Baked Caprese Quinoa

 
Yeah, the name could use a little work. But it doesn't really matter because this is a very delicious and very simple recipe. It's a lot like baked ziti, except that it uses quinoa instead of pasta. And jarred sauce. I never bought jarred sauce until recently, and man it saves you a ton of work!

Some notes:
I cooked the quinoa earlier in the day and just set it aside to make dinnertime easier. While it was simmering, I also cooked up the sausage in a skillet. The same skillet I baked the dinner in, actually, though I did wipe out the grease first.

I used shredded mozzarella, but next time I'll cube it instead. The shreds were lost inside the casserole, and you didn't notice the cheese unless you got bites of the mozzarella that was melted and browned on top.

This dish could very easily turn vegetarian if you just leave out the sausage.

This made about eight servings and one very happy husband!

Baked Caprese Quinoa

2 cups quinoa (cook with 4 cups water and set aside until ready to bake)
1lb Italian sausage, chopped up or crumbled
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small bunch of basil, chopped
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1/3 cup cream
2 tablespoons tomato paste
12-16oz mozzarella cheese, cubed and divided
1 small package of goat cheese (3oz or so?)
pepper/red pepper if desired (no salt necessary)

Cook the quinoa and set aside.
Cook the sausage, degrease, and set aside.
Set the oven to 350.
In a casserole dish or large skillet with high sides, mix the sausage, quinoa, tomatoes, basil, and goat cheese, and half the mozzarella.
In a bowl or large measuring up, mix the tomato sauce, cream, tomato paste, and pepper, if using. Pour the tomato mixture over the quinoa/sausage and stir well. Top with remaining mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes or so, until hot and bubbly. Then turn on the broiler for 3 minutes and brown the top. Enjoy!