I found this recipe in my new Minimalist Baker cookbook and it fit the bill for being part of a whole food plant based dinner. We don’t have quinoa very much, but we should because did you know it was a complete protein? Quinoa and kale are some of the most healthy things we can put in our bodies so the fact that both of them are in this dish is great! It looked like it was a list of simple ingredients put together to make a one dish meal. It took a little longer than I thought to precook the parts but it only bakes for less than 10 minutes. It’s really tasty and has great flavor and you feel super healthy eating it. I didn’t add the walnuts that were optional in the recipe but I added Vegetarian Better than Bouillon no beef base in the water while cooking the quinoa and I just used nutritional yeast instead of making vegan parm.

Butternut Squash + Kale Quinoa Bake

1 cup white quinoa

1.5 cup broth (I used water and Vegetarian Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base)

3 cups chopped kale

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 yellow onion, halved and sliced thin

3 cups chopped butternut squash

10 oz baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400*

2. Lay butternut squash on parchment and sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake for 12-14 minutes until tender but not soft.

3. Cook quinoa in broth until it absorbs and fluff.

4. Grease an 8×8 baking dish and add in quinoa and turn down oven to 375*

5. In a sauté pan, cook onions, garlic, and mushrooms for 5-7 minutes over medium heat and then add in kale for another 3 minutes until just wilted.

6. Layer the butternut squash and veggie mixture on top of the quinoa and sprinkle with nutritional yeast and salt and pepper.

7. Bake uncovered for 7-10 minutes and serve for a wholesome dinner.