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.
1 ¼cupsshredded mozzarella - divided in ¾ cup + ½ cup
¾cupfeta cheese - divided in ½ cup + ¼ cup
1 ⅓cupspacked fresh spinach, chopped
⅓cup+ 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoeschopped - I used tomatoes in oil
½large red onionthinly sliced - about ¾ cup
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
¾cupvegetable stock or water
¼teaspoonsalt - more or less to taste
2tablespoonfresh basilsliced into ribbons - to serve
Instructions
Preheat oven to 360F/180C.
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.
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.
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).
Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella, cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
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 335Calories 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.