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Recipe: Quinoa Breakfast Bake
This recipe and photo were created by contributor Katie Morris of Katie at the Kitchen Door. Learn more about Katie and this recipe by checking out her accompanying post.
Like many people, I've committed to finally getting fitter/losing weight/eating better this year, so I started off January with a two-week whole-foods "cleanse" to help me focus on what I should be eating (you can find the recipes and menus here and here). Officially, I'm done with the cleansing part, but I'm trying to make the whole-food diet stick. While doing this, I've realized that starting the day off on the right foot is crucial: If I don't start off with a healthy, filling meal, the rest of the day is basically a wash. Still, even knowing this, it can be pretty hard to drag myself out of bed on a work day to make a good breakfast, especially during January when it's cold and dark in the mornings. I'm trying to combat laziness and keep my days on track by making a healthy breakfast with several servings early in the week, then just popping each serving in the microwave before heading out to face the day. This quinoa breakfast bake is a perfect example. Mix the flavors up by adding whatever fruit and nuts you like best!
Recipe: Quinoa Breakfast Bake
Photo by Katie MorrisServes 4-6
What You'll Need:
1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice 2 eggs
2 cups skim milk 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 1/2 cups frozen berries
1 apple or pear, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
What to Do:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan, and set aside. (Note: a 9x11 works fine, too!)
- In a medium bowl, stir together uncooked quinoa, cinnamon, and allspice to coat quinoa with spices. Pour quinoa over bottom of prepared pan.
- In the same bowl used for the quinoa, beat the eggs until fully mixed. Whisk in the milk and maple syrup, and beat to combine.
- Scatter the berries, apple or pear pieces, and nuts (if using) evenly on top of the quinoa.
- Pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the fruit and quinoa. Lightly stir to partially submerge the fruit. (The milk mixture will cook the quinoa to create a very soft texture on the inside, while creating a lightly crunchy crust on the outside!)
- Bake for 1 hour, or until casserole is mostly set with only a small amount of liquid left. Serve warm, and refrigerate leftovers.
Need some more healthy breakfast inspiration? Try these recipes from Katie at the Kitchen Door: 
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Comments Leave a comment
This may be a silly question, but is the quinoa cooked prior to making this dish? thanks
@Mel13Rose Not silly at all! I had the same question at first :) The quinoa is not cooked prior to baking. You use raw quinoa, and when it's baked, the inside actually becomes softer than normal, and the top has a light crunch.
@ksmorin @Mel13Rose Great, thanks so much ! Now I can go make it, I LOVE Quinoa!!!
I made this last night and reheated it in the microwave this morning. Absolutely AWESOME! Sooo YUMMY!
@MadGranola I'm so glad you liked it! My batch lasted me the whole week - breakfast made easy!
Yum! I can't wait to make this over the weekend!!
I made this last night, and it is fantastic! A couple of points:
1) I used red quinoa, but I think I'll use white next time. White always seems to stick together better, which I don't usually like, but in this recipe it would be a better choice.
2) I toasted my quinoa first, and love the flavour. It's worth the extra step. http://www.food.com/recipe/how-to-properly-clean-and-toast-quinoa-421986
3) It's amazing with a bit of greek yogurt on top. Decadent!
@HartOSilver I'll definitely try mine with toasted quinoa next time! And I also tried greek yogurt on top — yum!
Made it tonight and like it but wish it was just a bit sweeter. Any suggestions?
@Jserrat3 Next time, you can try increasing the maple syrup by a few tablespoons and it shouldn't affect the texture. With your current batch (if you have extra) I'd recommend adding a splash of milk and a little extra maple syrup or brown sugar to the bowl when you reheat it, like you might with oatmeal.
looks healthy but as someone who needs the nutritional break down it is unusable for me
@LindaBrogan Check back soon for built-in nutrition facts! In the meantime, here they are for this recipe: 285 calories; 10g fat; 41g carbs; 10g protein. That's for 1/6 of this recipe. Hope this helps!
We have egg allergy in our house, any ideas on a substitution in this dish? My boys love quinoa though!
@Miselaineious I have used (not in this recipe but others) greek yogurt as a substitute for eggs, or from what I understand you can soak chia seeds and use it as a sub for eggs in baking recipes.
@Miselaineious This list has some great substitutions:
http://greatist.com/health/healthy-recipe-substitutions/
My favorite egg substitute is a "flax egg." Basically you mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons warm water, mix until combined, and let sit for 2-3 minutes until it turns into an "eggy" texture. That = 1 egg! Multiply as needed!
We have egg allergy in our house, any ideas on a substitution in this dish? My boys love quinoa though!
I have a few questions on substitutions. Can i take out the allspice? Sub skim milk for almond milk, maple syrup for honey, and frozen berries for fresh?
@prinzezzl I made mine without allspice and just added a bit more cinnamon instead and it came out great! You can use any type of milk you like, and honey/maple syrup/agave all work great. As far as berries go, you can definitely use fresh or frozen! (Though you may need to use a bit more liquid if using fresh, since the frozen do add a bit of moisture). Hope this helps!
Yes I think so. We have milk allergy so I always sub out milk of choice. Eggs are a little tricky, particularly if its a casserole based off egg.