Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Quinoa Casserole

This Quinoa Casserole is an easy-to-make vegetarian dinner that can be a meatless main dish or a hearty side. A Mediterranean quinoa bake that will fill you up without weighing you down, with lots of melty feta cheese to make it special enough to serve to guests. 

Try this delicious and healthy Mediterranean-style quinoa casserole!

Quinoa is awesome, right? I am obsessed!  Between my quinoa berry breakfast bowl, my fave Thai quinoa salad, and this quinoa crust pizza, I could probably eat quinoa for every meal all week long and be as happy as can be. Now, we all have that one person in our lives, that makes faces and unimpressed noises whenever we reach for that bag of super seeds. And this is where this quinoa casserole comes in. Because let me tell you, it might just cure that last quinoa skeptic in your life, too!

This Vegetarian Quinoa Casserole with Feta, Mozzarella, Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto is perfect for summer. I mean, look at it, with its Italian color scheme! So appetizing! It’s light, yet filling at the same time, which I love. Healthy and fresh, with just the right about of saltiness and tang from the feta cheese. Let me tell you, this is a vegetarian recipe for everyone.

The addition of all the Mediterranean flavors (especially the pesto,  feta cheese, and mozzarella) in this quinoa bake makes this casserole truly exciting and special enough to serve to guests.

I could easily have this as a main or side dish. However, it also makes a great side for steak, grilled chicken, fish, shrimp, you name it. Does this work for meal prep? Absolutely! Quinoa tastes delicious hot or just slightly warm, making it perfect for taking to work in a container as a healthy lunch.

Customize it!

As for the ingredients, I went with the classic cheese and pesto combo and only added some fresh onions to up the umami a bit. But this does not mean you cannot play around with it. This is actually a pretty flexible recipe so add whatever fresh herbs, or seasonal grilled vegetables you have on hand! Sliced roasted bell peppers, white beans, sauteed spinach, corn - all of those would taste amazing in here.

How to make Quinoa Casserole:

Prep: Preheat oven to 360F/180C.

Cook the quinoa first. To rinse, pour the quinoa into a fine mesh colander. Rinse under running cold water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Drain it well. This step is important as it removes any bitterness on the outside of the quinoa.

In a medium saucepan, add quinoa and cover with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer on low heat and cover for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Step 1 - Transfer the quinoa in a large baking dish.

Step 2 - Top with sun-dried tomato pesto, Greek yogurt, ¾ cup mozzarella, ½ cup feta, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, Italian seasoning and vegetable stock (or water).

Step 3 - Mix thoroughly to combine everything together, making sure all the ingredients are all evenly distributed. The mixture should look a bit wet - if it looks a bit too compact to you, add a bit more stock, just a little at a time. At this point, taste and add some salt if needed (keeping in mind that we will add more mozzarella and feta as toppings).

Step 4 & 5 -Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella, cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Step 6 -Remove from the oven and sprinkle with ¼ cup feta, 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes, and basil. Serve immediately.

What can I use instead of feta?

If you need to swap feta for a different cheese, try goat cheese or halloumi.

Tips & Variations:

• In the summer, add some roasted or grilled zucchini, bell pepper, or some cherry tomatoes. Don't go too crazy with tomatoes as they might make the bake soggy. Grilled veggies work best.
• In the fall and winter, give this a seasonal spin by adding a mix of squash and roasted root vegetables. This is a great recipe for using up leftover veggies.
• You can make this with freshly cooked quinoa but it also works great with pre-cooked day-old quinoa.
• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.

5 from 5 votes

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Quinoa Casserole with Feta & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This Quinoa Casserole is an easy-to-make vegetarian dinner that can be a meatless main dish or a hearty side. A Mediterranean quinoa bake that will fill you up without weighing you down, with lots of melty feta cheese to make it special enough to serve to guests. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword pesto bake, quinoa bake, quinoa casserole recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 335 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups uncooked quinoa - or 3 cups cooked
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomato pesto
• ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella - divided in ¾ cup + ½ cup
• ¾ cup feta cheese - divided in ½ cup + ¼ cup
• 1 ⅓ cups packed fresh spinach, chopped
• ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes chopped - I used tomatoes in oil
• ½ large red onion thinly sliced - about ¾ cup
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¾ cup vegetable stock or water
• ¼ teaspoon salt - more or less to taste
• 2 tablespoon fresh basil sliced into ribbons - to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 360F/180C.
2. Cook the quinoa first. Rinse the it: Pour the quinoa into a fine mesh colander and rinse under running cold water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Drain it well. This step is important as it removes any bitterness on the outside of the quinoa.
3. In a medium saucepan, add quinoa and cover with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer on low heat and cover for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
4. Transfer the quinoa in a large baking dish. Top with pesto, Greek yogurt, ¾ cup mozzarella, ½ cup feta, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, Italian seasoning and vegetable stock (or water). Mix thoroughly to combine everything together, making sure all the ingredients are all evenly distributed. The mixture should look a bit wet - if it looks a bit too compact to you, add a bit more stock, just a little at a time. At this point, taste and add some salt if needed (keeping in mind that we will add more mozzarella and feta as toppings).
5. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella, cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with ¼ cup feta, 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

• In the summer, add some roasted or grilled zucchini, bell pepper, or some cherry tomatoes. Don't go too crazy with tomatoes as they might make the bake soggy. Grilled veggies work best.
• In the fall and winter, give this a seasonal spin by adding a mix of squash and roasted root vegetables. This is a great recipe for using up leftover veggies. 
• You can make this with freshly cooked quinoa but it also works great with pre-cooked day-old quinoa. 
• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Quinoa Casserole with Feta & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 335 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 37mg12%

Sodium 631mg27%

Potassium 560mg16%

Carbohydrates 36g12%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 18g36%

Vitamin A 1102IU22%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 289mg29%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Quinoa Casserole Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy quinoa recipes you will love:

• Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties 
• Warm Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash & Kale
• Bondi Harvest Quinoa Salad
• Gordon Ramsay’s Quinoa Salad