Today I’m bringing you a simple, cheesy Caprese Quinoa Casserole Recipe loaded with turkey, mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. You are going to love this healthy and easy dinner!
Last week I made one of our old favorites, salmon with bok choy over rice, except I didn’t have any rice. That’s one of those things I think we always have and forget to buy at the store. After panicking for a moment, I realized that we had quinoa, which was a perfectly good substitute. I love how it’s a whole grain like brown rice but only takes 20 minutes to cook!
Quinoa seems to go a long way because I made one cup dry like I usually do with rice, and we had a lot leftover. I dug through the freezer brainstormed for ideas of what I could make with two cups of leftover quinoa, and this tasty Caprese casserole was the result. This would be a great make-ahead or freezer meal if you just add the topping ingredients before baking. We loved it for dinner and for lunch the next day too. I think this easy quinoa casserole recipe will be a hit at your house too!
Watch This How-To Recipe Video!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 16 ounces ground turkey
- 1/2 sweet onion diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- red pepper flakes to taste, optional
- 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 8 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 1/4 cup white wine you can substitute chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan divided
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced or cubed (use 2% milk cheese to lighten it up)
- 4 Roma tomatoes sliced
- handful basil leaves sliced thin or minced (I used freeze-dried basil this time)
Ingredients
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- If you don't have leftover quinoa, cook 3/4 c. dry quinoa with 1 1/2 c. water according to package directions. Continue with the rest of the recipe while this cooks.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey, onion, salt, and red pepper flakes. Sauté and crumble meat until turkey is cooked through.
- Add garlic, spinach, and wine or broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Stir in cooked quinoa and 1/4 c. parmesan. Reduce heat to medium and cook until heated through.
- Transfer quinoa mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange slices or cubes of mozzarella over the top, and place tomato slices in an even layer over the cheese. Sprinkle basil over the tomatoes. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. parmesan over the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and tomatoes are thoroughly cooked.
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Maria says
This was such a simple recipe to follow. I didn’t have quinoa so I used some left over rice…man so delicious!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Caleb Dickerson says
Awesome recipe! I definitely doctored it up though. First with the quinoa cooked it in stock with crushed garlic and fresh thyme and rosemary. I added mushroom and jalapeno for a little texture and kick to the turkey, then i deglazed with the white wine but after I added 1/2 a cup of chicken stock and a 1/4 cup of milk to give it a more flavorful and creamy component. Threw in some Italian seasoning and cayenne pepper and lemon juice then at the end tossed in a knob of butter! AMAZING and so much depth of flavor!(:
Tara Peterson says
This was such a great recipe to make for my family ! Even my 13 month old loved it ! So yummy & a different and tasty take on quinoa!
L says
Hi, I want to make this for my girlfriend who just had a baby. If I make it 1 day in advance, should I bake it in the oven to get the cheese to melt and tomatoes to cook? Or should I just store in the fridge and have her bake?
From refrigerated (overnight), how long will she have to bake and at what temperature?
Thanks!
Andi Gleeson says
Hi! I bet she will appreciate that! I would leave the tomatoes off until the day you are going to take it over there. Then add those and the basil and let her bake it. 350 degrees for about 40 minutes should do the trick! That will still be easy for her since she can just pop it in the oven and forget about it while it bakes. Hope that helps!
L says
Thank you!
Darren says
I found this last summer, and I have made it several times. I lost the printed recipe and almost freaked out because it is so good. Just googled it and found it easily just now. Making it again tonight, and my friends at work like it as well; now, I have to make a double batch when I cook because my friends will see me eating it at work and want a bite, so I just bring in left overs for them, too.
Jen says
I tried this recipe last night and it was a hit! I added some jalapeno (we love spicy food!) and it was sooo yummy! Thanks for sharing this!
Andi Gleeson says
I love spicy too, so the jalapeno addition sounds perfect to me. I’m so glad you liked it, Jen. Thank you!!
Glenn A McKinney says
I tried this recipe and it was delicious. I added turkey bacon for an added crunch.
Andi Gleeson says
Any sort of bacon is always welcome :) I’m so happy to hear you liked it, Glenn. Thanks for taking the time to come back to let me know!
Christina Aleman says
Quinoa is a very healthy substitute for our regular rice, with this kind of recipe I’m sure anyone can enjoy eating this.
Andi Gleeson says
I hope you like it :) Thank you!
Val says
I made this last night, it was delicious. Can you estimate a calorie count?
Tara says
The Caprese Quinoa Cassarole is easy and delicious! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Susan says
Hi Andie, I love the chicken and spinach enchiladas recipe. One of my favorite restaurant enchiladas is spinach and poblano peppers w onion. This would be an awesome addition to the chicken or you can go veggie with it! Thanks so much!
Andi Gleeson says
Thanks, Susan! I’ll have to try it with the peppers. Thanks for the idea! xo
Catherine in LA says
Tried this dish for me and my boyfriend last night and we LOVED it! This will be one of our regular dinner meals from now on. Fairly easy to make, different, and delicious.
Thanks for the idea!
Andi Gleeson says
Oh, I’m so happy to hear it! Thanks so much, Catherine!
John Gutierrez says
My wife is a quinoa fanatic. Made this for her tonight and it is absolutely beautiful and tasty. Always nice to try something new. Thanks for the recipe.
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you, John! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
Allie says
I found this recipe yesterday and made it last night. It smells amazing while cooking and tasted equally as delicious! I love that it is incredibly easy to put together, while the presentation is pretty pro-looking, IMO.
I did substitute the fresh mozzarella with string cheese, though. (My store only sold packages of 16oz and I had no idea what I would use the rest of it for!) Plus, already having string cheese at home made it feel like a decent $ saver. I’m sure this casserole would be even better with the fresh mozzarella.
Thanks so much for this great dish!
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Allie. Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I love your string cheese idea. It’s still mozzarella, and I love when I can use ingredients I already have on hand. If you’re looking for a way to use fresh mozzarella, I love it on pizza or in grilled cheese sandwiches with tomatoes and pesto. Lots of people love it in caprese salads and things too, but I love it the best melted! Thanks again. I hope you are having a good weekend :)
Anne says
I also thought it sounded great to pair all of these flavors so I actually made this for dinner tonight! I did add some Italian Seasoning to the meat mixture
but otherwise followed the recipe as written using garden tomatoes and basil!! How did it taste you ask? DELICIOUS!! Satisfying and good tasting.
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you, Anne! I’m so happy you liked it! I love that you had fresh ingredients from your garden to add. That must have made it even better!
Emily says
This was a wonderful dish and a great way to introduce quino to my teenage son! YUM!! Thanks Andi!!
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you, Emily! I’m glad it was a hit!
S says
Hi, sounds really good, with what I could substitute the gorund turkey meat? I don’t eat meat.
Andi Gleeson says
Hi! What about two cans of white beans (drained)? Hope that helps!
Ab says
Substituted kale for spinach because it was what I had on hand. Used “Italian sausage” turkey and it came out delicious. Caprese anything would be at the top of my last meal list. Thanks for sharing! Found via pinterest.
Andi says
Thank you, Ab! I’m so glad you liked it! Merry Christmas :)
Sara says
I will definitely be trying this this week! Looks awesome, and it meets my carb needs while marathon training!
Andi says
Thanks, Sara! I hope you like it, and good luck in the marathon!
Karli says
I just made this the other night and it was great, thanks! Always looking for new quinoa recipes :)
Andi says
Thank you, Karli! I’m happy to hear you liked it :)
Cara Roxanne says
I just stumbled across your site, and this is in the oven as we speak! I didn’t have any frozen spinach, so I threw in some fresh leaves along with some extra fresh diced tomatoes. It smells amazing! Can’t wait to dive in!
Andi says
I hope you liked it, Cara! I’m sure it was at least as good with the fresh spinach. Thanks for trying my recipe :)
Samantha says
Quinoa is something I’ve been DYING to try! Thanks for the yummy recipe and linking up to Tips and Tricks!
Andi says
I only tried quinoa recently, and I really like it! Thanks for having me at the party :)
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
What a fun casserole this turned out to be with the quinoa and the cheery tomatoes on top.
Nice job.
Andi says
Thanks, Carol! Hope you are doing well!
Annie @Maebells says
This is calling my name! I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with! I know most quinoa recipes are cold, like a salad but I think I prefer it in casserole form. Warm and gooey and covered with cheese!
Andi says
Thanks, Annie! I prefer my food to be covered in melted cheese whenever possible ;)
Kelly says
What a great casserole dish! I love quinoa and caprese so combining the two sounds wonderful!
Andi says
Thanks so much, Kelly!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
another awesome recipe idea! love that you used turkey and how guilt free this casserole is.. definitely will be adding quinoa to my next casserole creation. thanks for the inspiration!
Andi says
Thanks, Thalia! I can’t wait to see the quinoa casserole you come up with (and your gorgeous photos)!
Michele @ Alwayzbakin says
That looks SO good with all the cheese. Yum!
Andi says
Cheese makes everything better :) Thanks, Michele!
Catherine says
Very delicious indeed!! and healthy too. Blessings, Catherine
Andi says
Thank you, Catherine! Have a great weekend!
Kim @ Hungry Healthy Girl says
Love the caprese flavor and quinoa, but I’ve never thought about pairing the two together. Yum! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Andi says
Thanks, Kim! I hope you like it :)
[email protected] says
WOW, this is the quinoa bake of my dreams! I love Caprese flavors, and this one terrific idea, Andi! :)
Andi says
Thank you so much, Marcie!