The casserole queen has done it again, this time with a vegetarian number in the style of a Shepherd's or Cottage Pie. Quinoa replaces the ground meat, and goat cheese is added to a potato/parsnip topping. Flavourful mushrooms form the middle of this layered dish. A really delicious recipe for a multi-tasker to undertake.
Ingredients for the bottom layer:
Ingredients for the bottom layer:
- 3-4 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 1 small zucchini, finely diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 2 tbps. ‘better than bouillon’ mushroom in 1 cup water
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped finely.
- pepper and chopped fresh herbs to taste.
- a few dashes Worcestershire sauce
- a handful of chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- a handful of chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
Ingredients for the middle layer:
- one onion sliced thinly
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- about 3 cups of chopped/sliced mushrooms
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- pepper to taste
Ingredients for the top layer:
- 4 large potatoes
- 4 medium-sized parsnips
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 4 ounces chevre
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1 cup of white cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then construct the casserole. If you're a well-organized type A personality, you can work on preparing the ingredients for the 3 layers simultaneously.
Bottom layer
- one onion sliced thinly
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- about 3 cups of chopped/sliced mushrooms
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- pepper to taste
Ingredients for the top layer:
- 4 large potatoes
- 4 medium-sized parsnips
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 4 ounces chevre
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1 cup of white cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then construct the casserole. If you're a well-organized type A personality, you can work on preparing the ingredients for the 3 layers simultaneously.
Bottom layer
Sauté the onions in a tbsp. of olive oil for several minutes, then add all of remaining ingredients and cook until the carrots are just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cooked quinoa and a large handful of chopped parsley. Put the quinoa/ vegetable mixture in the bottom of a large buttered casserole dish and spread flat.
Middle layer
Sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil until brown. Add freshly ground pepper. Spread the mushrooms over the quinoa base.
Top layer
As you are sautéing the bottom and middle layers of the casserole, boil the potatoes and parsnips in salted water in a medium-sized pot on the stove until tender, then drain and let ‘dry’ for a couple of minutes. Mash the vegetables with 2 tbsp. butter and 4 ounces of chevre. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the potato/parsnip mash over the mushroom layer.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the scallions and cheddar on top. Bake the casserole for an additional 30 minutes until bubbling at edges and the cheese is a little crispy.
