Quinoa & Parmesan Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

I discovered quinoa about two years ago when I tried it in a delicious soup my uncle made for us. I picked up a bag at Costco and since then have tried it in several recipes with great success. We make Turkey & Quinoa Meatloaf – a healthified meat-loaf that substitutes quinoa for bread crumbs – several times a month and my meat and potatoes husband also asks for more.

I am dying to try this No-Bake Recipe that uses quinoa flakes – protein for my kiddos and me in our chocolatey yummies – yes please! A lady in my neighborhood has tried it and her families loves it! I also have this Pumpkin Quinoa Muffin recipe on file for this week.

Here are some of the health benefits of quinoa –

Protein Powerhouse
High in vitamins, minerals and protein, while low in fat and calories
Internal Cleanser/Detoxifier
High in Calcium, Potassium, and Magnesium
High in Iron – Boosts brain power and energy
High in Vitamin B – keep those moods under control

Sounds awesome, right? It’s been fun looking for more uses of quinoa as part of Food Network’s weekly Healthy Challenge. This week’s challenge was whole grains and quinoa is one of our definite favorites. We made the Quinoa and Parmesan Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes picture above. They were so cute and so easy! The concoction had a Mexican flair and taste that I loved.

Here is the recipe I modified. I took the suggestions from the comments and reviews.

Quinoa & Parmesan Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Modified from About.com

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion, diced small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4-6 Tomatoes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium sized pan, sautee the onion and garlic in butter or olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until onions are just soft. Reduce heat to medium low.

Hollow out tomatoes. Puree seeds and juice in the blender.

Add the broth, puree, and quinoa (I subtracted however much puree I had from the amount of broth I used). Cover, and allow to simmer until liquid is mostly absorbed and quinoa is cooked, about fifteen minutes.

Remove from heat, and gently mix quinoa to distribute any excess moisture.

Place quinoa mixure in hollowed out tomatoes. Season with salt to taste, and top with Parmesan cheese, or, for a vegan version, mix in nutritional yeast instead of the cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350.

Makes 3 servings of vegetarian quinoa.

Linking up with Beauty & Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday 🙂

Shannon @ COZY HOME SCENES · January 17, 2012 at 4:27 am

This looks YUMMY. I love baked stuffed tomatoes and am always looking for new ways to serve quinoa. One day I need to plan to make this. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us!

Liberty · January 17, 2012 at 1:21 pm

How simple – and with all the protein in quinoa, a great meatless meal!
Blessings
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beyond the peel · January 18, 2012 at 5:41 am

What a fun way to include quinoa. I like how you used the tomato to flavor the quinoa before stuffing it. What a nice easy side dish too!

I'm hosting Whole Food Wednesdays at beyond the peel. I hope you'll come join us!

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healthy eats recipes review · March 10, 2013 at 10:44 pm

quite a healthy recipe on quinoa stuffed tomatoes- good recommendation

Breakfast Quinoa with Blueberries | Keep Moving Forward With Me · April 28, 2014 at 12:12 pm

[…] way to start your day! Quinoa definitely makes an appearance in our dinner and snack menu plans. Quinoa and Parmesan Cheese-Stuffed Tomatoes – yes, please! But I have yet to try quinoa for breakfast so I was intrigued when my mom shared this dish with […]