Dinner is healthy, delicious and satisfying with this quick, versatile casserole filled with vibrant veggies, awesome quinoa, ham and cheese.
Quinoa is a complete protein
Can we talk about quinoa? Quinoa is a complete protein. Our bodies need 22 amino acids for survival. We naturally make 13 of those amino acids on our own but 9 have to be sourced elsewhere.
A food is considered a complete protein if it contains all 9 amino acids in high enough amounts. Animal meat is the most commonly known complete protein but dairy and eggs are a close second.
There are also some awesome plant based foods that are complete proteins, one of which is quinoa. Buckwheat, soybeans, hemp, chia seeds, amaranth, tempeh and pumpkin seeds are all complete proteins as well.
Combining foods like rice and beans, lentils and barley, oatmeal and nuts also gives you a complete protein. There are lots of amazing options out there for getting the protein you need each day.
Comes Together Quickly
This quinoa casserole is an awesome protein rich meal. It is full of delicious vegetables and comes together quickly. My kids even like it cold out of the fridge the next day.
I like to cook the quinoa ahead of time so it is ready to go when I want to mix up this casserole but you can also mix it up when the quinoa is warm. If the quinoa is warm, just mix everything up first before adding the cheese so the heat from the quinoa doesn’t melt it. If you use warm quinoa, you can use frozen broccoli. It cools it down nice and quick.
Cheese or Not to Cheese
This recipe calls for sharp cheddar cheese. The cheese adds flavor but also helps the finished product stick together.
I make this often with ½ cup of shredded pecorino romano in place of the sharp cheddar and 1 extra egg. The extra egg helps bind everything together and the pecorino adds flavor.
Not all people with a dairy allergy will be able to use the pecorino cheese. You can also skip the cheese all together, add an extra egg and add ¼ teaspoon extra salt. The flavor and texture will change slightly but it is still yummy.
Quinoa Veggie Casserole
3 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 cups finely chopped broccoli – fresh or frozen(slightly defrosted) work great
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped ham – optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients until combined. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan. Empty the contents of the bowl into the pan and press it firmly. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the egg is set and the edges are slightly crispy.
Tweak It Notes
- CHEESE – If you want to make a portion of this dairy free you can add all the ingredients except the cheese, mix it all together and then remove the amount you need for your dairy free person or people. Add a smaller amount of cheese to the remaining mixture and proceed with the directions. See full post for more tips about cheese.
- ZUCCHINI – You can use crookneck squash as well.
- HAM – This is a great meal to go meatless. The meat is not a main feature at all so if you want to skip it, (I often do) it is still delicious. You can increase the veggies by that one cup, if you like.
- BABY FINGERS – I didn’t realize his little fingers made it into this picture and I just couldn’t bring myself to crop them out.
