Kale & Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Casserole is a healthy, vegetarian, comfort food recipe that is great as a side dish or main meal. The leftovers make for fun lunches that will make your co-workers jealous 😈
So what happens when you take an almost six year old to the farmer’s market and let him pick out what you buy? You come home with an interesting combination of fruits and veggies that’s for sure!! I was curious what he would choose and thought it might be kinda fun 😆 So I let him pick and we ended up with carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, watermelon and pineapple. Fun, huh? He probably would have chosen more but I didn’t want us to buy more than we could use before it went bad. I told him that we would come back again and he could pick out more another time. He had fun and I loved seeing him pick out the fresh fruits and vegetables AND be excited about eating them!! Now I have to use this produce and I am starting today by using the carrots and sweet potatoes in my Kale & Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Casserole. Be prepared to see more of these fruits and vegetables in upcoming posts…just a little heads up 😉
I was looking at the carrots and sweet potatoes that were sitting on the counter, trying to figure out how I wanted to use them. I got to thinking that most vegetables, especially root vegetables, are so much better when they are roasted in the oven. And then the wheels started turning…
Roast the sweet potatoes and carrots in the oven until they are golden brown. While the veggies are roasting, whip a batch of quinoa and sauté a big ‘ol pile of kale with lots of garlic – YUM!! When you read the ingredients list below, it will sound like way too much kale, but I promise it cooks downs A TON!!
BTW…kale is sooooo good for you, so pile it up 😉 Learn the 6 Proven & Healthy Benefits of Kale by checking out this informative post –> http://healthnfitnesshops.com/6-proven-benefits-of-kale.html/
Mix the cooked quinoa, roasted veggies and kale in a large bowl. Add a hint of spice with some cumin, chili powder and chipotle chili powder.
Spread out in a large baking dish, top with a little freshly grated mozzarella cheese (so much better than the bag pre-shredded stuff and cheaper too 😀 ) And bake all the cheese is fully melted and its a big dish of ooey, gooey yumminess!! Hello drool ➡
Pick up your fork and shovel it into your mouth!! Your taste buds will be happy and you will feel pretty darn good about what you are eating!! Tons of veggies and the quinoa is a complete protein source 😛
For me, this Kale & Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Casserole is a meal all by itself. And I have eaten it for dinner and lunch, respectively, and plan to bring it to work for my lunch all this week!! But for others in my family, it would be more of a side dish to say a grilled meat (chicken, pork, etc.) Either way, it’s fabulous!! It is vegetarian as it stands (as long as you don’t use chicken broth to cook your quinoa) and could easily be made vegan by using water or veggie broth for the quinoa and either leaving off the cheese or using a vegan cheese substitute. But come on folks…who doesn’t need that ooey gooey yumminess of the cheese?!? I’m just saying that for me, personally, it made the dish!!
Here is your recipe for Kale & Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Casserole:
- 2-3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
- 4-5 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste, divided
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package instructions *See note
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 10 oz. chopped kale
- Couple splashes of water
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. chipolte chili powder
- Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and add chopped carrots and sweet potatoes. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss the veggies around, making sure that they are all coated with oil.
- Place in a hot oven for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of your pieces) or until golden brown. When the veggies are done, remove them from the oven but keep the oven on.
- While the veggies are roasting, prepare quinoa to package instructions. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
- Also while the veggies are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add about half of the kale to the skillet (or as much as your skillet will hold). Add a splash of water (to help create steam) and cook down kale. Add the rest of the kale when ther is room in your pan and another splash of water. Sauté the kale for about 5 minutes or until wilted down by about ½.
- In a large bowl, combine roasted veggies, quinoa, sautéd kale, cumin, chili powder, chipolte chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add quinoa mixture to the dish and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
- Serve immediately.
- It is vegetarian as it stands (as long as you don't use chicken broth to cook your quinoa) and could easily be made vegan by using water or veggie broth for the quinoa and either leaving off the cheese or using a vegan cheese substitute.
Oh man. Those pictures are totally drool worthy. That looks absolutely amazing and I definitely am adding this to my list of recipes I want to make.
I’ve seen and had a few recipes with quinoa but I think this Kale & Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Casserole might be my favorite recipe found to date. I’m going to see if I can get your recipe right because this looks so tasty.
I haven’t really been able to jump onto the whole kale bandwagon, but I do love quinoa. This looks like the perfect recipe for me to try when I am looking for something to prep ahead since dinnertime can be busy with pool time.
This looks healthy AND delicious! Pinning to try later!
I love when a plan comes to fruition 🙂 This is just the sort of thing I love to eat.
Kale with garlic is the best! This looks like an amazing dish!
I totally agree on the kale and garlic!! Thanks Michelle 🙂
I am trying to acquire a taste for kale, but it hasn’t happened yet. This does look like it has a lot of flavor!
Yummers! This looks delicious! I think I might try this the next time I make stuffed peppers!
Thanks Kristi!! I love the idea of stuffed peppers!!
This sounds delicious! I love Quinoa!
This is one heck of a recipe. Super delicious and I simply love it!
I’m not a big fan of kale Becky, but your recipe makes me want to try it again, especially with the quinoa! This sounds so healthy!
You should give kale another try with this recipe Joanne!!
This recipe put together everything I love! Veggies and cheese! The recipe is easy to follow and so appealing to the eye. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for the kind words AnneMarie!!
I’m obsessed with quinoa but I never have used kale… It’s kind of intimidating. I’m worried I won’t like the flavor. This recipe though seems like a great way to introduce myself to this scary flavor! Thank you! – Jerusha, TheDisneyChef.com
Wow, this looks Devine! I love that you added quinoa to this dish. It’s one of my favorites. Such a great healthy meal for dinner.
I’m really starting to appreciate kale more and more! Paired with the yummy roasted veggies, this is a total win I can’t wait to try!
You and me both, Liz!! I’m really starting to love kale and it is especially good in this recipe IMHO 🙂
What a fun way to use the quinoa. I’d like to try this, and I’d like to try a quinoa chili recipe I found today!
I’m a rice eater and I heard quinoa is a healthier alternative. I haven’t tried it, yet and I’d love to have a taste. This dish looks so delicious.
You should definitely try quinoa Elizabeth!! It is a complete protein unlike rice and has more protein and fiber too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!!
Yum and fun! Kale never looked so good 🙂
I can’t wait to try this out on my husband. He always wants me to use kale, and I never really know what to do with it.
Looks hearty and healthy! I love caramelizing veggies. It brings out so much flavor!
This turned out great! I was curious, do you have the nutritional information?
Thanks Brandi! I don’t have the exact numbers but your looking at about 150 calories a serving.
This recipe looks delish! Just wondering if I can make it ahead of time and freeze?
Thanks so much, Mary! Yes, I believe that you could freeze this dish with no problem 🙂
This was really delicious and easy to make. I added a few of my own twists to it: I added brussel sprouts to the roast veggies, sauted some green pepper and onion to add, and also put some turkey bacon on top for a little added something. Obviously the bacon makes it not so vegetarian, but I had a meat lover to please! I will definitely make this again, especially since we will have lunch for the next two days!
I used this recipe to use my leftovers: quinoa, carrots, acorn squash and beans. It took me 2 min to prep and it tasted delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds amazing 🙂 So glad you like it!!