When I decided to cook a dish with quinoa for the first time, I purchased a bag of it at my local warehouse club. As you would expect, I had a bit of it left. Well….I had a lot of it left. So the other day I went on a hunt to find a recipe to use some of it up.
As an unabashed carnivore (I’ve never heard anyone just be abashed, but I looked it up and you can be), I do not shy away from regularly eating meat. However, I have been trying to put a meatless dish on the menu every week. This is more from a variety of tastes and dishes than any other reason, but it also gives me more recipes for my vegetarian readers!
This was very good. It was the kind of dish that when you first taste it, it is generally just OK. But then you find that you have eaten your portion and are grabbing the spoon to get more. It gets better with each bite. I think it would be a great side dish for a large group as well.
I did some prep ahead of the picture as I was at a crunch for time when I started my cooking.
Mixing up the egg and cheese.
The quinoa mixture is ready to go.
Spread in the casserole dish.
I had some Roma and grape tomatoes, so I used those in place of slices from a big guy. I think I ended up with a bit more flavor that way.
I shredded the cheese instead of grating it. My bad for misreading the recipe, but it worked.
It was probably in the oven for 30 more seconds than needed, but I like the brown bits better anyway.
Quinoa Broccoli Casserole
Makes: serves 6-8 generous portions
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed well
- 4 cups veggie stock, no-sodium
- 5 cups broccoli, chopped
- 3 cups spinach, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
- 1.5 cups chickpeas, rinsed
- 1 large egg
- 1, 8oz block of sharp cheddar or pepperjack cheese, grated
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4c flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes [opt]
- 1/2 – 1 tsp salt [adjust if using stock with sodium]
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- **Breadcrumb Topping**
- 4 slices of gluten free bread or 2 slices non-gf bread, ground
- 1/2 cup grated cheese [from the 8oz block above]
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- black pepper
Directions:
Prep all vegetables and then preheat your oven to 400* F.
Rinse + drain the quinoa and add to large pot over medium heat, then pour in the veggie stock and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, stir 1-2 times, cover with a lid and let cook 15-20min until the liquid is absorbed. Turn the heat off and keep covered for 10min then fluff with a fork. Do not stir or uncover while it’s cooking.
While the quinoa is cooking, toss 2 Tbsp of oil with the broccoli, chickpeas, onion, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and black pepper on a large baking sheet.
Roast for about 25min until just starting to brown. Stir once halfway through.
In a large bowl mix together the roasted veggie mixture, fluffed quinoa, spinach, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes [if using], 1/2t salt [if using no-sodium stock] and black pepper.
In a small bowl whisk the egg and mix in the grated cheese, reserving 1/2 cup of the cheese for the breadcrumb topping. *Grating cheese fresh is worth your time!
Mix the cheese + egg mixture with the quinoa mixture and spread in a 9×13 baking dish, then lightly pat down and top with a single layer of sliced tomatoes.
Bake uncovered for 25-30min, until the top is starting to brown and tomatoes are just wilting.
For the breadcrumb topping, make sure your GF bread is fully thawed. If it’s frozen, toast lightly to defrost. Grind into crumbs in a food processor, blender, etc. then mix with all remaining topping ingredients in a bowl.
Set your oven to broil with a rack in the top position, sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top of the casserole, and broil for 2-4 minutes [watching closely!] until golden brown.
Remove and serve.
Source: http://www.edibleperspective.com/home/2012/5/23/quinoa-broccoli-casserole.html
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Love quinoa, broccoli not so much, but this looks great for the season!
LikeLike
Wow! This really does sound good and I usually have most of this on hand all the time. I’m going to try it out soon.
LikeLike
Always looking for quinoa recipes as it is an ingredient I want to explore.
LikeLike
Abashed I shall not be 🙂
This looks really good; I have some vegetarian friends coming over soon and I think I will give this recipe a go!
LikeLike
I love quinoa as is, but add cheese? I’m definitely sold. Great recipe!
LikeLike
Fantastic!
Google Jillian Michael’s Quinoa Crunch recipe if you are looking to use up leftover (uncooked). A little goes a long way, but this recipe will have you going through it & is delish as a yogurt topping.
LikeLike
I’d never thought of making a casserole with quinoa. Brilliant! Quinoa is packed with protein too, good for your veggie readers. I’m a veg and my fiance is a meat lover. We’re thinking about writing some posts about preparing meals that a veggie eater and a meat eater can enjoy together. Crazy? Maybe! Any good ideas?
LikeLike
I love quinoa and had exactly the same initial experiences with it 🙂 I substitute anything with couscous with it, and also use 50/50 with some pasta or rice dishes.
LikeLike
I will be borrowing this recipe for my blog…. if you dont mind 🙂 I am a vegetarian and this sounds very interesting. I know that Quinoa is good for you and I dont eat it very often… I am going to try this one…. Thanks for stopping by my blog today
LikeLike
Thanks for the recipe. I made it and it was great! Lots of great reviews from my family. I added mushrooms when I roasted the broccoli. I had never cooked quinoa with soup stock before, giving it nice flavor.
LikeLike
Just thought I would let you know that I nominated you for The Inspiring Blog Award.
LikeLike
Great looking recipe…I’m sure it taste great as well…
Thank you for sharing…. 🙂
LikeLike
One grain I havent had a lot of experience with but this looks just deliscious and I must try!
LikeLike