sauce with chard on the side. Since then that flavor combination has been a favorite but I don’t always have the time to make ravioli. This recipe brought me back to that ravioli but I didn’t have the guilt afterwards since it wasn’t doused in delicious butter sauce!

Savory Pumpkin Quinoa

Serves 4

3/4 c quinoa

1 1/2 c vegetable stock

1/2 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 T white wine

5 stems rainbow chard, julienned and with stems diced (use spinach if you don’t have chard)

3/4 c pumpkin puree

2 T sage … use 1 T if using dried

1 t salt

3/4 t pepper

3 oz aged white cheddar or asiago

1/2 c pinenuts

Garnish of shredded parmesan cheese

Cook quinoa in vegetable stock.

Sauté onions and garlic in a little olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook until there is no more liquid in the pan. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add in rainbow chard and cook for 2-3 mintutes or until nicely wilted. Add in remaining ingredients as well as the cooked quinoa.

Serve when still hot and garnish with shredded parmesan.