Packed with a rainbow of delicious vegetables, this cheesy quinoa bake is simple to prepare. A yummy family meal for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
Sometimes, it’s good to find a new way of cooking something. I usually cook quinoa in a pan of boiling water, and then serve it as a side dish much like rice or potatoes. But unlike rice or potatoes, which occasionally get to star in a risotto, or a delicious dauphinoise, poor old quinoa usually sits firmly on the side-lines.
Boil or bake?
I did consider cooking the quinoa risotto style, by adding stock gradually and stirring. However I suspect the grains aren’t starchy enough to develop a creamy texture the way arborio rice does. Thus, I had to think again. Sigh.
I looked at umpteen quinoa recipes, and after much cogitating, finally concocted the idea for this quinoa bake. It’s studded with delicious vegetables and topped with melty cheese. I think Americans would probably call this a casserole.
Quinoa and vegetable bake
As I was making this vegetable quinoa bake, my daughter Kipper announced that she wanted pasta and pesto for dinner. I began to explain that I wasn’t making pasta, and anyway we didn’t have any pesto, and she began to go into full-on strop-a-matic meltdown. Uh-oh.
A sudden inspiration! But this is a rainbow quinoa bake, I said. Rainbow. She paused, mid-strop. “What’s it made with then?” she enquired, scowling. Rainbow deliciousness, I replied enthusiastically.
She reluctantly agreed to try it.
Rainbow deliciousness!
I didn’t feel like too much of a liar. Almost all the colours of the rainbow are represented here, one way or the other:
- Red – pepper
- Orange – carrots
- Yellow – onions
- Green – leek, courgette and pepper
- Blue – OK, no blue food, sorry
- Purple – Kalamata olives
In the end the rainbow vegetable quinoa bake was a big hit all round. DH must either have been really hungry or really liked it, because he ate just over half of it by himself! Kipper and I saw off the remainder – she ate some of the quinoa then excavated all the vegetables and ate them separately.
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📖 Recipe
Rainbow vegetable quinoa bake
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 1 leek
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 large or 2 smaller courgettes
- 12-15 kalamata olives
- 125 g quinoa
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 400 ml hot vegetable stock
- 2 eggs
- 75-100 g grated cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- 2 medium onions, 1 leek, 3 tbsp olive oilPeel and chop the onions. Trim and wash the leek and cut into 6-8mm (¼-⅓ inch) slices. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat, then fry the onions and leek.
- 2 medium carrotsPeel the carrots, halve lengthways and slice into 4-5mm slices. Add to the pan and stir.
- 1 red pepper, 1 green pepperDeseed the peppers and cut into dice. Add to the pan and stir.
- 1 large or 2 smaller courgettesTrim the courgette, cut into quarters lengthwise and slice into 4-5mm slices. Add to the pan and stir.
- 12-15 kalamata olivesFinally, slice the kalamata olives into 3-4 slices each, and add to the pan. Mix everything well.
- 125 g (¾ cups) quinoa, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 400 ml (1 ⅔ cups) hot vegetable stockStir in the quinoa and season with the pepper. Add the stock and mix well. Cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
- 2 eggs, 75-100 g (⅔ cups) grated cheeseRemove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for a few moments. Beat the eggs and quickly stir into the quinoa mixture. Tip everything into a baking dish, and sprinkle the grated cheese over.
- Transfer to the oven and bake at 180°C (350°F) for around 25 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked and the cheese is melted and golden. Serve hot.
Nutrition
You might also enjoy this warm quinoa salad with garlic mushrooms.
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