Spanakopita quinoa casserole

Inspired by this recipe: https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/280864/spinach-feta-rice-casserole/ , but I made enough changes and liked it well enough that I wanted to save my version. Notes: the dill is actually key to the flavor, and I probably could have gone with a bit more. The grain-to-other stuff ratio is higher than the original recipe, and I think it would definitely benefit from that being a bit lower (i.e. only use 2-3 cooked cups of quinoa, whereas I think I ended up with almost 4 cups of quinoa from 1 cup raw). Could increase the amount of liquid/binding ingredients as well (i.e. eggs and Greek yogurt); this definitely wasn't as creamy or spinachy as I expected. Not bad for a half-improvised recipe, though. Approximate exchanges for 1/4 recipe: 2 str 3 veg 3 pro 1 fat

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 03:39:14 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Moderate

Nutrition per serving

Calories324.3 kcal (16%)

Total Fat11.7 g (17%)

Carbs36.8 g (14%)

Sugars2.9 g (3%)

Protein19.3 g (39%)

Sodium530.2 mg (27%)

Fiber6.7 g (24%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

1 Tbspolive oil

divided

1onion

large

1 tspminced garlic

10 ozfrozen spinach

thawed + water pressed out

1 cupquinoa

raw, then cook it

¾ creduced fat feta

½ cplain nonfat Greek yogurt

¼ tspsalt

1zest of lemon

2 Tbspfresh dill

chopped, used 1 entire package, fronds only, from Trader Joe's

1 tsppepper

Instructions

Step 1

1) Saute onion until starting to brown, then add garlic and spinach and saute/stir on the stove for another minute or so. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Step 2

2) Add quinoa, feta, dill, salt + pepper to pan and stir to combine. Alternatively, add these ingredients to a large mixing bowl, then stir in spinach mixture.

Step 3

3) Preheat oven to 425 F and lightly grease a casserole dish.

OvenPreheat

Step 4

4) Whisk together eggs, lemon zest and yogurt in a bowl. Add to the quinoa mixture and stir well to combine. Transfer to casserole dish and smooth down the top.

Step 5

5) Bake until lightly browned in spots, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 min before serving.