Spinach, Tomato, and Quinoa Breakfast Casserole

About a year and a half ago, I was introduced to quinoa by my sister and loved it! I actually use it a pretty regularly at our house. When I tell people about some recipes I've used with quinoa, I always get the response, "Qui-what?" And most people mispronounce it as "queen-noah" or something of the like. But I used to do that, too, so no judgement from me!!

Well, I did a little bit of research about it and found out that quinoa (pronounced "KEEN-wah") is a gluten-free seed, grown and harvested mostly in Bolivia and Peru, that also happens to be a complete protein, meaning it provides all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce. All 9 of which are necessary for good health. Pretty cool, huh?  (And aren't the plants beautiful??)

Always on the lookout for new ways to make quinoa, I came across this delicious looking breakfast casserole on the Beachbody Blog a couple of days ago and wanted to try it out!

I only took a bite when it came out of the oven, but I was pretty impressed! I then cut it up into 5 portions and put them in my meal prep containers to use as a snack or meal for the upcoming days. How easy is that? Just grab, pop in the microwave, and go!

Then the next day I had it as my morning snack at work, and it was delicious! I added some Frank's hot sauce because that's just what I do, especially when eggs are involved. I will definitely be making this again!

You could also modify the recipe to suit your needs. Prefer mushrooms or onions or kale or bell peppers? Use those instead or as well--be creative! You can also use part-skim ricotta for the cottage cheese if you'd like.

So here's what you do.

Ingredients

Makes 5 servings

cooking spray

2 1/2 c. cooked quinoa

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 c. reduced fat (2%) cottage cheese

4 c. raw spinach

1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved (I cut up Roma tomatoes and used those)

1/2 c. finely chopped basil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray

3. Combine quinoa, eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and basil in a large bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

4. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the dish comes out dry.

See the image below for the portion counts for various programs as well as the nutritional info. Happy baking!