This Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole is the perfect one dish meal! It works equally well for an easy weeknight meal as it does as a healthy dish for entertaining. Gluten Free and Vegetarian, this quinoa casserole can easily be made vegan.
I can remember when I was in grade school my Mom telling me that sometimes it is the simple things that are the best.
As a child, I thought that this was one of those lines that parents said to their kids because they thought it was the right thing to say.
As an adult, I’ve come to realize how much truth this statement holds.
Our lives are all so busy, especially during this time of year. Despite the elaborate meals and fancy parties associated with the holidays, my favorite moments are almost always simple meals at home with family.
There is nothing like these times to remind us all what matters in life.
For me, casseroles represent the very best in stress-free cooking. I love that I can make them early in the day and all I have to do it pull it out of the fridge and cook it.
This leaves me to spend quality time with the family, and also keeps evening clean-up to a minimum.
I love playing with family favorites and today I’ve done just that. This Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole is a riff on my favorite Butternut Squash Casserole. This dish originated from something I started making in my early 20’s. The original recipe was made with white rice and lots of heavy cream.
I’ve grown to love this version even more.
Since one of my boys won’t touch squash but loves sweet potatoes (which makes no sense to me), I decided to change up the flavor profile a bit and create something the whole family would enjoy.
I will have to say that this is my new favorite quinoa casserole recipe.
It is pure comfort food that you can feel good about serving!
Frequently Asked Questions for Making a Quinoa Casserole:
Can Quinoa Casserole Be Frozen?
Yes! Quinoa freezes beautifully! To freeze, allow the casserole to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then cover in foil. Generally speaking, quinoa casseroles may be frozen for up to three months. It is best to thaw in the refrigerator prior to reheating.
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Baked Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or high heat oil of choice, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 ¾ cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 eggs beaten (optional)
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 6 ounces Gruyere cheese grated or vegan shreds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, toss together sweet potatoes and ½ tablespoon of oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.
- Heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper and thyme and cook for 8 minutes, until the onion is tender.
- Add garlic, quinoa and sweet potatoes and stir for a minute.
- Add broth, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low.
- Cover and cook on low for 25 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the quinoa mixture to an 8 x 8 baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Pour over the quinoa. Top with cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If desired, broil for two minutes to brown the top.
Notes
Tips for Making Quinoa and Sweet Potato Casserole
- To make a vegan quinoa casserole, omit the eggs and use unsweetened almond milk and vegan cheese.
Variations for Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole
- For a more hearty meal, stir in 16 ounces of cooked shredded chicken prior to baking.
- For additional vegetarian protein, add in 1 ½ cups (one can) of cooked, drained and rinsed black beans before baking.
- Add 10 ounces of sautéed baby Bella mushrooms and 1 ½ cups cooked, drained and rinsed cannelloni beans prior to serving.
- For a sweet twist, omit the cheese topping. Instead, meant ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in ¼ cup brown sugar until well combined. Remove from heat and sit in 1 cup oats, ⅔ cup toasted pecans, 1 tablespoon of gluten free flour and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Sprinkle over quinoa casserole and bake as directed.
Serving Suggestions
- Make a complete meal by serving with this Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing.
- Serve with Green Bean Salad from Cookie and Kate.
Wendy Polisi
Thanks so much Pam.
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Wendy Polisi
Jennifer
Oh wow this meal looks delicious! I am a huge fan of both sweet potato and quinoa so I have to give it a try.
Stephanie Pass
This looks so amazing! My mom just loves sweet potatoes, and she's starting to like quinoa, too. I can't wait to share this with her.
Rebecca Swenor
This sounds like an interesting sweet potato and quinoa casserole. I have never made a casserole like this one before with quinoa so I will have to make this casserole for sure. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Jeanine @ sixtimemommy.com
This looks interesting and sounds delicious. Looks very healthy and filling which is something I am always on the hunt for! I will have to give this a try!
Ricci
Now this casserole sounds both savory and delicious!! YUM!!
rika agustini
That looks amazing! I love sweet potato and quinoa... a great combination!
chubskulit
It's been a while since I prepared a quinoa dish. I love that you mix it with sweet potatoes, looks delicious.
Dawn Gibson-Thigpen
wow this looks amazing. i love a good casserole. its a wonderful comfort food.
Mimi "MimiCuteLips" Green
I am a big tea lover. I totally believe that tea goes with every meal.
Susan Grizich
I'm a type 1 diabetic, can I substitute home made green tea with lemon that has no added sugar for the lipton tea in the recipe.
Wendy Polisi
Hi Susan! There is no tea in the recipe so you should be good to go with this one.
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
Shannon Graham
I love casseroles, especially healthy and easy ones like this one!
Minerva
The sweet potato quinoa casserole was amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Wendy Polisi
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah
Absolutely delicious!
Sarah
I have made this 4 or 5 times, and it is an amazing dish. I use white, orange and purple sweet potatoes mixed together and have added some spinach right before baking when the mixture is sitting for 5 minutes in the pan. I also tried Manchego cheese for something different, and it was delicious. It is a versatile recipe that lets you add some other healthy foods and is great for leftovers at lunch.
Stephanie Hogarty
I absolutely loved this. I also added some broccoli and spinach before putting in the oven. Delicious!
Wendy Polisi
So glad you enjoyed it! I love the idea of adding broccoli and spinach!
Shana
Any sense of how many cups of sweet potatoes? I have some giant ones and I’m not sure how many to use!
Wendy Polisi
I used 5 cups!
Sarah
This is one of my favorite recipes. I hadn’t made it in a while and had all the ingredients today! I tried something different-I added the sweet potatoes to the quinoa after the quinoa finished cooking. I found that the sweet potatoes stayed nice and bright orange and firm. It’s such a versatile recipe and soooo healthy. I will keep enjoying it.
Heather
Mixed in spinach and mushrooms while the mixture was simmering, omitted the milk and cheese to make it dairy free (just added a tablespoon or so of water to the eggs and poured on top before baking) and added sliced avocado to the top when done. 100% recommend. One of the best dinners I've had in a while.
Wendy Polisi
I am so glad you enjoyed it!