Quinoa Spinach Scalloped Potatoes Bake

If you love scalloped potatoes, this a great way to turn a traditional dish into healthy, protein rich, one-pan-meal. The quinoa does a great job at making this dish feel filling but not heavy. I just made this at a recent yoga retreat that I cooked for and all the yogi/yogini's loved it :). And if you observe yogic fasting for holy days and giving your digestive track a little rest, this is a great, make ahead recipe.If you're not fasting, you can always change up this recipe by adding different veggies and combining different cheeses. I love adding fresh fennel and broccoli with a cheddar/parmesan mix. 

Quinoa Spinach Scalloped Potatoes Bake

Author: Kajal Dhabalia

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup quinoa
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 pounds spinach, washed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1⁄2 teaspoon seasoned salt for quinoa (or to taste)
• 1 tsp salt for potato mixture (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dill
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch glass or metal pie pan.
2. In a medium sauce pot, rinse 2/3 cups quinoa a few times.  Fill pot with 1 1/3 cups water, add salt and then bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower temperature to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes and then remove from stove and put off to the side.
3. While quinoa is cooking, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and then add washed/chopped spinach. Continue to saute until spinach is limp (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. Then peel and thinly slice the potatoes.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 1/2 cup milk and then put aside.
6. In a medium bowl, mix together quinoa,  feta (crumbled) and stir in the spinach mixture.
7. In another bowl, combine sliced potatoes and spices.
8. Layer half of the sliced potatoes in the greased baking pan. Then add quinoa/ spinach mixture for the next layer, and then layer with remaining potato slices. Gently pour milk/butter mixture over the top. Then top potatoes with the grated cheddar cheese and finish with sprinkling the sesame seeds on top.
9. Cover with foil (if you spray foil with an oil spray then the cheese won't stick to the foil) and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove foil and let cook for another 10 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
10. Enjoy!

Notes

VEGAN NOTES[br]You can substitute the dairy products with non-dairy products.[br]And add a little nutritional yeast to the milk mixture to give it a "cheesy" flavor.[br][br]GLUTEN FREE NOTES[br]This is completely GF! Yeah![br][br]AYURVEDIC NOTES[br]You can always add 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp fresh, chopped jalapeno to the quinoa mixture as it will help your body digest this meal better.[br]This is a great recipe for fasting days.

3.5.3229

Enjoy!xo,Kajalp.s. For more fasting recipes, you can visit here: Fasting Recipes Archives.