Quinoa Broccoli Casserole

By vdub

Ingredients

• Quinoa Broccoli Casserole [serves 6-8 generous portions]
• 2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed well
• 4 cups veggie stock, no-sodium
• 5 cups broccoli, chopped
• 3 cups spinach, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 1.5 cups chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 large egg
• 1 , 8oz block of sharp cheddar or pepperjack cheese, grated
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes [opt]
• 1/2 - 1 tsp salt [adjust if using stock with sodium]
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Breadcrumb Topping (substitute almond meal for bread crumbs or make with paleo bread)
• 4 slices of gluten free bread or 2 slices non-gf bread, ground
• 1/2 cup grated cheese [from the 8oz block above]
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• black pepper

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from edibleperspective.com

Preparation

Step 1

Prep all vegetables and then preheat your oven to 400* F.
Rinse + drain the quinoa and add to large pot over medium heat, then pour in the veggie stock and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, stir 1-2 times, cover with a lid and let cook 15-20min until the liquid is absorbed. Turn the heat off and keep covered for 10min then fluff with a fork. Do not stir or uncover while it’s cooking.
While the quinoa is cooking, toss 2 Tbsp of oil with the broccoli, chickpeas, onion, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and black pepper on a large baking sheet.
Roast for about 25min until just starting to brown. Stir once halfway through.
In a large bowl mix together the roasted veggie mixture, fluffed quinoa, spinach, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes [if using], 1/2t salt [if using no-sodium stock] and black pepper.
In a small bowl whisk the egg and mix in the grated cheese, reserving 1/2 cup of the cheese for the breadcrumb topping. *Grating cheese fresh is worth your time!
Mix the cheese + egg mixture with the quinoa mixture and spread in a 9x13 baking dish, then lightly pat down and top with a single layer of sliced tomatoes.
Bake uncovered for 25-30min, until the top is starting to brown and tomatoes are just wilting.
For the breadcrumb topping, make sure your GF bread is fully thawed. If it’s frozen, toast lightly to defrost. Grind into crumbs in a food processor, blender, etc. then mix with all remaining topping ingredients in a bowl.
Set your oven to broil with a rack in the top position, sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top of the casserole, and broil for 2-4 minutes [watching closely!] until golden brown.
Remove and serve.