Amazing Quinoa Mac and Cheese
It’s no secret how much I love quinoa. It’s so versatile, packed with protein (more than most meats), is gluten-free and adapts to so many different flavors. I use it in place of oatmeal for breakfast and in place of meat in stuffed peppers. Thanks to quinoa I don’t miss pasta at all.
I ran across a quinoa mac and cheese recipe at Spill The Beans and put my own spin on it. 99% of the time I like to think I’m very humble but after tasting what just came out of my oven, I’m a friggin genius! This stuff is AMAZE-BALLS! Ok, patting myself on the back complete, let’s get to the recipe 🙂
Use organic whenever possible
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup of shredded cheese (I used an organic Mexican style blend)
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach
- Olive Oil (for sauteing spinach and onion)
- Salt and Pepper for taste
- **Optional: panko crumbs (omit if making gluten free)**
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease a pie pan. I sprayed mine with coconut oil.
- Prepare quinoa with a cup of organic chicken broth (½ cup of quinoa and a 1 cup of chicken broth). I ended up needing to add an additional ¼ cup of broth but you'll know your quinoa is done when the grains sprout little curlycue tails. If you add too much liquid to the quinoa just continue cooking until the liquid is cooked off.
- Saute spinach, onions and a dash of salt and pepper until the spinach leaves are completely wilted.
- In a medium bowl whisk milk, egg white and cheese.
- Add quinoa/veggie mixture to the milk/egg/cheese mixture. Toss until well combined.
- Put everything in your greased pie pan and top with additional cheese if you want. I topped mine with more cheese and a sprinkling of panko crumbs.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350.
You can use whatever vegetables you like to suit your tastes. Maybe some zucchini, tomatoes or even mushrooms. Whatever vegetable mixture you come up with, it should be about 3/4 of a cup cooked veggies.
I really need to start on another recipe because I’ve almost eaten half a pan of this quinoa mac and cheese. This recipe is especially exciting for me because I don’t eat pasta. With this recipe, I don’t miss it one bit!
Update: I have made this recipe more times than any other recipe besides the portabella creations. I love it SO much!
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