Did you know that when you mix a bit of fresh spinach with quinoa you can make a pretty darn amazing baked pie?
No, it’s not gross.
It’s actually quite tasty.
I’m serious.
It’s actually Really tasty.
No need to run off to Dean ‘n Deluca or Whole Foods Market for their pre-made options when you can whip up this baby in no time.
I’m actually not quite to sure as to why, after thirty years I’m just coming around to exploring the other side of grains.
And I’m not just talkin’ about your average bowl of quinoa here, folks.
I’m talking about creating a masterpiece.
I mean, honestly – one look at this guy below and would you really think I whipped him up with quinoa?
I didn’t think so.
You’ve probably had a similar dish before made from flour or potatoes and served with applesauce and sour cream… o the memories of when I was a kid.
But, who wouldn’t love a bite of this quinoa goodness?
Well, my friends, your ordinary ‘bake’ just got a whole lot better.
This quinoa spinach bake couldn’t be easier to make. All you need is some quinoa, fresh spinach, sesame seeds, eggs, yogurt, a cut little shallot and a few spices.
You can serve this with anything from mashed avocado and hummus or a side of Greek plain yogurt.
No breadcrumbs in this recipe, folks – I opted for white sesame seeds instead, which line the baking dish and give the quinoa an extra crunch with each bite.
Perfect for lunch or dinner and heck – I’m even ready to serve it to my clients for breakfast.
Why not, right?
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- 1 lb. fresh baby spinach
- 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 Tbsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 2 cups cooked quinoa about 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup Greek plain yogurt
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ¾ tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground white pepper
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Coat an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then coat with sesame seeds.
-
Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spinach; blanch until bright green, approximately 8-10 seconds. Transfer hot spinach to the ice bath to cool for 30 seconds, remove and drain water. Set aside spinach on a paper towel.
-
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add shallot, garlic, thyme and chili powder; sauté until translucent, approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
-
Add spinach, cooked quinoa, yogurt, eggs, sea salt and pepper to the onion mixture; mix well to combine. Transfer quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish and place in the oven. Bake until set and golden brown, approximately 60 minutes.
-
Remove from oven. Slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.
About to cook this again. Love it!
Thank you and enjoy!
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after going through some of the
articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m definitely happy I stumbled upon it and I’ll
be book-marking it and checking back regularly!
This is yummy! I made a couple of substitutes because I didn’t have the right ingredients… Onion for shallot and Greek yogurt with a little soy milk to thin it. And I sautéed the spinach with the onions and garlic. And it was still really good. I ate it room temperature with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Fabulous!
Yay; that makes me so happy. Enjoy Michele. xoxo
I can’t have dairy what can I use to replace the yogurt?
You could try coconut milk yogurt or hummus!
Loved this ! Next time I might add mushrooms , I used fat free Greek yogurt n it was fabulous
Can you freeze and reheat for parties at a later time?
Hi Judy! I haven’t tried freezing it but I’m sure you can. Let me know how it works. Thanks!!
Can’t wait to try this, will use egg whites instead of whole eggs and substitute the Greek yoghurt for coconut milk yoghurt to make it lactose free 🙂
Ok should have read through all your comments first. I will try it with tofu!
Hi I’m eager to try this recipe. It looks so yummy. Do you think I could substitue the Greek yogurt for something else non-dairy? I live in Malaysia and Greek yogurt is hard to come by. 🙂 Thanks for your ideas!
Valerie, I only tried this with Greek yogurt, sorry! But maybe using a bit of buttermilk will work!
My college age students loved this for brunch!
I made this tonight, and WOW is it good! Thank you so much for sharing this!
WOW. Delicious. I had only half the greek yogurt, and used frozen broccoli and red onion…. and ate it cold the next day…. and this dish was still AWESOME.