Clean Eating Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Casserole
Try this Clean Eating Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Clean Eating Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- cooking spray (i use misto)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa uncooked
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups any milk (i used unsweetened almond milk)
- 2 cups artichoke hearts coarsely chopped*
- 11 oz package (4 large handfuls) spinach
- 1/2 cup (1 oz) parmesan cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup (3 oz) white cheddar (mozzarella) cheese shredded & divided
- 1/2 tsp + a pinch salt
- Carbohydrate 69.6608425738199 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 14.4222762427754 g
- Fiber 27.3252447052708 g
- Protein 17.2396432080969 g
- Saturated Fat 2.11041023121403 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1534g)
- Sodium 454.089572274524 mg
- Sugar 42.3355978685492 g
- Trans Fat 0.629991965317922 g
- Calories 427 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium pot, add quinoa, water and a pinch of salt; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cook for 12 minutes and set aside.
- Preheat large non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl olive oil to coat. Add onion and garlic, saute until translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together milk with cornstarch. Add to a skillet with previously cooked onion and garlic. Also add artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, quinoa (fluff with a fork a bit before adding), 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.
- Transfer mixture to a prepared baking dish, level and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Boil the quinoa for precisely twelve minutes in a medium pot before removing it from the heat, ensuring the tiny seeds retain a distinct spiral germ rather than bursting into a paste. Rinsing raw quinoa through a fine-mesh sieve prior to boiling removes bitter saponins that cling to the outer hull, a vital step often overlooked by hurried cooks. When combining the cooked grains with the milk and cornstarch mixture in the skillet, maintain medium heat so the starch activates without scorching the dairy sugars against the pan surface.
Sautéing the thinly sliced onions and minced garlic until translucent requires patience, because rushing this stage leaves harsh sulfur notes that overpower the earthy artichoke hearts. Mincing the garlic finely rather than pressing it prevents bitter pockets from forming in the hot oil. A wide non-stick skillet provides adequate surface area for the large volume of spinach to wilt evenly without crowding the edges.
Whisking the cornstarch completely into the cold or room temperature milk before introducing it to the warm skillet prevents lump formation entirely. As the liquid heats, the suspended starch molecules swell and trap moisture released by the leafy greens, turning the sauce glossy and cohesive rather than watery. Incorporating half a cup of shredded white cheddar directly into this warm binder builds a stable emulsion before the entire mass goes into the oven.
Baking the uncovered casserole at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty-five minutes allows the remaining moisture to evaporate while the top layer of remaining cheddar browns into a crisp crust. Glass or ceramic baking dishes retain heat differently than thin metal pans, so check the corner edges for bubbling activity around minute twenty to prevent over-baking the quinoa base.
