Alright! Who’s ready for something different to change up the dinner routine?!
I know about this time of year I am running low on my pastured meat supply until chickens are more available around May, so I rely on quinoa as a dinner protein source a little more often.
I am actually not a huge fan of the taste of quinoa…but when you dress it up right – it is really good!
Just about anything will taste great with parm and a little seasoning done right! Even if you have a household hesitant about quinoa, this is a great one to give a try. My very meat loving husband even likes it! It is very Italian in flavor – almost lasagna like!
And don’t forget about the kiddos! My 5 and 3 year olds just adore it – and my 19 month old has been devouring it! Cut up squares of leftovers and use them in the lunchboxes or freeze squares for quick, pull out dinners to warm up!
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Parmesan Baked Veggie Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 ½ - 3 cups cooked quinoa
About 1 ½ cups uncooked. The linked bag is the one I pick up at Costco – this is a good price too! I soak my quinoa before cooking according to Nourishing Traditions recommendations. - 2 TB friendly fat to cook in butter, coconut oil, tallow, lard
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium zucchini chopped (green pepper works well too if that is what you have)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes you can leave it out if you don’t want the kick!
- 2 TB Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ lb fresh spinach a couple large handfuls
- 15 oz can organic diced tomatoes drained (I get mine at Costco which is the same brand as what I linked here!)
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese shredded or grated
- Shredded Parmesan to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Saute onion and zucchini in the friendly fat for about 7 minutes with a pinch of salt to bring out the juices and sweeten.
- Add the garlic and seasonings and cook a couple more minutes, then dump into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the cooked quinoa, fresh spinach, tomato, eggs, and cheese to the mixing bowl with the sauteed veggies and combine everything together.
- Pour the quinoa mixture into a buttered 9x13 baking dish and spread it out.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the top, and then bake another 20 or so minutes, until the edges are nice and brown and the cheese on the top is melted and golden.
Ok so keep me posted when you give it a go!
For more dinner ideas you can follow my Dinner Ideas board on Pintrest!
Oh yum. We love casseroles and quinoa. This is perfect. You are also speaking my love language of parm….mmmm….
Hehe! Awesome – I think the boys will like it too!
What a neat idea! I love all of that parmesan cheese.
I’m a big fan of eating with the seasons, and something about spring makes me wanna cut back on the meat and eat fresher foods. Quinoa is one of my favorites so this is definitely on my list of things to make. I bet you could even eat this for breakfast, right? I need more quick fix, healthy breakfast foods! Thanks Renee!
Dr. Weil does not recommend soaking the Quinoa. Here’s what he said:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03187/How-to-Cook-Quinoa.html
“While it’s best to rinse all grains before cooking, pre-washing is especially advisable for quinoa in order to remove the bitter saponin coating on its outer hull that sometimes remains after processing. To do so, simply run cold water over quinoa in fine-meshed strainer, rubbing the seeds with your fingers. (Avoid soaking quinoa, however, as saponins can leach into the seeds.) After rinsing, place quinoa and water in a covered pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the grains become translucent and the germ appears as a thin white ring around each grain. Fluff with a fork.”
So now I just run cold water over them and rinse them really well.
Hi Doris. The soaking is a method traditional peoples would have used to make the grain more digestable. Rinsing is fine to help with the saponin but it doesn’t help the grain break down so it digests well in the gut. This method is from the Nourishing Traditions book and is meant to break down the phytic acid in the grain so that it is easier on the gut, and also so it makes the nutrients in the grain more available to digest. I hope that helps!
How long do you soak the Quinoa prior to cooking?
Hi Patricia! Per Nourishing Traditions 7 hours is sufficient! I go anywhere from 7-12 hours.
This looks amazing!!! How many servings in this recipe?
Hi Andrea! This serves my family of 5 (3 small children 2 adults) for 2 dinners 🙂
I made this for dinner last night, delicious!! For lunch I cut a square and poured some homemade bone broth over it and warmed it up. Quick and easy soup, it was so good. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Great Sarah! Thanks for coming back to let us know!
If you are concerned about the saponins absorbing into the quinoa you could do the thorough rinse as Dr. Weil suggests and then soak. That’s what I do anyway.
This was suppose to be in response to Doris’ comment above. Oops!
Can you tell me the ingredients of your Italian Seasoning please.. I guess this is a brand that I don{t have where I live! Thanks
Hi Maxne! Here is what we get – I’m sure you could look at the ingredients and blend your own! http://amzn.to/2ccmitY
I am so happy that I found your recipe online. I made this last night, followed the recipe and absolutely loved it!
Thank you for sharing! <3
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jennifer!
Hello! Is there any way to make this using a Crockpot? Thanks.
Hi Caitlin! I have not tried that – not sure how that would work! Let us know if you try it out!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! So much flavor! I only had a cup of parm, so I added a half cup of cheddar. And subbed green beans and mushrooms for the spinach. I will definitely be making it again!
That’s great Alyssa!
Made this for dinner tonight – omigosh, absolutely delicious! It smelled so good while it was cooking, my mouth was watering! I have leftovers in the fridge for dinner tomorrow and lunches, but can I freeze it? It is one of those dishes I would love to have on hand – out of the freezer into the oven. This one is a keeper!
I have never tried freezing it! I’m wondering if it would make it soggy? You could try freezing a little bit and see what it does!
Made this tonight and I must tell you this dish is awesome! I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes b/c that’s what I had. This dish will definitely be in my rotation. I was thinking next time I might use this cheese blend I get at sam’s club. It’s asiago, parm and romano. Thank-you for the wonderful recipes!
That’s great Terry! The roasted tomatoes sounds amazing!!
Do you know the nutrient facts on this?
Hi Taylor! I do not – you can easily Google a nutrition facts calculator and plug the ingredients in to find out 🙂
Ooh, I never thought of using quinoa in a casserole — great idea! Adding to my meatless meals collection!
any guess for the nutrition overall cals?
You could use a Google calorie calculator – I’m not sure!
We made this for dinner tonight. Used mustard greens and cherry tomatoes from our garden, and goats cheese instead of Parm. So good! Will definitely be in regular rotation here.
Such yummy swaps! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this a few times and it is delicious! I noticed in the description it mentions the dish contains beans, however, I didn’t see any listed in the recipe. Was something omitted or can you share suggestions on what could be added?
Hi Gina! Good catch! No, this does not have beans – this is an older recipe and about 2 years ago my recipe card app changed and there were a couple of odd translations that happened in the process! Thank you!
Gina, can you tell me where you are seeing the beans? I am not seeing it and would like to fix it!
Thank you for replying. Your recipe was included as part of another Pinterest post that had 39 recipes. On that page it mentioned beans and mushrooms. I tried pasting a screenshot but looks like I can’t do that, at least not on the mobile app.
Made this tonight and it was yummy!! Totally changed my opinion about quinoa. I froze some squares – I was thinking it would also make a good breakfast addition as a leftover – I could put an over easy egg over the top
Instead of toast!
That sounds incredible! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I made this tonight and it is delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Vicky!
Is ok to prep this a day before?
I think that would work fine!
This dish is very good and pretty easy to make. I do recommend a very large bowl for the mixing of the ingredients. Also, I put it in a 9×13 pan and feel like it was plenty done in less time than listed.
This was a crowd pleaser and my kids gobbled it up! We will definitely be adding this to our rotation. Yum!
So glad to hear Donna! Thanks for sharing!
Hi
Would this work with plain cheese? Also any suggestions for a df version? Ie nutritional yeast? Thank you
Hi Kim! Yes, a dairy free cheese would work best! I think you could use some nutritional yeast, but it might effect the texture.