Cheesy Greek-Style Baked Quinoa
FYI – I’m back on my quinoa kick.
And it’s bigger and badder than ever.
Starting off January with some sort of healthy initiative is totally cliche, so I don’t blame you for your judgy eye rolls. But after weeks of inhaling a literal mountain of holiday sugar, it’s time to press the re-set button… stat. So I’m scaling back on my carb game, hittin’ the gym like my thighs depend on it (they do), and noshing on delightfully healthy eats like this cozy baked quinoa – Let’s tuck into it.
Quinoa is a great complex-carb for when I’m trying to eat clean, and I’m betting it’s one of yours, too. By now the internet has undoubtedly assaulted you with all of quinoa’s superfood merits, so I won’t bore you with the whole filling/versatile/healthy-as-hell schpeal. What I WILL say is that quinoa is at it’s best when baked, hands down. When prepped into a casserole quinoa takes on a pasta-like quality that’s insanely satisfying, hearty, and delicious. I’ve been experimenting with baked incarnations like crazy recently, among them Italian (think marinara sauce), Asian (shrimp, soy, & ginger? yes), and even Tex-Mex (taco seasoning = life). But my favorite baked quinoa to date, hands. freakin’. down?
You guessed it – Greek.
I was inspired to create a Greek-style quinoa because Greek food is just SO fresh and summery, it’s an easy mental escape from this brutal winter weather. The bright and cheery colors are a superficial (and pleasing) plus, but the real driving force of this dish is the intensely crisp flavors – Spinach, artichoke, and tomatoes are all major players here, and the stellar combination of their textures and tastes is simply undeniable.
The process for putting this together is fairly seamless, so I’d suggest making this on a Sunday or Monday and then enjoying it all week long. We begin with quinoa, which I prefer to cook in chicken broth for added flavor and intensity. The veggies we’ve addressed, but the sauce?
THE SAUCE.
It’s magic.
An insanely yummy combination of reduced-fat feta cheese + skim milk + lemon + garlic + parsley, it is SO luscious and sinful, you won’t believe that it’s not full-fat. Smother its silky deliciousness over the quinoa and veggies, top the thang with more cheese (mozzarella baby), and… that’s it! 15 minutes in the oven later and you’ll be shoving your face with the cheesiest healthy dish on earth.
I love this as a side-dish with chicken or steak, or even as a vegetarian main, so choose whichever suits you best. It’s beautiful to be served for a crowd, and it refrigerates/freezes well, so don’t be shy about making a whole big batch – I promise, it won’t go to waste.
And most importantly – WINE. Drink this with a cold glass of pinot grigio, and thank me later.

Cheesy Greek-Style Baked Quinoa
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups Cooked Quinoa
- 1 1/4 cup Reduced-Fat Feta Cheese
- 1/2 cup Skim Milk
- 1 tsp Crushed or Minced Garlic
- 1 – 2 tbsps Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup Spinach, chopped
- 1 cup Marinated Artichoke Hearts in Oil, drained & chopped
- 1 tbsp Artichoke Oil (from jar of artichoke hearts!)
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- a few pinched Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 cup Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella
Directions:
- Prepare the quinoa as directed. While quinoa cooks, in food processor combine the feta, skim milk, garlic, lemon juice*, and parsley, blending well until smooth. Set aside until needed.
- Pre-heat oven to 400F.
- When ready, in large mixing bowl combine the quinoa, cherry tomatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts, and artichoke oil, stirring well. Pour over with feta sauce, then season with onion powder and salt & pepper, combining thoroughly.
- Transfer mixture to oven safe casserole dish, spreading evenly. Top with mozzarella, then bake for 15 minutes until top has melted and begins to lightly brown – Immediately plate and serve.
>> Prepare quinoa with chicken broth instead of water – it retains more flavor.
*for more tang to your feta sauce, use 2 tbsps lemon juice
cheeese.
This looks so awesome and I have all the ingredients at home. Think I’ll make it tonight.
Thanks!
thanks Anne! if you end up making it please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Have made this several times. the last time I substituted goat cheese for the feta. Love it and my family did too. They are not big fans of feta like I am, but all love goat cheese. One of my 14 year old twins is a huge quinoa fan and she really loved the goat cheese version! Thanks so much for all your fabulous recipes!
that’s great Anne! I personally LOVE goat cheese, that sounds like an amazing swap! so glad you enjoyed it and please keep coming back for more 🙂 xx
This looks amazing, and the addition of artichokes sound delish!
thanks so much Christina – I’ve been having leftovers all week!
This is a REALLY great dish! I am half Greek and I heart my cheese. You know what would really be nice, a little tzaziki yogurt sauce drizzled on top! Gonna pin this one!
omg tzaziki is a GREAT idea!! 100% do that, I wish I had thought of that myself!
Thanks, may give it a shot with some chicken on top too!
I actually mixed in leftovers with chicken last night and it was FAB. def recommend lol
This looks insanely delicious!!! I’m currently in a separate feta mode and separate quinoa mode, and combining them together might be a dangerously fun party for me!
girrrl you will not regret it!!! danger is a good thang 😉
Umm shouldn’t you consult me before you go cold stone sober? I thought we had an unwritten agreement. You drink because I cannot! But in all seriousness good for you! I have only gained .4 lbs in pregnancy (21 wks) and I think it’s because booze has been eliminated. As long as you eat cheese we can still be friends!!
HAH I know I feel like I’m letting everyone down! Just hanging up my party girrrl hat for 3 weeks, then I’m back at it! and cheese & I will never part ways, so there’s one thing we can count on lol
Ahh this looks so good! If I could eat cheese, this would be like dinner every single night. haha.
Pinning!
thanks abbie!! feel free to substitute in daiya mozzarella “cheese'” for a dairy-free swap!
This looks so delicious! I absolutely love Greek cuisine- so this recipe looks right up my street! I’ll definitely have to try this soon! 🙂
thanks so much Jess! if you try it please let me know!
Hahaha, yeah Netflix. Now if I could stop watching an entire season in two days, I’d get a lot more done! This looks and sounds absolutely incredible. I LOVE greek everything and quinoa is my favorite! Pinned and can’t wait to try 🙂
ughh I just finished breaking bad (amazing!!!) and now I’ve started binging on son’s of anarchy – Netflix is a slippery slope! you’re def gonna love this one, thanks for sharing girrrl!
Looks yummy! Will be making this tomorrow!
thanks Jayne! please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Did I read cheese?
And quinoa?
And greek food?
I’m in love with this dish. Someone make me this for dinner now, I don’t care it’s time to go to bed. I want it, and I want it now.
Holy Moly, it looks delicious! x
yes, you read all of those!! thanks so much Consuelo, it really is delish!!
I’ve only had quinoa once and I didn’t look it. However, this looks really flavorful and cheesy. Pinning to try soon
I have never been a huge fan of quinoa… but i think you have managed to wrap it up in an awesome bake. Im in!
100% give it a try!! And if you can’t get passed the quinoa, brown or wild rice would be a good substitute 🙂
I’ve been searching for new quinoa recipes and this bake sounds right up my alley! Thanks!
http://www.prettybitchescancooktoo.com
thanks so much tamara!
This looks FAB! Question, how large is 1 serving? 1 c, 2 c, etc? Also, what size casserole dish did you use? Thanks so much girl!
I used a 9″ square dish, and I’d say a serving is about a cup and a 1/2! thanks for coming by sarah!
Very Good. I used shrimp instead of chicken and left out the artichokes and added more spinach!
that’s great Jen!! so glad you enjoyed it – please come by again 🙂
Christine – thanks for posting this recipe. I made it this weekend and it was SO TASTY! we used the trader joe’s feta with herbs, and the whole thing was perfectly warm and delicious for this cold weather. Cheers!
that’s SO great Amy, I love when people make dishes and they work out awesome! so glad you enjoyed it and that it helped you warm up – please keep coming back for more! xx
Yay! Pinned this a few weeks ago and gave it a whirl tonight. We had the tomato/basil feta in the house so I went with it. Really good! We paired it with some roasted broccoli and I may have lost weight eating dinner. Ok, I didn’t, but it was awesome healthy comfort food! Thanks!!!
that’s awesome Trela, thanks so much for coming back and sharing! some roasted brocc sounds like the perfect pairing, great idea! hoping to keep seeing you around here 🙂
Hi Christine, do you think it would work to prepare everything in the morning, refrigerate, and then stick it in the oven at the end of the day? Would you change the cooking time at all? Thanks!
absolutely! my suggestion would be use a little extra skim milk in the feta sauce to create a thinner consistency – I think this will keep the dish moist while it rests in the fridge and will prevent drying out. take out your dish while the oven pre-heats, then pop it in and cook as directed!
Found this on Pinterest! Thank you Christine! Absolutely delicious!! 😉
that’s so great Rachel! so glad you enjoyed and I hope you keep coming back for more 🙂
Hey Christine!
I made this for dinner two nights ago–it was SO good! I’ve been eating it for lunch and dinner since. Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
that’s awesome Emily, love hearing when people get great results! honestly I did the same, I couldn’t keep myself from eating it! so glad you liked it and pls keep coming back!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so so so good! Thank you so much and greetings from paris!
camille you just made my day!!!!! Not only am I thrilled that you loved the recipe, but to have a fan in paris is a dream come true!! it is my favorite place in the world and I got engaged there back in June – truly so great hearing from you, I hope to see you back here in the future 🙂
hi Christine, i’m glad I could make you smile cause you certainely made my tummy happy 😉 thanks again!
and i will definitely keep checking out your blog for more great ideas!
happy to hear it!! 🙂
Saw this on Refinery29 and made it for a work potluck today, it was a hit! Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
that’s so great Diane, thanks for letting me know! Please keep coming back for more tasty eats 🙂
This was fab! Subbed cilantro for parsley and laughing cow lite Swiss for some of the feta because that’s all I had on hand. May have slipped in a little extra garlic, too, because when is that ever a bad idea? So delicious! Will be adding this to the meal rotation @ my husband’s request!
girrrl I always have to scale back on how much garlic I cook with on here because I could use TONS! So glad it worked out and nice job with the substitutes – it’s all about making it work! hope to keep seeing you back here for more 🙂
This sounds delicious! I love quinoa. Please advise–you say to “top with remaining feta.” Shall I put a cup in the food processor with the skim milk and reserve 1/4 cup for the topping? Or just add some more in addition to the 1 1/4 cups? Thank you!
yes Sharon thank you for bringing that omission to my attention! 1 cup of feta goes into the food processor to create the feta sauce, the last 1/4 cup you sprinkle on top! hope you enjoy it!!
I just made this. Sso good!
that’s great Darlene! please keep coming back for more tasty ideas!
Found you on Pinterest and am cracking up at your blog. Love it! And love the sounds of this recipe too so will be making soon.
that’s great Toodie, I’m so glad you’re enjoying it here! Def give this one a try and keep coming back for more 🙂 xx
This looks so good and healthy. Will it work if I don’t use quite so much cheese? I;m not much of a cook but have decided I have to if I want my husband and I to have truly healthy food. Thanks for making it so easy to print the recipes, that is really thoughtful. I liked you on facebook.
thanks for the like Rella, I’m so glad you found me! this will absolutely work with less cheese, it’s all about personal preference! and if you want to cut down on dairy in general, feel free to swap out the milk for chicken or vegetable broth, which will work just as nicely. let me know your results & keep coming back for more! xx
Soooo excited I found this recipe! My family (and me of course) absolutely loves it! I’ve already prepared it at least 3 times in the last 2months. Each time I add a little something different just for variation. So in my latest version I swapped out onion powder for sautéed chopped onions, and then added some cilantro to the parsley, garlic, milk, lemon juice mixture! What a flavor burst!! I’ve also tried cheddar and pepper jack cheese (at different times) to compliment the feta. Oh..and rice milk works great instead of regular milk. No difference in taste at all! If only I could post a pic.
Fantastic recipe Cakes….keep’em coming! 🙂
that’s so great Camille, I’m thrilled you’re enjoying it!! and I love the creativity too, it’s such a great dish to customize and it sounds like you’re hitting a home run in that department! keep coming back for more sista! 🙂 xx
LOVE LOVE LOVE this. Probably a little obsessed with it as I’ve made it three times since finding it in January. We use a rice/quinoa blend that is sold by the brand Near East which is fantastic.. Last time I used a can of chopped tomatos and even threw in a can of cooked chicken for a bit more protein.
yay I love hearing this Amanda, thanks for coming back to let me know!! it’s such a versatile dish, I’m glad you’re playing around with how to prepare it – the choices are endless! keep coming back for more tasty ideas 🙂 xx
me again. Still a meal planning staple. Last night I decided to throw everything except the cooked quinoa in the food processor to speed up the process. Worked out great. Not as pretty as the tomatoes and spinach were pureed but simplified the entire process!
This was so delicious!!!! My fiance and I aren’t huge fans of artichoke hearts so I put in an orange bell pepper (no red bell peppers in the house) instead and it was still soo good! It does seem like a very versatile dish. Thanks for the recipe!
that’s so great Lia!!! I love the creativity – that’s exactly what you need to do with cooking, making swaps where it’s needed! so glad you enjoyed and hope you keep coming back for more!
How much UNCOOKED quinoa is needed for the recipe?
a little more than 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa will give you the 2 1/2 cups cooked that you need 🙂
Oops! I made 2.5 cups uncooked! It didn’t seem to have enough veggies for all of the quinoa. How much of the dry quinoa did you cook?
Just saw the above post! Thanks!
This looks awesome, can’t wait to try it! Do you think I could sub all feta for mozz cheese?
absolutely Cami! the feta won’t melt on top as cleanly as the mozzarella (shredded cheese just melts better than crumbled), but it will still be delicious!! good luck and enjoy 🙂
OMG! My good friend made this and brought some leftovers for me to try and YUM! Great recipe, and I strongly recommend everyone to try it!
that’s great Shannon! I hope she inspired you to give it a try as well 🙂 thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know!
I can’t wait to make this recipe! It looks super delicious, but I’ve been wondering: can you reheat it, if so what’s the best way to do it?
Thank you!
that’s great Bethany, absolutely go for it! I just reheated it in the microwave, about a minute depending on how large of a serving you’re reheating – tasted just as great, esp since I threw in a little extra chee when I did 😉 good luck!
I can’t wait to make this! This might be a stupid question, but do you think this could work in the crock pot?
thanks for stopping by Jessi! honestly I wish I could answer this but I don’t own a crockpot, I can’t fit one in my tiny nyc apt! still think you should try & make it as I outlined – it’s easy and sooo yums! xx
Hi! I am making this for Easter – so excited. Question though: it says 2 cups of cooked quinoa. So, how much dry quinoa do yuo recommed I put aside to cook?
Thanks!
Hi! I am making this for Easter – so excited. Question though: it says 2 cups of cooked quinoa. So, how much dry quinoa do you recommend I put aside to cook?
Thanks!
I made this last night and enjoyed every bite!! I think it’s going to be a regular on my menu! Thanks!
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! Will definitely be making this again.
OK, so I’ve made this recipe at least a half dozen times already because it is friggin’ delicious. Last time I made it, I had no quinoa in the house but I did have farro. Swapped one grain for the other and it came out fabulous. A little heavier, but really good. 🙂
that’s wonderful Nicole, I’m so glad you love the recipe!! and kudos on the creativity, it’s those “make it work” moments that make cooking so much fun! thanks for coming back to share 🙂
Wondering if this could be make ahead to freeze?
Hey Destiny! Yes you can freeze this before ever cooking in the oven, then thaw and bake when you want it! Just be sure to cover it super tight to avoid freezer burn – good luck!
Awesome!
Oh my gosh yum! I made this today to divide up for my lunches to bring to work the rest of the week and I am so glad I did! The flavors are amazing and it was quick to whip up. I cooked the quinoa in chicken stock and omitted the tomatoes for my personal preference. I’ll have everyone at work very jealous 🙂
this looks so good! I think I’m going to try this tonight!
Do you think this is freezer friendly? Cooked or uncooked?
I made this for dinner tonight. And it is out of this world delicious!
that’s awesome Jennifer, thanks for sharing! x
Wow! This was SO GOOD! Definitely a keeper!!
Just double checking on size of pan?
an 8″ x 8″ or 9″ x 9″ pan works perfectly! xo