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A spoonful of quinoa bake with vegetables.

Quinoa Bake with Vegetables

Creamy, cheesy and delicious, this healthy quinoa bake is pure comfort food! Vegetarian and kid-friendly, it makes the perfect weeknight dinner, side dish or lunch.
5 from 16 votes
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Healthy Recipes
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 serves
Calories: 400kcal
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • Stove-top or Thermomix
  • Oven

Ingredients

  • 170 g (1 cup) quinoa uncooked
  • 500 g (2 cups) water
  • 2 tsp vegetable stock powder
  • 1 broccoli head small, chopped into florets
  • 1 (120g) carrot grated (medium)
  • 1 (200g) zucchini grated (medium)
  • 1 (150g) red capsicum finely chopped
  • 150 g (1 cup) corn kernels
  • 250 g cheese grated (any combination of tasty cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella)
  • 30 g butter
  • 250 g (1 cup) milk
  • 15 g (2 tbs) plain flour
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Conventional Method

  • Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius (fan forced).
  • Grease a casserole dish and set aside. 
  • Rinse the quinoa under cold water in a sieve and then place into a saucepan along with the water and vegetable stock powder. Cook for 10-15 minutes (at a gentle simmer) until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, place the lid on and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and place into the casserole dish. 
  • Squeeze any excess liquid out of the grated vegetables and add to the casserole dish. Add in the corn kernels.
  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the plain flour and continue mixing for 2 minutes. While continuing to whisk, slowly add the milk. Whisk while cooking for approximately 2-3 minutes or until thickened. 
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat and add ½ of the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir until smooth to combine. 
  • Pour the cheese ssauce over the quinoa and vegetables and stir to combine. 
  • Sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top and vegetables are cooked through.

Thermomix Method

  • Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease a casserole dish and set aside.
  • Rinse the quinoa under cold water in a sieve and then place into a saucepan along with the water and vegetable stock powder. Cook for 10-15 minutes (at a gentle simmer) until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, place the lid on and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and place into the casserole dish. 
  • Meanwhile, place the roughly chopped vegetables into the Thermomix bowl and finely chop for 5-10 seconds on Speed 8 (using the spatula to assist). Remove the vegetables from the Thermomix bowl and strain any excess liquid away.
  • Place the finely chopped vegetables into the casserole dish with the cooked quinoa and corn kernels. 
  • Place the cheese in to the Thermomix bowl and grate for 10 seconds on Speed 10. Set aside.
  • In a clean Thermomix bowl, place the butter, milk, plain flour, salt, pepper and half of the grated cheese and cook for 7 minutes, 80 degrees, Speed 4.
  • Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables and quinoa and stir to combine.
  • Sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese.
  • Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden on top and vegetables are cooked through.

Notes

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS
  • Quinoa – white, tri-colour or any colour quinoa will work. You will end up with three times the amount of quinoa once cooked. Note, quinoa flakes are not suitable for this recipe.
  • Vegetable stock powder – is used for seasoning and flavour. If preferred, you can swap the water and vegetable stock powder for liquid vegetable stock.
  • Rinse your quinoa in a strainer under cold water before cooking. Quinoa is often coated in a bitter and unpleasant tasting substance and if you don’t rinse it off, the dish may have a bitter taste.
  • If you have some olded, sad looking veggies in your fridge that you want to add, you can! This recipe can be customised to suit whatever you have handy. Try some baby spinach, beans, peas, cherry tomatoes or even leftover roast vegetables. Just make sure that they are grated or very finely chopped, so that they cook through.
  • Add a can of black beans or kidney beans for extra flavour and protein.
  • Try adding any of your favourite fresh or dried herbs, like basil, rosemary or thyme.
  • If the cheese is browning too much, simply place a sheet of foil over the top and continue cooking.
  • Storage - leftover quinoa bake can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
  • Freezing - first, allow the quinoa bake to cool. Then, portion into individual serves, or leave it whole. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave portions in the fridge overnight, or sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours, until thawed. Reheat in the oven or microwave until heated through thoroughly.

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 576mg | Potassium: 613mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1280IU | Vitamin C: 91.1mg | Calcium: 411mg | Iron: 2.6mg