Cheesy Quinoa Cauliflower Bake
I just finished washing out Oliver’s lunchbox and laying it out to dry for the weekend. My favorite time of day is (finally) here: the quiet of the evening when I can actually talk to Sam about our day or sit and reflect on my own thoughts after the inevitable dance party or band practice that precedes the bedtime routine lately. Before becoming pregnant for the second time, I’d have had a glass of wine with the back door propped open right about now — these days though, I have sparkling water or occasionally take a sip from one of Sam’s hard ciders. Except now the back door’s closed and we even turned on the heat for the first time yesterday. The racing to water the lawn and clean the grill have been replaced by cozier dinners at home and longer baths in the evening. You blink and it’s the first day of fall.
I’m at the point in my pregnancy now where everyone wants to chat about it – strangers, grocery checkers, bank tellers, everyone. And while I know many friends who are annoyed by this, I like to try to give people grace: they’re all coming from a good place, either remembering their own small kids or grandkids or the kids they wish they could have had. People are just trying to connect. The one thing I’ve found interesting this time around is at any given moment, I’m not entirely sure how far along I am. With Oliver, I had that little app that tracked the changes in your body each week with fruit and veggie graphics: “this week your baby’s the size of a blueberry!” I’d eagerly await Tuesday morning when the app would update, and I’d have news to share with Sam and my lovely employees who at least pretended to care. This time around I just haven’t gotten around to re-downloading it, I guess (much to Sam’s disappointment) and weeks seem to go by without a deliberate effort to count or log them.
With Oliver, I kept a pregnancy journal of how I was feeling. I took belly photos each week, and was really diligent about prenatal fitness, eating enough salmon, reading all the books. This time, none of the above have been true and if I think too hard about it, it makes me a little sad. I bought a journal a few weeks back to try to encourage myself to just write down a few things, but once evening rolls around and I have those precious few minutes to rinse out O’s lunchbox and catch up with Sam, other things feel more immediately pressing.
It’s not for lack of excitement or enthusiasm, it’s just that there’s far less time to focus inwardly on myself and my feelings and experience during this pregnancy. There’s post-workday dinner to throw together, birthday parties to plan, new shoes to buy for Oliver’s school, breakfast with friends, oil changes, Halloween costumes – you get it. But there’s also the sweetness in between: Oliver putting his stuffed manta ray under his pajamas and telling me he’s growing his baby, too. Sometimes he even sleeps with her under his pj top and lately he’s started asking her if she’s hungry for some milk or a snack. Over breakfast last weekend, O told me he’s going to teach the new baby guitar. Sam’s gearing up to move out of his home office so we can turn it into a nursery. I’m going to paint the walls and hope to make new curtains.
I went to my first prenatal yoga class this past week; I recall it being a bit too slow for my taste during my first pregnancy but thought this time around it might be different. And while it was still too slow and still not to my taste, it turned out there was an unexpected bonus I hadn’t thought of: a full hour of quiet to connect with the new baby, not something I’ve really gotten a chance to do. So I may return. Not for the sloowwwwwwww stretching or pillow-laden poses, but for a chance to lay my hands on my belly, chant a few “om’s” and say hi to this new little person. I may not know the size in vegetable or fruit icons or the exact week, but as Oliver says, the baby is “growing” and we all couldn’t be more excited for that fact alone.
Cheesy Quinoa Cauliflower Bake
- Yield: 8 servings
- Prep time: 15 mins
- Cook time: 1 hr
- Total time: 1 hr 15 mins
To make this a weeknight recipe, cook the quinoa and cauliflower the day before (or even a few days before) so then you’ll really just be cooking down the greens, assembling and getting the casserole in the oven. You’ll notice I cook the quinoa in broth here, a great way to add an extra boost of flavor to your savory cooking.
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
While the oven’s preheating, cook the quinoa: Add quinoa and vegetable stock to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the water’s absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit, covered, and steam for ten minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Lay the cauliflower onto the baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender (it’s ok if it’s not super roasted looking; it’s going to continue cooking when you bake the casserole).
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the shallot. Cook for 3 minutes, or until shallot is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the kale and saute until wilted, 2-3 minutes.
Turn cauliflower out into a large mixing bowl. Fold in the kale, quinoa, 1/2 of the cheese, milk, capers, Dijon, salt, red pepper flakes and thyme. Mix well. Scrape mixture into a large oven-safe baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown on top. If you’d like a crispier top, turn the broiler on high at the end of your cooking time and continue cooking for 2 minutes, or until nice and crispy.
Leftovers are great if covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Welcome to A Sweet Spoonful, my blog devoted to seasonal cooking, whole grain baking, and casual gatherings in our Pacific Northwest home. My name is Megan Gordon and I'm so glad you're here.
Megan's book! Buy now
- Canada:
- Amazon
Health Comfort Food
Thai Carrot, Coconut and Cauliflower Soup
People describe raising young kids as a particular season in life. I hadn’t heard this until we had a baby, but it brought me a lot of comfort when I’d start to let my mind wander, late at night between feedings, to fears that we’d never travel internationally again or…
Cheesy Quinoa Cauliflower Bake
I just finished washing out Oliver’s lunchbox and laying it out to dry for the weekend. My favorite time of day is (finally) here: the quiet of the evening when I can actually talk to Sam about our day or sit and reflect on my own thoughts after the inevitable…
Stuffed Shells with Fennel and Radicchio
I’d heard from many friends that buying a house wasn’t for the faint of heart. But I always shrugged it off, figuring I probably kept better files or was more organized and, really, how hard could it be? Well, I’ve started (and stopped) writing this post…
Smoky Butternut Squash and Three Bean Chili
If your house is anything like ours, last week wasn’t our most inspired in terms of cooking. We’re all suffering from the post-election blues — the sole upside being Oliver’s decision to sleep-in until 7 am for the first time in many, many months; I think he’s trying…
Spiced Steel Cut Oats Porridge with Cranberry-Ginger Sauce
Porridge is not the sexiest of breakfasts, it’s true. It doesn’t have a stylish name like strata or shakshuka, and it doesn’t have perfectly domed tops like your favorite fruity muffin. It doesn’t crumble into delightful bits like a good scone nor does it fall into buttery…
Tara Tubb
Making this right now for a party tonight!
megang
Wohoo! Hope you guys liked it!
Anne
I thought this would be too obviously healthy to appeal to my teenagers but they both loved it! Despite visible kale! That is a win.
mary
This looks SO good - I"m bookmarking it now and putting it on the menu!
megang
I hope you love it, Mary!
megang
Wohooo! Thanks for the feedback, Anne!
Kankana Saxena
I love such baked meal, so perfect for the season too! Really where did all the months go? The year just flew ! Anyways, am saving that recipe to give a try :)
megang
Awesome, Kankana. I hope you enjoy it!
Angelina
I'm not sure where I went wrong with this. Definitely not what I expected. I'm not a novice cook but this was horrible! Looking back, not enough milk to finish steaming the cauliflower. Or maybe make a cheese sauce and mix in. The cauliflower wasn't soft and the whole dish was dry. Plus, the thyme just didn't work in my opinion. Maybe another spice - basil or dill? I had such high hopes for this and it took a long time to make. Ended up throwing it away. :(
Lynne
Great recipe and such a nice one for the cold season! It also makes superb leftovers.....
I loved reading your thoughts on your second pregnancy. Same experience here. I remember feeling guilty that I wasn't as absorbed and focused on the the baby, then my wonderful pediatrician gave me some great advice (she was one of a family of 7!!!!!). She offered that I might keep in mind that the second baby would not only NOT have less attention than the first child, but would have the advantage of having a built-in buddy/sibling who would more than make up for any time constraints my husband or I might have as parents of 2 young kids. I can still remember the sense of calm this brought me and sure enough, she was spot on. Twenty-eight years later, our boys remain best friends and are in almost daily contact though living on different continents. It sounds like Oliver is going to be a super-duper big brother and you are going to have so many sweet memories of your little ones together. Enjoy and make sure to rest up!
megang
Oh this was so nice to read, Lynne. Thank you so much for sharing. You're absolutely right about having a built-in playmate, and I'm really looking forward to that (for Oliver's sake and selfishly my own!). That's so wonderful to hear that your boys are best friends today. I text with my two younger sisters every day, too, and hope that Oliver and his brother or sister will be just as close :) Thanks again for the sweet comment, and have a great weekend!
megang
Oh gosh, I'm so sorry to hear it, Angelina! We've made this many times in our house. The cauliflower actually roasts in the oven before you even put the casserole together - the milk doesn't do anything to steam it, so perhaps that step got cut short? It sounds like that's the case as the cauliflower roasts first until it's soft as the recipe states. Regardless, so sorry it wasn't a hit at your house. Hopefully the next one will resonate better. ~Megan
Liz Baldwin
This turned out so delicious! My husband really enjoyed it. I used Extra Sharp Cheddar, and Unsweetened almond milk instead of the whole milk. And just plain quinoa. We will definitely be keeping this in our repertoire!
megang
Yay! So glad to hear it, Liz. I love this recipe, too!
Jennifer Hemmer
I’m thinking about making this to deliver to a family in need. Would you recommend me cooking everything and deliver it for them to reheat or what do you think would be quick and easy?
megang
Hi, Jennifer! It's really easy to reheat - you're essentially just warming in a low temp oven (300 or so), so I'd deliver it fully cooked and just include a note about reheating. Happy New Year!
irene
Always wondered how else to prepare my cauliflower, thanks for sharing. I think i might substitute the cheese with margarine, but then again it won't be "Cheesy Quinoa Cauliflower Bake" for as long its tasty, just wondering!
Kevin Horner
Any thoughts about substituting fresh spinach for the kale?
megang
I like it. Should be totally fine!