Quinoa Casserole

Quinoa is such an awesome little morsel. While it is actually a seed, most people cook and serve it as a grain. It cooks quickly, has a wonderful flavor, and is so versatile.

My boyfriend suggested "some kind of casserole" for dinner. I wondered if quinoa would work in a casserole. You have to be careful with quinoa, as it can get mushy if you add too much liquid. I looked around on the internet, and I couldn't find anything that didn't contain large amounts of foods I can't eat. So, naturally, I picked and chose the best parts of several recipes, then added and changed a bunch of stuff. This is what I came up with.

This is a vegetarian dish, but I'll tell you something, you'll never miss the meat. It was very hearty, had good flavor, and made a lot so there was actually leftovers for a couple of days. I think I'll be adding this to our rotation of semi-regulars.

Note: In many of my recipes, nutritional yeast is optional. In this recipe, I recommend using it. You simply won't get the cheesy flavor without it.

Note 2: Some people find quinoa to be very bitter. If this is you, simply rinse it under cold water in a wire mesh strainer before cooking. I don't notice it, but this is a simple fix if you do.  

Sauce Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato (yam), chopped and boiled until tender - you could also use the equivalent cooked sweet potato from a left over recipe
1 to 1 1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 T. chili powder
1-2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
5-10 dashes liquid smoke
Sea salt & ground black pepper (to taste)

Casserole Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cup water
1 T. olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup finely chopped raw broccoli
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Combine sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, adjusting seasonings if necessary. You want the seasonings to taste fairly strong, as the flavors will dissipate when you mix it in to the casserole. The sauce should be somewhat thick but still pourable.

Pour 2 cups hot water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then stir in quinoa. Cook 15 minutes (most of the water should be absorbed). Stir occasionally toward the end of the cooking time. Note: quinoa is generally cooked at a 3:1 ratio. Here we're doing 2:1 because we don't want quinoa mush.

While quinoa is cooking, combine olive oil, onion and bell pepper in a very large skillet. Saute about 5 minutes, then add broccoli. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until broccoli is tender. Remove from heat and stir in beans. If vegetables start to stick while cooking, add a tablespoon or two of hot water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir cooked quinoa into vegetables. Add sauce and stir thoroughly. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour casserole mixture into baking dish, spreading evenly with a spoon. It will be fairly runny at this point, but the sauce will thicken as it cooks. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until very hot all the way through. Let cool slightly before serving.