Easy Recipe

Mexican Quinoa Casserole

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An easy weeknight or make-ahead meal to use up your leftover quinoa. Be comfortable just dumping ingredients together – there’s no need to measure!

It all started with a truck load of leftover quinoa. For some reason, I totally and completely overestimated how much quinoa I was going to eat during the week, and I was left with about 6 cups of cooked quinoa. Of course, I could have easily just frozen the entire leftover container. But as a master ingredient repurposer, I wanted to turn it into something else.

I started looking around my pantry to see what else I could throw in. I had one sweet potato, cans of various beans, a jar of salsa, nutritional yeast (obvi), and some frozen vegetables. I began with a sweet potato and black beans, but I also wanted something green. Based on limited freezer options, I opted for spinach and edamame. After dumping everything together and adding some spices, I had a fully assembled casserole ready to bake.

I didn’t measure when I made this dish, so the ingredients below are all estimates.  I want you to feel empowered to just throw ingredients in a bowl without being confined to specific measurements. This is another dish that’s basically impossible to mess up, so just go for it! Start with some quinoa and add your beans and vegetables until you have the ratio you want. Then add some salsa, spices, and nutritional yeast, pack it all into a casserole dish, and bake!

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Mexican Quinoa Casserole

An easy weeknight or make-ahead meal to use up your leftover quinoa. Be comfortable just dumping ingredients together – there’s no need to measure!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups quinoa
  • 1 jar of salsa
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 sweet potato peeled and cubed
  • 3/4 cup frozen spinach
  • ¾ cup frozen edamame
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast + more for sprinkling on top
  • 3 T chili powder
  • 1 T cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

  2. Add everything to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
  3. Press into a casserole dish sprinkle with nutritional yeast. Cover with foil.
  4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the sweet potato is fork tender.
  5. Uncover, and bake another 5 minutes, or until the edges start to get crispy.

  6. Serve with more salsa, hot sauce, avocado, or cilantro.

Recipe Notes

This dish is also a great one to make ahead. After pressing everything into the casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it.

Cauliflower Gnocchi – 2 Ways

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When Trader Joe’s came out with their cauliflower gnocchi, this Italian was definitely skeptical. I mean, how could cauliflower have the same dense, doughy texture as their potato ancestors? Trader Joe’s was also on a bit of a cauliflower kick – cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower fried rice, riced cauliflower stuffing, and now cauliflower gnocchi?

However, when TJ’s comes out with something new, it’s almost always on my next grocery list. When I tried these gnocchi the first time, they totally and completely blew me away. These little pillows are chewy, retain their shape, and have just the perfect amount of “squeech” when you bit into them.

These gnocchi are in my regular dinner rotation because the topping options are endless. I have compiled two simple ways to turn these into a quick meal. Just follow the formula of sauce + beans + veggies, and don’t forget the sprinkle of nutritional yeast!

Red Sauce + Cannellini Beans + Spinach

Pesto + Cannellini Beans + Tomatoes + Asparagus + Spinach 

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your veggies. I usually use the veggies I already have in my fridge, but I will also use frozen peas, edamame, or spinach. For other sauce ideas, you could try vegan alfredo, roasted red pepper, or just some olive oil and garlic.

*Make sure you use the sauté method to warm your gnocchi – add a little bit of olive oil to a pan, and sauté until your gnocchi are lightly browned and thawed.

Have you tried TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi? How do you prepare them?

Kale and Arugula Pesto

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This simple pesto recipe is a good way to rescue your tired-looking greens. Pick any nuts or seeds, throw in some nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and garlic, and you’ve got yourself a quick and delicious spread. Try it on sandwiches or stir it into pasta, farro, or grain bowls.

I have a confession – I’ve never been a huge kale lover. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll definitely eat it, but if spinach or mixed greens are a choice for a salad base, I’ll always choose one of those over kale. As one very wise woman puts it, “Kale just multiples in your mouth.” She couldn’t be more right.

You can make pesto with just about anything, so don’t feel confined to kale and arugula. I just chose these two greens because those were the wilty greens in my fridge. I used sunflower seeds this time, but you can choose any nuts or seeds you want. I’ve made pesto with almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, walnuts, cashews, and hemp seeds, and every variation has turned out great.

The measurements don’t need to be exact, so just start dumping into your food processor.  If you are trying to ward off vampires, throw in more garlic. If you have a lot of tired-looking greens, throw them all in; you don’t have to stick to just two cups of greens. If you prefer a more tangy sauce, juice an extra lemon. You can also mix and match your nuts and seeds. I promise you – it’s pretty hard to mess up pesto!

I used chickpea pasta for my protein, but you can also throw in some chickpeas or cannellini beans if you prefer to use regular pasta or zoodles. Some other ideas to beef up your meal are roasted tomatoes, asparagus, peas, sundried tomatoes, or zucchini.

Remember, don’t feel confined to these ingredients. Find something green, add some seeds/nuts, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast, and BAM, you’ve got yourself some pesto.

Izzy wanted you to know that this pesto smells delicious.

What’s your favorite pesto variation?

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Kale and Arugula Pesto

This simple pesto recipe is a good way to rescue any tired-looking greens. Pick any nuts or seeds, throw in some nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and garlic, and you’ve got yourself a quick and delicious spread. Try it on sandwiches or stir it into pasta, farro, or bowls.
Course Dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 c kale
  • 1 c arugula
  • ¼ c sunflower seeds or any nut
  • ¼ c nutritional yeast
  • 1 T olive oil or water + more to thin
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 T lemon juice about 2 small lemons
  • ¼ t each salt and pepper

Instructions

Instructions:

  1. Add everything to a food processor and give it a whirl.
  2. If it’s a little too thick, add more oil or water.
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