Summer Vegetable Quinoa Ranch Gratin

Now when I first saw this recipe at Ann of Fountain Avenue Kitchen‘s Facebook page I immediately said “I HAVE to make that!  Simply HAVE TO!!!”

See I love quinoa.  It’s so healthy and versatile and with my not being a big fan of rice, this is perfect for me.  I’ve used quinoa in a ton of recipes ever since I first stumbled upon it a year or 2 ago.  It’s my go-to starch and often replaces potatoes.  I know right!  Me… pick something OTHER than potatoes?!

I’ve been really, really busy as of late and haven’t had much time to cook (between vacation and work) that this literally was the first meal I made as soon as I got home last night!

What I loved most about this recipe is that you can really mix it up and add just about anything to it.  With just returning from vacation old Mother’s Hubbard pantry was pretty bare.  I found a zucchini, squash, onions and some steak mushrooms… perfect!  I could easily see this with broccoli, cauliflower, maybe some crispy bacon (yes, I know, EVERYTHING is better with bacon!), green onions.  Ohhhhhhhhh.. perhaps make it Asian-inspired with green onions, lemon grass, water chestnuts, toasted sesame seeds and Chinese 5-spice!

This dish can be served all year-round and would be PERFECT for a “covered-dish” gathering or a dish to add to a buffet table.

Whatever the occasion, make this.  Really.. MAKE THIS!

Ann, my dear friend, THANK YOU for this recipe!  This is a definite keeper!

Adapted from Fountain Avenue Kitchen’s original recipe

Since I had some extra zucchini left over I just sliced some rounds super thin and pan seared them with sea salt to make them super crispy.

Seriously.. go make this

Summer Vegetable Quinoa Ranch Gratin

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer

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Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 tbl butter (unsalted)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup shredded squash
• 1 cup button mushrooms
• 1 cup caramelized onions
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 1/2 Tbl Buttermilk Ranch Seasoning Mix
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Asiago (or more if you like – I liked almost 1/2 of a cup).

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put the quinoa and butter in a pan and saute over medium for about 5-7 minutes or until the quinoa smells nutty. They will also get slightly browned (don’t burn them!). Also, stir gently while they are cooking.
3. Pour the chicken stock and bring just to a boil.
4. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is all dissolved.
5. Butter an 8×8 glass pan.
6. Gently beat the eggs.
7. Add the milk and whisk to incorporate.
8. Add in the Buttermilk Ranch Seasoning Mix and pepper, whisk.
9. Add in the vegetables and stir to coat.
10. Add in the quinoa (it can be hot, that’s ok) and combine well. The mixture will be moist though not sopping wet. If it appears too dry you can add a 1/8 cup of milk but you shouldn’t need to.
11. Add in the mozzarella and mix.
12. Pour into the prepared pan.
13. Add the Asiago cheese on top.
14. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set and the top is slightly golden.*
15. *Note: Once it got slightly golden I actually broiled it for about 2-3 minutes as I wanted more of a crust.

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