Spring Vegetable Quinoa

This became a summer favorite

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked quinoa
4 cups vegetable broth
4 oz. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
1 small onion, chopped
6 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3 oz. shredded Gouda
1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan, divided

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, replacing the water with vegetable broth for cooking.  Once cooked, set aside.
• Add the asparagus to a small saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook just until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onion to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes.  Mix in the mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, blanched asparagus, sautéed veggies, tomatoes and spinach with the shredded Gouda and half of the Parmesan.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spread in an even layer.   Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Serve warm.