At this point in my blogging “career,” I think that it would come as no surprise to anyway who frequents my blog that I have a love for quinoa, peas, vegetarian “bacon,” and Laughing Cow cheese wedges. So, naturally, as my mind was wandering and thinking of new recipe ideas I thought, “why not combine some of my favorite ingredients into one warm and hearty dish?” The result?
Cheesy Quinoa ‘N Peas with “Bacon”
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 tsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable soup base
vegetable broth, for cooking
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 Laughing Cow or Weight Watchers cheese wedges (I used the garlic and herb flavor)
3/4 cup unsweetened original almond or soy milk
2/3 cup frozen green peas
black pepper, to taste
2 slices vegetarian “bacon” (I used MorningStar Farms brand) or tempeh “bacon”, cooked and cut into crumbles
Directions
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Add 1 tsp of the vegetable soup base to the quinoa and water before cooking to add extra flavor.
2. Line a large skillet with a thin layer of vegetable broth. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Once hot, lower heat to medium and add onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until the onions and peppers begin to soften.
3. Add cheese wedges and milk to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low and heat, stirring often, until the cheese melts and the sauce begins to thicken. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
4. Add frozen peas and cook an additional 5 minutes, continuing to stir frequently. Season with black pepper.
5. Add cooked quinoa to the pan and cook an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your likeness.
6. Stir in crumbled “bacon” and serve.
This definitely makes for a very complete meal. It is protein-rich from the quinoa, cheese, and peas, it incorporates vegetables, and most importantly..it tastes amazing!
I served my Cheesy Quinoa ‘N Peas with “Bacon” with a side of roasted broccoli.
If you have never cooked with Laughing Cow or Weight Watchers cheese wedges, you really, REALLY need to! They make for one amazingly delicious cheesy sauce and each wedge only contains about 40-45 calories, so the sauce is virtually guilt-free :). These cheese wedges are beyond versatile and are not just for snacking. It is time to get with it and start using them for cooking!
If you are not a fan of peas you could certainly add in different vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, or corn), and if you are a meat-eater, feel free to use lean turkey bacon. Though I must say, the vegetarian “bacon” is quite tasty! 😉
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Aren’t those cheese wedges fabulous?! We always keep some on hand–they work in a million different dishes. This one looks especially tasty!
I am pretty sure that they are one of the most versatile ingredients that I keep in my kitchen!
Yum! I am definitely trying this recipe this week! I’ve never thought to cook with Laughing Cow wedges… great idea 🙂
I hope you love it. Please let me know what you think!
who cant be a fan of peas!? 😉 i loveee tempeh bacon, i need to get it more often!
Peas are seriously the best!! 🙂
This dish screams comfort food to me – major yum! I’m a big fan of ricey dishes with peas 🙂
It is very much a comfort food-type dish. It reminded me a bit of the feeling that I get when I eat mac & cheese :).
That looks so good!! I love quinoa too. 🙂 Plant based protein at it’s finest…and it’s so tasty!
Quinoa is AMAZING!
Mmmmmm yummo!
You’ve got that right! 🙂
I love the weight watchers cheese wedges for snacking with crackers. They taste so good and I don’t have to feel guilty about it either. Plus when I have friends over, I just put out those wedges along with fruit and crackers, and appetizers are done!
They are the best! I love your idea of using them when making up a quick appetizer tray. That sounds SO easy.
Yum!! I would make this without the onions and peppers (cant stand them)..I will definitely try soon! have you ever tried peas n cheese?? My dad would make it for me when I was little, you just take a slice of cheese (he always used american) and a little bit of milk, add it to the peas and microwave it together. OMG its sooo good
Let me know what you think!
I have never tried peas and cheese (only broccoli and cheese), but I am quite certain that it HAS to be delicious. I will definitely be keeping that idea in mind! Thanks :).
This looks so healthy and delicious! I can’t wait to try this 🙂
I hope you enjoy it :).
sounds soo yummy!! love this flavor combo pretty :]
Thank you! I hope you give it a try!
Yayy I’ve been waiting for this one:) Looks amazing!
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I love the idea of combining favorite flavors and ingredients for a delicious dish! Yum!
This one definitely turned out really good!
I would love to try vegetarian bacon! Turkey bacon is one of the foods I miss in being a vegetarian!
It is quite tasty! You should definitely give it a try :).
This sounds so good! It sounds like it would e like a risotto. I love risotto but it’s too intimidating for me to make at home, this sounds like it might be easier.
The idea of making risotto intimidates me, too! This dish, however, is VERY easy to make!
i fell in love with laughing cow cheese when i was studying abroad in cameroon…for a good 3 months, it was my lunch everyday–smeared on a baguette with avocado slices. so good! but i’ve never cooked with it. sound amazing!
You really MUST cook with it. It is awesome!
I love all of the ingredients in this recipe! I eat quinoa and Laughing Cow cheese almost daily and my husband thinks my obsession over frozen peas is strange 😉
Frozen peas are seriously THE best!! I am glad that I am not the only “weird” one who loves them.
Perfect timing, I bought some laughing cow cheese wedges last week for a recipe and I need to use the rest up (I never snack on them, something about them screams “Make me a cheese sauce!”)
Morningstar Farms bacon is my favorite. Something about veggie bacon is so delicious but the smell of real bacon makes me wanna vom.
Do you have button to Pin recipes? That’s how I keep track of recipes I want to nom on, but can’t seem to find one.
I do not. Would I have to have a Pinterest account in order to have it on my blog?
Veggie bacon is awesome..seriously!
You are so creative – I love it! Quinoa is awesome 🙂
Quinoa is definitely awesome. Please let me know if you try the recipe :).
I’m loving the idea of cheesy quinoa! Yum! I’ll have to try this but replace the cheese with nutritional yeast since I can’t have cheese. Not quite the same, but I bet it’s still delicious!
Quinoa is one of my new favorite plant proteins!
I hope you love it! Nutritional yeast is amazing, right?!? 🙂
I NEVER thought to combine quinoa and Laughing Cow cheeses for a faux “mac and cheese.” HOW SMART!!
You really MUST try it!! 🙂
Such a great high protein dish!
Very high in protein, which I love!
Such a yummy sounding dish! I love those cheese wedges, but I’ve never thought of cooking with them like this. Definitely something I need to try.
The cheese wedges are SO versatile. You really need to try cooking with them!
Oh yum! Cheesy quinoa with bacon! I would be all over this..the laughing cow cheeses are really good too!
Aren’t they? I absolutely love them! 🙂
I love that combo creation! Sounds delicious!
Thank you! It is great :).
a cauliflower crust looks soooo good! love the combo!