Winter Squash and Quinoa Bake
Winter Squash and Quinoa Bake – wholesome with butternut squash, kale, corn and nutritious quinoa, but indulgent with Gruyere cheese, this cozy quinoa casserole is a delicious side dish or vegetarian main when winter squash is plentiful!
This post has been sponsored by Safeway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Winter Squash and Quinoa Bake – wholesome butternut squash, kale, corn, and quinoa are baked with Gruyere cheese for a simple quinoa casserole!
Once winter makes itself known and coaxes us to pull on the thicker sweaters and walk past the berries and melons at the grocery store comes the realization that it’s time to face reality — the seasons have changed and it’s time to embrace the cold weather produce. It’s time to load the basket with apples, and Brussels sprouts, and winter squashes! I hate to admit to playing favorites because there are so many delicious squashes to love, but I have a special place in my heart for butternut squash.
They’re easy to peel, for one. (Don’t get me started on acorn squash!) Its sweet flavor lends itself to transforming many of my favorite comfort foods into something lighter and healthier (my Butternut Squash Creamed Corn and Butternut Squash Scalloped Potatoes come to mind). And I just love tossing it into winter salads and comforting dishes such as this baked quinoa casserole.
All you need are some pantry staples.
I received another box of goodies from my friends at Safeway, and this time it was full of pantry staples perfect for making mealtimes easier this winter! From croutons and balsamic dressing to taco shells and enchilada sauce (which got used right away in my Vegetarian Enchilada Skillet Casserole), there were so many possibilities in the box. There were so many O Organics favorites, and to round it out, some Lipton Tea and Best Foods Mayonnaise, too!
You know by now how much I appreciate shopping O Organics® 100% USDA-certified organic products in every aisle – from healthy snacking and mealtime staples to baking and beyond, I really rely on stocking up on organic staples. I love that they offer an option for virtually any recipe I cook!
Safeway also offers Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go™ for convenient ways to shop – I use this service weekly and it’s such a timesaver to shop online and drive up and go!
How to Make a Quinoa Bake
This simple casserole is chock full of pantry staples, which makes this so easy to throw together. Other than the butternut squash and kale, I’ve usually got everything I need in the pantry (quinoa, pesto, onions, and garlic) and the fridge and freezer (cheese and frozen corn).
For this recipe, I use the O Organics Quick Cook Quinoa, which cooks up in just 5 minutes! That means while the quinoa fluffs up in the saucepan, I can work on cooking down the onions and butternut squash!
Once the butternut squash is fork-tender, I stir in the kale and corn, quinoa, sun-dried tomato pesto (I use O Organics here, too!), and creamy Gruyere cheese!
I crumble the O Organics Croutons and sprinkle it on top with a little more cheese and it’s off to the oven to get nice and melty! This quinoa bake is a great side to any meal but also makes a great vegetarian main on its own.
More Winter Squash Recipes
Roasted Acorn Squash and Kale Salad
Baked Oatmeal Stuffed Acorn Squash
Spiced Butternut Squash Lentil Soup (Vegan)
Butternut Squash Scalloped Potatoes (Vegan)
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Farro, Chickpeas and Kale
Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad with Kale, Farro and Cranberry Dressing
Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with Safeway. Thank you for supporting brands that matter to me; sponsored posts such as this help behind the scenes at Kitchen Confidante. All opinions in this post are, as always, my own.
Winter Squash and Quinoa Bake
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cups diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash (1/2 inch pieces)
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 cup crushed croutons
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375°F with a rack placed in the center of the oven.
- Cook the quinoa in vegetable broth according to your package directions. Drain any excess liquid, if necessary.
- Heat olive oil in a deep-sided skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the butternut squash, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork-tender, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the corn, kale, sun dried tomato paste, salt, quinoa, 1 cup of cheese, and almond milk. Adjusting seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish, top with remaining cheese and croutons and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven, let it rest for about 5 minutes, then enjoy.
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
Hi, The recipe calls for this: 1/3 cup sun-dried tomato pesto…but in the directions it just says sun dried tomato. Did you mean sun- dried tomato paste? If not can you tell me what sun-dried tomato pesto is….Thank you! Cant wait to make this!!!!
Hi Joann! It’s sun-dried tomato paste! Thanks for catching that in the directions – I will be sure to edit that so there is no confusion. Enjoy the recipe!
Can this be assembled ahead and baked later? I could imagine so if the cheese and crushed croutons are added before baking? Just wondering if I’m not thinking of anything else that might happen to it texture/mixture wise if prepped one day and baked the next day.
Hi Deborah! Yes, you can assemble it and add the cheese and crushed croutons before baking!
I used a cast iron pan on the stove then put it in the oven. 1 less dish to wash.
Smart! I’m all for doing fewer dishes! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mary Ann!
Can this casserole be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the casserole, either before baking or afterward.
I’d love to make this but my husband is lactose intolerant now… what can I replace the cheese with? Does goat cheese work? Sigh…
There are a lot of vegan cheeses that work well! Feel free to try it with that. A good brand to start with is Miyokos. I’ve been dealing with some lactose intolerance myself these last few months and understand how hard it can be!
Hi! This recipe looks delicious. Can I substitute spinach for the kale?
Yes, absolutely! Spinach works just a nicely.
Excellent! Made this recipe twice. The first time, used gouda instead of gruyere since I had a block to use up. Skipped the croutons since I had none. Yummy! Second time I used gruyere and skipped the croutons again, and did not bake because it was already so delicious and satisfying! – And to save on time! This recipe is definitely a keeper!!!
I’m so glad you love it, Chris!!! Thank you! :)
1 cup cooked quinoa or dry quinoa? Ended up eye balling it but I’m curious. Also I made it with Kobucha squash (instead of butter nut squash) and vegan cheese—yum! The guyere version was better tho!
Hi Mandy — that would be uncooked quinoa (I’ll update the ingredient list so it’s more clear). Love that you used kabocha squash, one of my faves (I’ve been eating so much this week, in fact!)!
What’s a good substitute for the almond milk, regular milk? We’re not an almond milk household. Thanks!
Hi Barb! Regular milk works perfectly in place of almond milk!