Is Thanksgiving really under two weeks away? How can that be? The Fall is whipping by isn’t it? At least the weather is finally starting to match up with the season. This morning my lawn is covered in frost and somehow, I am ok with that knowing we have had a very, very good run with warmer than normal temperatures.
It has been awhile since I shared a savory recipe and I think you are really going to enjoy today’s Quinoa, Spinach and Artichoke Casserole. My recipe is a sight modification of one I found in the cookbook, Home on the Range by Molly Yeh. My friend, Joan gave me the book about a year ago as a gift when I hosted a birthday luncheon for a mutual friend here at my home. I was so touched as it was such a lovely hostess gift to receive. Molly, a Julliard graduate with a degree in percussion had been a roommate of Joan’s son while they were both living in New York.
Molly now lives with her fifth-generation farmer husband on the North Dakota-Minnesota border and writes the blog mynameisyeh. Her culinary perspective is eclectic and her cookbook is filled with fun recipes that are inspired by her combined Jewish and Asian heritage mixed with her current surroundings and her husband’s childhood favorites. Other recipes I have tried from her cookbook include a Spinach and Feta Rugelach and the most amazing Roasted Rhubarb Malabi which is a dessert with a pistachio crust base, a creamy coconut pudding in the middle and a topping of fresh rhubarb mixed with sugar, lemon zest and some vanilla paste and then roasted and cooled. Yummy!
But I digress.
Molly’s original recipe for this casserole or as she calls it, Hot Dish, is her riff on the traditional casseroles of her husband’s youth. You might remember those famous recipes that used a can of soup to bind everything together? That was the inspiration but don’t worry, canned soup is not an ingredient in this dish!
Leeks are sauteed in some butter, along with green onions and garlic. Chopped spinach is added and then some traditional ingredients to create a white sauce. Cheddar, Gruyere and Ricotta are added along with some defrosted artichoke hearts and some freshly ground black pepper. A few dashes of tabasco cuts through the richness. Previously cooked off quinoa is folded in and the dish is topped with a combination of parmesan and panko before being baked until golden brown. You can make it a day ahead and rewarm it at serving.
I added more cheese, including some Gruyere to Molly’s original recipe. I also amped up the spinach and instead of peas (which my chief taste tester has an aversion to unfortunately), used some frozen sliced wild mushrooms I found at Whole Foods. I settled on frozen artichoke hearts in my final recipe.
I made the modified version to serve to some friends just last night and it went over really well. I think it would make an ideal vegetarian main course or it could serve as a side dish to a roast chicken or tenderloin. It’s a potluck homerun or you can serve it at Thanksgiving!
Either way, I think you are going to really enjoy this one. If you make it, please let me know what you think! Hats off to Molly for the inspiration!
And ps, my second “In Conversation” will be next week so be sure to stop back. She’s not a chef, but someone very fun in the creative world here in Boston who I think you are going to really enjoy! Stay tuned!
This recipe was adapted from Molly on the Range on Molly Yeh. It's a wonderful vegetarian casserole that can serve as a main dish or a flavorful accompaniment to chicken or beef. It would be a perfect dish to bring to a pot luck or Thanksgiving! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups quinoa (whole grain or white), rinsed and drained
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, white and light green parts finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups packed spinach or chopped kale
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable broth or low-sodium chicken broth
- Black pepper
- Tabasco sauce
- I cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
- 3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1, 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 3 quart casserole dish.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa, water, bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook the quinoa until all of the liquid has been absorbed, roughly 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside, covered.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook until they begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Turn the heat down and add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes. Add the spinach or kale and cook, stirring until wilted. Add the flour and stir for roughly one minute until the flour is completely absorbed by the vegetables. Slowly add the milk and bring to a simmer while stirring continuously. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken and then add the broth and continue stirring until the mixture bubbles and thickens once again.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses, the artichoke hearts and the chives. Add several grinds of black pepper and about 8 dashes of Tabasco sauce, along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Stir in the quinoa and then pour the mixture into the baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Combine the parmesan and panko and then sprinkle the mixture over the quinoa. Drizzle with just a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.
- Bake for about 30 minutes until browned. Let cool slightly before serving.
Hi Val,
Made this last night to feed the group that arrives at different times Wednesday. Perfect reheating tips already posted. Thank you! And easy to make GF. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Ann! So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious Valerie and I can’t wait to try it. I’ve been looking for a good vegetarian
main dish to add to my Thanksgiving menu. If I plan to make ahead and freeze, would you suggest baking first or freezing unbaked?
I would definitely bake it first, then wrap really well and freeze. Not 100% sure the texture will be the same. You can also make this one or even two days ahead and keep in the fridge since everything is really cooked – you just want to marry all the flavors. Take the casserole out of the fridge about an hour or so before cooking – it will reheat more evenly if it isn’t ice cold. Reheat in a low oven, 325 or so, for maybe half hour.
Looks yummy; I’m going to have to try this one! I am thinking I might know who your next “In Conversation” interviewee is : ) I always look forward to Friday mornings and the arrival of your blog. xo
Suze
Thanks, Suze! xoxo