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
, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze, we suggest baking this in a disposable/aluminum casserole dish
. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the cooked, cooled casserole and press out all of the air. Then, wrap the entire casserole in tin foil and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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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Made this and then had to forward to friends and family as it’s AMAZING! Even my meat loving-needing husband gave it 5-stars. On to the next casserole tonight 🙂
Going to try this recipe this week! One question, does yhe quinoa have to be cookes before going into casserole dish?
Uncooked!
We made this last night. It was firm enough to cut with a spatula and tasty! We only used 1.5 cp of the broth if that helped with the firmness.
Hey Robin! Thanks for your comments. Glad you enjoyed <3
I made this yesterday as part of my weekly meal-prep – and it’s so delicious! I substituted mushrooms for zucchini that I chopped up in very little pieces, turned out fantastic. Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper
Yay!!
Hello! I’m a total mushroom hater – do you have any suggestions for mushroom substitutions?
I hate mushrooms too and I swear you can’t even taste them in this! You could either omit or sub another veggie of choice!
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing. I ran out of time and cooked the quinoa first in the broth and then just baked the casserole 20 minutes. Turned out amazing.
So glad your modifications worked!
I failed miserably at this. I don’t know what I did wrong. After an hour it was soupy. I ended up adding more quinoa and cooking for a total of 2 hours. It still was not solid. I wish I knew where I went wrong.
I never liked quinoa before because it always had a dirty taste before, even if I washed it and soaked it, etc. This recipe definitely didn’t taste like dirt. THANKS! I had to switch dishes though when I was adding my spinach and realized my casserole dish wasn’t gonna cut it.
YES!!! This is one of my favorite recipes with quinoa!
A lasagna out of quinoa? Wow! That is a bold innovation. I would try it. Thanks a lot for this amazing recipe.
Just made this recipe and it is AWESOME! It does look a little soupy when finished but sets up nicely before serving. Now I need to get my kiddos to eat quinoa and I’ll be set! Thanks Lee for your great recipes!