I have this slight obsession with quinoa. I love the fact that it’s packed with protein out the wazoo and that it’s good for you. Now don’t get me wrong, I love rice but sadly it doesn’t always like me. However quinoa is a total win win for me! It’s a great addition to sneak into soups and stews to get some added protein and help thicken up the recipe. You can use it in just about anything from breakfast to dinner, desserts to snacks. As of late I’ve been craving comfort type of foods. Perhaps it’s because Fall is here and there’s a slight chill in the air. There are days when I’ll literally just make a bowl of quinoa and eat it plain. I just love this stuff!
I decided to rummage through my fridge to see what I could do with this lovely bowl of quinoa I had just made. Since ol’ mother hubbard’s cupboards were getting pretty sparse I decided to use up some veggies and stuff I had to use up. I found some baby portabellas, mascarpone, cheese (God knows I ALWAYS have cheese on hand!) and a few other ingredients. Since I wanted to boost up the protein in this, I opted to add an egg to it while it baked. Have you had baked eggs yet? God I LOVE them on pizzas and dishes! SOOOOOOOO yummy!
So today I opted to go with a casserole if you will. I got to chopping, mixing and literally tasting as I went. Since all the stuff was cooked (the egg wasn’t added yet) I was OK with eating the ‘raw’ mixture to help adjust the seasonings. But then again, I’m old school, I still lick the cake batter beaters and eat raw cookie dough. Some are opposed to stuff like that, some make the batter JUST to lick the beaters. *shrugs* to each their own, right?
This dish is so creamy and decadent. It’s comforting and just ‘hugs’ your tummy. I had a chill in my bones all day and this dish just warmed me to the soul.
I have to apologize for the non-pretty egg on top as I couldn’t wait to pop it and have the yolk pour out into the mixture. This was pure awesomeness to the max! The creaminess of the mascarpone combined with the veggies and the egg. Mmmm! I so love this dish!
I think the ONLY thing that could make this dish any more awesome would be if I ate two of ’em. LOL I literally made this every day for a week just because it was so good!
Now when I made this I made them into individual portions but this can easily be made into a family sized meal. Put it in a larger ceramic baking dish or even a 9×13″ glass pan.
Baked Quinoa Savory Cups
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Ingredients
- 3 cups Perfectly Cooked Quinoa (cooked in stock and a pat of butter)
- 2 cups portabella mushrooms, sliced thick
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 cup shredded Asiago
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup mascarpone
- 4 large whole eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium heat add in the oil and butter.
- When the butter is melted, add in the onions and stir around.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes and add in the sugar, gently tossing around.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften.
- Add in the mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the mushrooms have rendered their liquids, turned brown and the onions have begun to caramelize.
- In a bowl add the cooked quinoa, mascarpone, cooked onions and mushrooms, thyme, salt, pepper, Asiago and Parmesan cheese. The mixture should be creamy.
- Preheat the oven to 400F, middle rack and butter the insides of six 8 ounce ramekins.
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.
- Evenly divide the mixture in each ramekin.
- Make a well starting in the center of each ramekin and moving outward. You want a well that is depressed for most of the middle/center. About 14-1/2” deep all the around going up to 1/4” from the edge of the ramekin.
- Carefully add 2-3 tablespoon of egg white to each well so it just barely reaches the top of the indentation. It’s okay if you have left over.
- Using a slotted spoon, add the egg yolk on top of the egg white in the center.
- Carefully put the baking pan in the oven and bake for 13-20 minutes. This really depends on how runny you like your eggs. I like mine to where the yolks are runny but the whites are set.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley.
Notes
To make a family-sized dish, just butter a larger casserole dish or a glass 9×13″ pan. Baking time will be the same; just keep an eye on the eggs.
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