One Pot Cheesy Quinoa with Veggies. This Vegetarian meal is loaded with 3 types of veggies and protein packed Quinoa then topped off with melted cheese! Made in partnership with Pacific Foods.
I’m starting to think that quinoa is one of those polarizing ingredients like cilantro, nutritional yeast and runny eggs. It seems like you either have to love it or hate it. No in-between. Well, this recipe is for all of you quinoa lovers.
Friends of ours recently had a baby and when I asked them if they had any dietary restrictions or preferences, they replied that they were vegetarian, happily ate all the cheese and have an affinity for anything with quinoa.
I immediately thought of doing a casserole or one-pot meal that could make a large number of portions, be easily reheated (over and over again) and do well in the freezer.
Obviously it needed to be vegetarian and preferably have quinoa and cheese. After trying a number of dishes, I landed on this One Pot Cheesy Quinoa with Veggies.
It’s loaded with three kinds of green veggies — baby spinach, broccoli florets and frozen peas — and spiced with dried herbs, some sweet onion, a bit of the new Pacific Foods Diced Tomatoes and the base is Pacific Foods Organic Vegetable Broth Low Sodium.
The best part is that this is truly a one-pot meal, you just need to use an oven safe pot to melt the cheese! You do not need to cook the quinoa or veggies separately and the whole thing comes together in a little over 1/2 an hour.
We delivered this with a hefty garden salad, some homemade dressing and a loaf of freshly baked bread (not made by me). From what I hear, it was a major hit and they still have a couple of portions in the freezer! I can’t wait to hear what you quinoa lovers think of this!!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
One Pot Cheesy Quinoa with Veggies. This Vegetarian meal is loaded with 3 types of veggies and protein packed Quinoa then topped off with melted cheese! Made in partnership with Pacific Foods.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 20 to 25 turns freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 ounces broccoli florets chopped
- 2 ounces baby spinach chopped
- 2 ounces frozen peas
- 1 cup Pacific Foods Organic Diced Tomatoes
- 4 cups Pacific Foods Organic Vegetable Broth Low Sodium
- 2 cups uncooked rinsed quinoa
- 12 ounces shredded cheese I used a blend of Monterey Jack and Cheddar
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In a mesh strainer, rinse quinoa well with cold water and allow to drain while you prep vegetables.
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Peel and dice onion.
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Chop broccoli florets into bite sized pieces. Try to make them as even as you can.
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Finally, chop the spinach and then measure the spices into a small dish.
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Set an oven safe pot over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and diced onion along with spices. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Add chopped broccoli, spinach and peas along with diced tomatoes and broth. Raise heat to bring to a boil.
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As soon as liquid is boiling, immediately add rinsed and drained quinoa. Cover with lid and lower light to simmer. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Take a minute to preheat the oven to 400F.
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Remove lid and continue to simmer uncovered for an addtional 3 to 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked through. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
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Stir a little over half of the shredded cheese into the quinoa and stir to combine.
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Use the remaining shredded cheese to top the casserole and place in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes (uncovered) until cheese is melted and beginning to bubble.
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Serve hot or allow to cool completely before freezing indiviudal portions. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
DISCLOSURE: This post is part of a series of posts sponsored by Pacific Foods. Pacific Foods has compensated me for my time to develop this recipe as their 2017 Brand Ambassador for Broths. Thank you for supporting the brands that make EverydayMaven possible. All opinions are my own.
This is really yummy – served it to my book group and my bridge group. A big hit. I mixed 8 oz cheese in while it was hot and didn’t bother with the cheese topping – didn’t think it was necessary – still very cheesy!
I wish you still had nutritional information with your recipes so I could do WW point calculations easily.
Yay! I love hearing this – so glad it was a hit with your bridge group. I’m still working on the nutritional info. I had a plugin last year that I thought would work but it just wasn’t accurate after all. Stay tuned – I promise this is on my list!!
You can plug the recipe into myfitnesspal.com to get the nutritional breakdown.
Love this great looking dish:) So healthy and delicious!!! Have to try making it very soon.
Hopy you love it Jessi!
Healthy comfort food at it’s BEST!
Exactly!! 🙂
Dang, that looks so good! I eat quinoa regularly but have never thought of it as comfort food until THIS!
Yes! You have to try it Kimberly!!
OK, I’m going to have to make this. Looks wonderful!
Thanks Stephanie! Hope you love it 🙂
It’s always a good time for cheesy quinoa!!!
Right? Seriously – how can you go wrong?
Love love love it!
I’d never say no to a big helping of cheesy quinoa! Thank goodness I have a good stash of Pacific broths in my pantry so I can make this ASAP!
Right? It’s the best!
Fresh and flavorful, this looks like a beautiful dish!
Thanks Brenda!