Now this recipe for autumn quinoa vegetable bake isn’t much of a looker. But please bare with me, because it tastes so damn delicious!
This weekend we did all the autumnal things, what about you? On Friday night we chilled in all cosy and watched a film, then on Saturday we went to the seaside and had a long walk along the seafront, stopping for some lunch (I had a great salmon salad fyi) and finishing with a coconut hot chocolate. Dreamy. Then on Sunday it was my cousin’s birthday party and this year she was 13! My aunts cooked loads of stuff from my book and it was amazing. We had the millet and strawberry salad, the buckwheat quiche, the spicy potato wedges, the baba ganoush, quinoa tabblouleh and the seed crackers. Then they had a whole salmon, more salads, cheese and charcuterie. This was followed by 5 (!) gluten free cakes – rose, orange and sultana, chocolate brownies, flourless chocolate cake, AND birthday cake. It was a great day.
Anyway back to the recipe – I love making a big batch and eating this for lunches throughout the week and it’s delicious cold too. It’s cheesy, it’s cosy, it’s crunchy on top from the breadcrumbs, and it makes me feel like I’m embracing autumn with gusto. It’s a delicious low FODMAP veggie meal that’s perfect for the colder months – total comfort food, but full of good stuff for you too. You roast the veggies with herbs and cook the quinoa, then mix them both together with milk, cheese and more herbs before topping with olive oil covered breadcrumbs and baking for 25 minutes. Easy!
Such a simple dish to make (as is often the best food) change up the recipe to suit your mood, your gut and what’s in your fridge. A few variations to get you started:
- You could take out the cheese to make this recipe vegan or replace with another cheese if you don’t like cheddar
- Use whatever veggies you’ve got lurking in the bottom of the fridge – the delicious but often shunned swede would be great here
- Mix up the herbs to suit your tastes – note that chives in this recipe are a great replacement for onion (high FODMAP)
- If you’re in the maintenance phase of the low FODMAP diet and can tolerate a few leeks or brussels sprouts they’d add great flavour
- You could swap the breadcrumbs for oats (gluten free if needed)
- Take out the mustard and add some spice
Ingredients
200g quinoa
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided plus more for greasing
1 medium pumpkin (low FODMAP) or 270g butternut squash (slightly higher FODMAP) + extra lower FODMAP veggies such as parsnips and carrots, scrubbed and diced
2 parsnips, scrubbed and diced
Big bunch kale, leaves removed from the stem and roughly chopped
4 tablespoons chopped herbs – thyme, sage, rosemary are all good
250ml lactose free milk, or almond milk
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
175g cheddar cheese, grated
100g gluten free breadcrumbs
Small handful of chives, chopped
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C and lightly grease a medium-sized deep baking tray. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa, 500ml water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and leave to one side, keeping the lid on.
Meanwhile, place your veggies on to your baking tray and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, the four tablespoons of herbs and a teaspoon of salt. Toss together to coat and spread the vegetables out into an even layer. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the veg is beginning to brown. Remove the tray from the oven and increase the temperature to 200C.
Remove the lid from the quinoa pan and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add half the chives, the milk, the mustard and the cheese and mix to combine. Spoon the quinoa mix on top of the veg in the baking tray and fold together gently.
In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the remaining chives. Toss together and spread in a final layer on top. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until evenly golden.
I really do love seeing you lot make my recipes – please tag me @shecanteatwhat or with #fodmapfriendlykitchen across social media!
