A few months ago, I walked into my boyfriend's work to pick up our dog on the way home. He handed me a recipe from one of his co-workers saying, "Here, Andy and his wife made this last night and it struck them so strongly that we would enjoy this dish, too, that they printed off the recipe for us and gave it to me." It was a recipe for Quinoa Lasagna, origin unknown. If a "healthy" recipe in which quinoa is substituted for the lasagna noodles among other modifications reminds and inspires our friends in such a manner, then my work here is done!
I went home that very night and made the lasagna. I had to make a few modifications, not having everything on the ingredient list. But I had enough of the important things to make a good go of it. And it was every bit as delicious as Andy purported, and an instant addition to the cluttered drawer I refer to as my recipe book.
So without further ado, I give you Quinoa Lasagna - Sunny-style.
See the ingredient list for potential substitutions.
Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15’. Fluff with a fork.
While that is going, heat oil in a saucepan on medium heat.
Add the onions; cook until transparent and starting to brown. Add the
mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are softened and very little moisture remains
in the pan. Add the garlic and tomato sauce. Stir occasionally until hot. Set
aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 °C. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch
casserole dish or spray with cooking oil (I prefer veggie oil, but olive oil or coconut oil will do the job, too)
In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese with the egg.
Mix well, stir in the parmesan, basil, and oregano.
Blanch first the zuccinni and then the kale (if you are using
it instead of spinach) in boiling water for a few minutes, strain and pat dry.
Start your layering. Evenly spread the cooked quinoa in the
casserole dish. Spread one-third
of the tomato sauce over the quinoa. Make a layer of all the zucchini, then all
the cottage cheese mixture, then one-third of the tomato sauce, then all the
spinach, ending with the remainder of the tomato sauce. Spread the mozzarella
cheese evenly over the top.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until the lasagna is hot and the
cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly browned around the edges. Serve (or
wrap up and hide it in the fridge away from your guests and boyfriend so you
can keep it all to yourself).
Serves 8 (or two for three meals)
2 cups 500 ml) water
1 cup (250 ml) quinoa
2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 cup (250 ml) chopped onions
1 cup (250 ml) sliced button mushrooms. I substituted sliced
carrots and it was perfect. Use whatever root or earthy vegetable you can slice
up from the fridge.
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups (~500 ml) your favorite prepared sauce. I used a
combo of leftover sphaghetti sauces from the fridge, and when I didn’t have
enough of that, I combined one 6 oz. can of tomato paste and 6 oz. water. In reality, the dish requires 4 cups of
sauce, scrimp if you only have three.
2 cups (500 ml) cottage cheese
1 large beaten egg
¼ cup (60 ml) grated parmesan cheese. Fun hint – I had
shredded parmesan that I put in my coffee grinder to get a good grate, and it
worked great J
2 tbsp (30 ml) minced basil (fresh or dried, no matter)
1 tbsp (15 ml) dried oregano
2 cups (500 ml) zucchini (essentially 1 medium zucchini)
2 cups (500 ml) packed fresh spinach. I substituted kale
here, and I will keep doing it. Blanche the kale for 2-3 minutes in boiling
water. Blot dry with a paper towel before layering on the lasagna, stays firm,
and adds it coarse and slightly sweeter flavor/texture combo to this great
dish.
1 ½ cups (375 ml) shredded mozzarella – in a pinch, colby
jack works as a good substitute.
