Quinoa Lasagna Casserole
Published 3/1/2024
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Try this light and nourishing Spinach Quinoa Lasagna Casserole for a no-hassle, protein-packed dinner that’s sans gluten and filled with so much flavor!
Made all in one casserole dish, this healthy spin on the classic comfort food is excellent for easy meal prep and busy nights when you’re hangry and want the oven to do all the work for you.
Featured Comment
“Loooove this casserole! Such great flavors and also great for meal prepping! I like to add a little extra marinara when I reheat the leftovers too. So much yum! Thank you!” – Larissa
This quinoa lasagna casserole was one of the first quinoa casseroles we ever posted on Fit Foodie Finds (2016, omg!). Honestly, it’s what made me fall in love with quinoa in the first place. I love this easy vegetarian meal because there’s no precooking involved. Ain’t nobody got time to precook quinoa for a casserole — I don’t, anyway! The tomato sauce in this casserole rocks, and it tastes even better the next day! We mixed marinara with cottage cheese and ricotta cheese to make it cheesy, rich, and flavorful.
A quick rundown: To make this lasagna dish, just prep your veggies and assemble them in the casserole dish. Then add a layer of quinoa, then the marinara-cottage cheese mixture, and mix it all together before baking.
What’s You Need for this Quinoa Lasagna Casserole
- White quinoa: I’ve tested this recipe with both white and red quinoa and I prefer white. I find that red quinoa has more of a “bite.”
- Veggies: We used a mix of bella mushrooms, fresh spinach, and yellow onion to add a ton of flavor and nutrients to this lasagna dish.
- Marinara sauce: For our lazy girl lasagna, we used store-bought pasta sauce. It’s easy and delicious! You could also make your own if you’re feeling ambitious.
- Cheese: We lightened up the cheese sauce by using part 1% cottage cheese. I went for the full-fat ricotta because the nonfat kind tastes really bad, and that just isn’t the point! (my personal opinion.) If you don’t mind non-fat ricotta, go for it!
- Tomatoes sliced: We love adding fresh tomatoes to our lasagna for extra color and texture. Optional, but highly recommended!
Easy Ingredient Swaps & Add-Ins
This vegetarian lasagna can be easily customized to your liking. For instance, you can omit or use any other veggie of your choice. Zucchini slices, bell peppers, and eggplant would all be delicious options!
You can also top the casserole with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, or parmesan cheese if preferred.
FAQ for Quinoa Lasagna Casserole
Nope! We used uncooked quinoa in this recipe, making it an easy one-dish meal. The quinoa lasagna will cook perfectly while baking in the oven.
You’ll know when the quinoa is done when it becomes translucent and the white spiral-like germ separates from each grain. It should also be soft and not crunchy.
We haven’t tested this recipe with regular quinoa, so try it at your own risk! The cooking time may vary. We highly recommend using sprouted quinoa for the best flavor and texture.
How to Store + Freeze
To store, place your casserole in an airtight container, such as a glass pyrex
To freeze, we suggest baking this in a disposable/aluminum casserole dish
To reheat, let it thaw completely and then reheat in the oven at 400ºF for like 20 minutes or until the sauce begins to bubble!
Spinach Lasagna Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups white quinoa
- 2.5 cups bella mushrooms, diced
- 4 cups spinach, fresh
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
Marinara Mixture
- 2 cups organic marinara sauce
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup 1% cottage cheese
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, full-fat
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
For the Top
- 4 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray your casserole dish with coconut oil cooking spray (be generous!).
- Next, prepare the veggies by chopping the mushrooms and finely dicing the onions. Place the veggies (including the spinach) into the greased casserole dish.
- Add the quinoa to the casserole dish. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together all ingredients for the marinara mixture.
- Add the marinara mixture to the casserole dish. Use a large spoon to mix all ingredients together, making sure everything is (mostly) covered.
- Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and stir. It will still be a little soupy, but don't worry this is how it's supposed to be! Place back in oven for 30 minutes, covered.
- Remove, add sliced tomatoes and mozzarella to the top and place it back in the oven for 2 minutes.
- Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh basil and a glass of red wine for best results.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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College = basically the pinnacle of stress. FEEL YA GIRLFRIEND. But yes, cooking is such a therapeutic practice that I would never ever sacrifice!
How did you get yours to be so solid? We made it but it was very liquidity, not solid like slice in picture.
Did you use sprouted quinoa or normal quinoa?
If using the non sprouted truroots shpuld you reduce the liquid or cook longer? I only have the regular one. Thx
This recipe looks amazing! I will definitely be giving this a try. 🙂
Ok, I *hate* all domestic chores, especially cooking, but there was something about this recipe that told me to MAKE IT. So I did. I even knocked off of work early to get ingredients. And I cooked. For once. OMG. This was AWESOME. Thank you! Even my picky kid liked it. Winning!
OMG. This is the best comment, EVER!
This recipe looks awesome. Quinoa is an amazing grain. Good for you to come up such a great casserole.
Oh stress is the WORST and wreak total havoc on your life! I am all about writing out lists and mani/pedis. They are the BEST and total help me relax, especially when it involves a good massage! I hope you’re able to destress this weekend!
This looks delicious!! Does it matter if the quinoa is sprouted or not? I have a Costco-size bag of quinoa that I would like to use up before buying more quinoa (ha!), but I’m not sure if the recipe needs strictly sprouted? I’m not sure what kind of quinoa I have at the moment but I wanted to check because I want to make this as soon as possible! 🙂
Any kind of quinoa should work 🙂
Hi Lee,
This may be a dumb question, but is there a lactose free sub for the ricotta? I love lasagna but have strayed away since becoming lactose intolerant.
Thanks!
Lauren
Hey Laura! Gosh I’ve never heard of a lactose free ricotta! My chicken parmesan quinoa bake is very similar, but without cheese IF you just make the quinoa portion and don’t do the chicken! https://fitfoodiefinds.com/2015/12/healthy-chicken-parmesan-quinoa-bake/
Kite Hill makes an almond milk alternative.
I’ve used a cashew cheese that I have made from scratch, it’s really easy and tastes really good. I can’t remember the exact recipe I used, but if you look for one you should be able to find it. It was easy to make, you just need something to process the cashews with.
This looks incredible! I’ve tried quinoa vegan “taco meat,” but I’ve never thought to make a lasagna out of quinoa! Excellent idea! I love how it holds together, too. I can’t wait to try this. Thank you so much for sharing!
You are going to absolutely LOVE THIS!!!
This is the solution for serving vegetarian guests! I’m not that much of a quinoa fan but it’s hard to beat the nutritional value of this meal.
Hope you loved it, Mommy!