Baked Quinoa and Cheese

You got that right. Baked QUINOA and cheese. Delicious AND (a little bit more) healthy.

Again, I have to credit the peeps at Pinterest for this recipe. Although of course, I re-modeled it to fit my needs :)

This a great dish to make if you want to have lunch ready for the week or for leftovers.  If you have a family, this might go pretty quick.  It makes 8 servings but you may want seconds.  It's super easy to make too.  Just bring together all the ingredients and bake.  Plus, using quinoa instead of pasta adds a different dimension to it (as well as protein!).

YUM!

 

BAKED QUINOA AND CHEESE

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

Veggies of your choice (optional)

good pinch of salt

a few grinds of seasoning salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large eggs

1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk

1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling

Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping

Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

DIRECTIONS:

Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish.

Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned.

PERSONAL NOTES:

I thought the idea of adding vegetables was great.  Since I had some frozen chopped broccoli on hand I decided to add that.  Now, the recipe says any vegetable and that you can lightly saute them.  I went with what was quick.  At first I thought the 10oz package of broccoli would be too much, but it turned out perfectly for the amount of quinoa I made. 

Also, I didn't have cheddar so I used Monterey Jack cheese.  Frankly, it tastes fine.  Better than fine, actually.  But I think deep down, cheddar would probably be the way to go.  The Monterey Jack cheese is just milder.  Although the texture is still creamy.

Oh, and I decided to add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Since the flavor was mild without the cheddar, I thought (and rightly so) the Paresan would add a little more kick.