Cheesy Baked Quinoa with Kale
By JJ Begonia
While creamy and cheesy, this dish packs in quinoa and vegetables. I find quinoa to be very filling, so I recommend serving this as a main dish or in small quantities as a side.
Serving Size: 4 Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 50 mins
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 8-ounce package mushrooms (used cremini, but any variety will work!)
1 tsp dried thyme
2 small (or 1 large) white onions
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 head kale, stemmed and finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup vegetable stock
1 4-ounce package goat cheese
Baby Swiss cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Based on package directions undercook your quinoa by 5 minutes, so that it is tender but still has some bite to it, as it will continue to cook once baked. Set aside.
Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and thyme to the pan. Cook until all of the water has come out of the mushrooms, and they have started to brown. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the onions, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the onions are caramelized.
Add the kale to the pan and allow it to cook for approximately 5 minutes, until slightly wilted.
Once the kale is wilted, add the cream and stock to the pan. Crumble in the goat cheese, and stir incorporating it into the liquid as it melts.
Add the quinoa and cooked mushrooms to your skillet, and thoroughly combine.
Lightly grease a baking dish and pour the mixture in. Top with as much shredded Swiss cheese as you like (I used about a cup)!
Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until the cheese is melted and the edges are crispy.
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