Quinoa Harvest Casserole
You’d never guess it’s in there, but a splash of orange juice is added to mellow the strong flavor of the garlic.
Over medium-high heat, toast the rice and quinoa together in a large skillet for about 5-8 minutes (its ok if the quinoa is wet, it will quickly dry out in the hot pan), until quinoa starts to pop and turn golden. Shake pan often, to prevent burning. Set aside.
Be sure to cut the squash into uniform small peices. Sauté onions and squash in oil until onions are tender.
Add in toasted rice/quinoa and remaining ingredients (except orange zest). Mix well then pour into baking dish, cover and bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes or until veggies are soft. Remove from oven and gently stir in orange zest, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Quinoa Harvest Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup quinoa uncooked (rinsed)
- 1/4 cup brown rice uncooked
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion diced (or leek)
- 1 garlic minced
- 1 cup carrot finely diced
- 1 cup butternut squash peeled & finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups GF vegetable stock
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- Juice from 1 orange 1/2 cup + 1 tsp zest
- 2 Tbsp parsley
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, toast the rice and quinoa together in a large skillet for about 5-8 minutes (its ok if the quinoa is wet, it will quickly dry out in the hot pan), until quinoa starts to pop and turn golden. Shake pan often, to prevent burning. Set aside.
- Sauté onions and squash in oil until onions are tender, then add in rice/quinoa and remaining ingredients (except orange zest).
- Mix well then pour into baking dish, cover and bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes or until veggies are soft. Remove from oven and gently stir in orange zest, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 1 toasting is done while rice and quinoa is uncooked???
Yes. Toasting adds flavor and color to the final dish.
Does the quinoa have to be rinsed first and if so does it brown when wet.
If the package of quinoa indicated it was rinsed, then its fine to use dry. But otherwise it really should be rinsed to remove the bitter compounds that are on its surface. Once its rinsed, shake it well in a colander to remove the excess water. The heat from the pan will quickly evaporate the last of the water.