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!
Caprese Quinoa Casserole
You’ll love this healthy, cheesy, easy turkey casserole!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 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)
Instructions
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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.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and tomatoes are thoroughly cooked.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Main Dish
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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!