I don’t know about you, but I love anything resembling a casserole. If there is something warm, baked and savory…i’m in! I am starting to love quinoa. It is so easy to cook, can be flavored with anything…and to top it off its really healthy! So I wanted to find a way to mix my love of quinoa and casseroles together in one amazing dish. And the result…..Spinach Quinoa Pie!
My inspiration for this dish came from a recipe I found on the blog the Healthy Apple. I made some adjustments to make it my own. To view the original recipe please visit Quinoa Spinach Bake at: http://thehealthyapple.com/2012/06/11/quinoa-spinach-bake/
I began by cooking my quinoa. I brought 1 cup of quinoa to a boil in 2 cups of water. After I reached a rolling boil, I reduced the heat and covered. I simmered the quinoa until it was fork tender. Then I removed it from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes and fluffed it with a fork. I set it aside while I prepared the rest of my ingredients. Next I preheated the oven to 350 degrees F.
Then I blanched my spinach. I did this by boiling water in a large stock pot. I added the spinach and cooked for about 10 seconds, or until the spinach turned bright green. I immediately removed the spinach and dunked it in a ice bath. I left it in the ice bath for about 30 seconds. After 30 seconds I removed from the ice water and put on a towel to dry.
Next, in a large skillet saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Once the onions and garlic are done cooking, remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the quinoa, spinach, Greek yogurt, eggs, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Be sure not to over mix or the spinach could begin to break down. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish. I used an 8 inch round glass dish. Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, until the top has a nice golden brown color.
Cook the quinoa until it is fork tender.
Next take your spinach and drop in a pot of boiling water for 10 seconds until it turns bright green.
After boiling, put the spinach in an ice bath for 30 seconds.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 large yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb baby spinach
1 cup Greek Yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot with the quinoa and water to a rolling boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is fork tender. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Bring another large stock pot to a boil. Drop the spinach in the boiling water for 10 seconds, or until it is a bright green color. Immediately remove the spinach from the pot and drop in a large bowl of ice water. Leave in the ice water for 30 seconds. Remove from the ice water and place on a towel to dry.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl add the onions, garlic, quinoa, spinach, Greek yogurt, thyme, rosemary, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Be careful not to over mix.
- Pour the mixture into an un-greased baking dish. I used an 8 inch round glass dish.
- Bake for 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Serve warm!
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