Tobins' Tastes: Quinoa Mac & Cheese

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Quinoa Mac & Cheese


We have been trying to experiment with quinoa at our house. We received a bag of it for free in an amazing Bob's Red Mill sampler promotion this summer and I have been trying to find ways to prepare it that we like. We experimented with a few different things and then I saw this recipe on Monica's Fitness and I knew we had to try it. If I can find a way to incorporate a health food into something like mac & cheese, that would be quite a success.

As I was making the recipe I was a little skeptical about how it would turn out. I made a few changes to the original recipe (when don't I?) and I was totally afraid it was too liquidy going into the oven. But I think the extra liquid allowed it to stay nice and moist even after baking. 

We had it for dinner with a salad and Honey Cornbread. Justin topped his with a little salsa and we heated it up for lunch the next day too. Justin even tried it for breakfast with a fried egg on top. All in all, we loved it and will be making it again for sure. 

Quinoa Mac & Cheese
  • Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (or you could use red peppers)
  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk ( I used low-fat)
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat), more for topping if you like
  • Panko Bread crumbs for topping
1.)  Heat 2 tsp of oil in med. saucepan over med. heat. Add tomatoes (or any veggies you want); cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 mins. (quinoa won't be fully cooked yet, it's ok.)


2.)  Add 3 cups water and season with salt and/or seasoning salt ( I used Lawry's). Cover and reduce heat to med-low and simmer 5-10 more minutes, or until most liquid has been absorbed. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes.
Right after the water was poured in

After I had finished step 2
3.) Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Combine well.  Pour into baking dish and top with panko and I used a little extra cheese for topping too.


4.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until top and edges start to brown.



Enjoy!

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