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Cheesy quinoa casserole with creamy white sauce is rich, comforting, and loaded with nutritious veggies with just 350 calories in each generous portion.
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Quinoa Casserole with White Sauce

Cheesy quinoa casserole with creamy white sauce is rich, comforting, and loaded with nutritious veggies with just 350 calories in each generous portion.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 servings
Calories 375kcal
Author Christy Gurin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 red pepper (diced)
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 lb. mushrooms (washed and sliced)
  • 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1 cup onion (diced)
  • 1 bunch kale (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (chopped into small pieces)
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives (halved)
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped parsley and/or basil
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella grated

Sauce

  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup parmesan
  • 1/2 cup ricotta (part skim)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt (additional salt may be needed if using low sodium broth)
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Rinse quinoa and add grains and broth to a small pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Then turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing quinoa with a fork.
  • While quinoa is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 Tbsp. coconut oil in a large sauté pan. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic. cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat to soften.
  • Add mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. Add kale and cook for a minute longer until kale wilted - don't over cook it here!
  • Remove from heat and stir cooked quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, herbs, cayenne, and lemon juice into cooked veggies. Set aside.
  • Heat 2 Tbsp. coconut oil in a separate pan (or wipe down and reuse sauce pan quinoa was cooked in). Add flour and whisk to blend into a roux. Add a small amount of milk and whisk to combine. Add remaining milk and simmer for 1 minute while stirring. Reduce heat and stir in parmesan. Once parmesan has melted, stir in ricotta, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.
  • Add sauce to quinoa veggie mixture and stir well to combine. Put mixture into a 6 quart casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil or an oven-safe lid and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until mozzarella is melted.

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 775mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2545IU | Vitamin C: 48.7mg | Calcium: 281mg | Iron: 2.7mg