Dinner Ideas Real Food Tips

Parmesan Baked Veggie Quinoa

April 4, 2015

Parmesan Baked Veggie Quinoa // Raising Generation NourishedAlright! 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.

Parmesan Baked Veggie Quinoa // Raising Generation NourishedI 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!

Parmesan Baked Veggie Quinoa // Raising Generation NourishedAnd 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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Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Parmesan Baked Veggie Quinoa

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!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked veggie quinoa, cheesy baked quinoa, quinoa lasagna
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

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!

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44 Comments

  • Reply Jessica April 5, 2015 at 11:36 am

    Oh yum. We love casseroles and quinoa. This is perfect. You are also speaking my love language of parm….mmmm….

    • Reply Renee Kohley April 5, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      Hehe! Awesome – I think the boys will like it too!

  • Reply Emily @ Recipes to Nourish April 6, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    What a neat idea! I love all of that parmesan cheese.

  • Reply Meagan @ Growing Up Herbal April 8, 2015 at 8:49 am

    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!

  • Reply Doris April 21, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    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.

    • Reply Renee Kohley April 22, 2015 at 8:12 pm

      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!

  • Reply 6 School Lunch Ideas *Besides* Peanut Butter & Jelly! - Raising Generation Nourished April 26, 2015 at 10:32 am

    […] Don’t forget dinner leftovers! This was parmesan baked quinoa. A lot of evenings I pack up dinner leftovers right as I’m cleaning up from dinner. It takes no […]

  • Reply Patricia Liu May 4, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    How long do you soak the Quinoa prior to cooking?

    • Reply Renee Kohley May 5, 2015 at 12:58 pm

      Hi Patricia! Per Nourishing Traditions 7 hours is sufficient! I go anywhere from 7-12 hours.

  • Reply Andrea September 18, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    This looks amazing!!! How many servings in this recipe?

    • Reply Renee Kohley September 19, 2015 at 2:04 pm

      Hi Andrea! This serves my family of 5 (3 small children 2 adults) for 2 dinners 🙂

  • Reply Sarah October 11, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    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.

    • Reply Renee Kohley October 11, 2015 at 12:47 pm

      Great Sarah! Thanks for coming back to let us know!

  • Reply Katie May 17, 2016 at 10:24 am

    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.

  • Reply Katie May 17, 2016 at 10:25 am

    This was suppose to be in response to Doris’ comment above. Oops!

  • Reply Maxne August 30, 2016 at 8:59 pm

    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

  • Reply Jennifer Taylor September 20, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    5 stars
    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

    • Reply Renee Kohley September 22, 2016 at 7:25 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jennifer!

  • Reply Caitlin October 24, 2016 at 5:26 pm

    Hello! Is there any way to make this using a Crockpot? Thanks.

    • Reply Renee Kohley October 24, 2016 at 7:54 pm

      Hi Caitlin! I have not tried that – not sure how that would work! Let us know if you try it out!

  • Reply Alyssa January 2, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    5 stars
    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!

  • Reply Sunflower March 26, 2017 at 5:30 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    • Reply Renee Kohley March 27, 2017 at 10:28 am

      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!

  • Reply terry stenson November 25, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    • Reply Renee Kohley November 30, 2017 at 7:26 pm

      That’s great Terry! The roasted tomatoes sounds amazing!!

  • Reply Taylor Daniel January 22, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    Do you know the nutrient facts on this?

    • Reply Renee Kohley January 25, 2018 at 2:36 pm

      Hi Taylor! I do not – you can easily Google a nutrition facts calculator and plug the ingredients in to find out 🙂

  • Reply Susannah January 9, 2019 at 10:55 am

    5 stars
    Ooh, I never thought of using quinoa in a casserole — great idea! Adding to my meatless meals collection!

  • Reply Ang February 7, 2019 at 5:14 pm

    any guess for the nutrition overall cals?

    • Reply Renee Kohley February 11, 2019 at 10:45 am

      You could use a Google calorie calculator – I’m not sure!

  • Reply Natalie January 2, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    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.

    • Reply Renee Kohley January 8, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      Such yummy swaps! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  • Reply Gina January 13, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    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?

    • Reply Renee Kohley January 18, 2021 at 2:44 pm

      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!

    • Reply Renee Kohley January 18, 2021 at 2:46 pm

      Gina, can you tell me where you are seeing the beans? I am not seeing it and would like to fix it!

  • Reply Gina January 22, 2021 at 6:03 pm

    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.

  • Reply Jeannine December 7, 2021 at 11:04 pm

    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!

    • Reply Renee Kohley December 19, 2021 at 11:16 am

      That sounds incredible! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  • Reply Vicky January 29, 2023 at 12:08 am

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it is delicious! Thank you for sharing.

    • Reply Renee Kohley January 29, 2023 at 11:54 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Vicky!

  • Reply Julyn March 19, 2023 at 11:46 am

    Is ok to prep this a day before?

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