Quinoa is one healthy ingredient I like to mix in not only in salads but for breakfast too. Here I bake it sort of like a breakfast casserole with eggs, vegetables, cheese, ham or bacon (optional). This is also similar to a vegetable frittata. It’s something you can make ahead to feed a crowd.
Cooking quinoa is not hard at all. It’s just like preparing rice where you boil it with water and let it simmer until all the water is absorbed by the grain.
For the vegetables, I use zucchini, red bell pepper and green onions. When grating the zucchini, use the large holes on a box grater. My choice of cheese is a combination of Parmesan and Fontina or Gouda. Of course you can use any cheese you prefer. To flavor it, I simply use kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder and paprika. I will go easy on the salt here because the cheese and ham are already salty.
Make the Quinoa Egg Bake
Rinse one half cup of quinoa with water and strain it. Transfer strained quinoa into a pot. Add 1 cup of water to the quinoa and cover the pot. Let it boil on high heat. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer until all the water is absorbed, for about 15 minutes. Remove the pot cover and let it cool aside. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter or spray a round glass pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together the grated zucchini, diced red bell pepper, chopped green onions, beaten eggs, grated cheese, cooked ham or bacon, parsley, cooked quinoa, garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer this mixture into the prepared pie dish. Bake it in the oven at 350F degrees for 28 minutes.
I hope you try this quinoa egg bake with vegetables and ham on your next brunch.
Quinoa Egg Bake with Vegetables and Ham
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 small zucchini grated (about 1 cup)
- ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 green onions chopped
- ½ cup cooked ham or bacon diced
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup fontina cheese grated
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
Instructions
- Rinse 1/2 cup raw quinoa with water and strain it. Transfer quinoa into a pot. Add 1 cup of water and cover the pot. Let boil on high heat. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a glass pie dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter it and set aside. In a large bowl mix together cooked quinoa, zucchini, bell pepper, parsley, green onion, ham, cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared pie dish. Bake it in the oven for 28 minutes at 350F degrees, until the top is slightly golden.