Kale & Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Casserole
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. While the veggies are roasting, prepare quinoa to package instructions. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
  5. 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.
  6. In a large bowl, combine roasted veggies, quinoa, sautéd kale, cumin, chili powder, chipolte chili powder, salt and pepper.
  7. Spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add quinoa mixture to the dish and spread out evenly.
  8. Sprinkle cheese on top.
  9. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
  10. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For the quinoa: use water, vegetable broth or chicken broth (your choice). Use a little more liquid than called for so the quinoa stays soft during baking. Otherwise it will dry out a bit.
- 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.
Recipe by Becky's Best Bites at https://beckysbestbites.com/kale-roasted-vegetable-quinoa-casserole/