This dump and bake casserole features quinoa, pesto, and two varieties of tomatoes! It requires just a few minutes of prep and is an easy way to bring light and bright spring flavors to weeknight meals or meal prep.
If you're a fan of vegetarian pesto pasta or my quinoa black bean dump & bake recipe, then you're going to love this quinoa pesto dump & bake! Like any good no boil/dump and go meal, this recipe requires minimal prep.
The main flavor in this recipe is pesto, which is paired with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes, and fresh spinach for a colorful and nutritious meal.
Add in chickpeas for protein and a sprinkling of mozzarella for a main-dish worthy recipe.
Want to make this recipe with rice instead of quinoa? I have a pesto rice bake recipe that you might like instead.
Jump to:
Recipe features
- Minimal prep: You can use homemade pesto or store bought pesto to make this recipe. The only hands-on time for this recipe is slicing the tomatoes in half and heating the vegetable broth. Then all you do is dump ingredients into a casserole dish and throw it in the oven!
- Spring flavors: This is the perfect dump & bake recipe to bridge the gap between winter and spring. It features light flavors from herby pesto, bright lemon zest, and acidic tomatoes.
- Versatile: The only ingredients you absolutely need to use in this recipe are quinoa, pesto, and broth. The remaining ingredients are easy to swap out using ingredients you have on hand.
Ingredients
- Quinoa: Any variety of quinoa works. I have not tested this recipe with rice, however, I do think an equal amount of long-grain white rice should work based on experience with my cheesy broccoli rice casserole.
- Vegetable broth: I use vegetable bouillon mixed with boiling water. It's just much more flavorful than most storebought broths and it's more budget-friendly.
- Pesto: I tested this recipe with both homemade pesto and store-bought pesto. Both work and yield similar results, barring a slight difference in flavor due to different ingredients in different pesto brands.
- Chickpeas: Use a can of chickpeas or cook them from dry using this recipe for Instant Pot chickpeas. One can is roughly 1 and ½ cups of chickpeas.
- Sun-dried tomatoes add extra texture and rich, umami flavor. Choose sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (as opposed to dried sun-dried tomatoes) for the best flavor. Save leftover oil for vinaigrettes.
- Shredded mozzarella: You can also use sliced fresh mozzarella like with my gnocchi dump & bake. I tested this recipe with crumbled feta and also liked the salty flavor feta adds.
For a vegan option, use your favorite vegan feta or vegan mozzarella to top the quinoa pesto bake. Most pesto contains Parmesan, so choose a storebought or homemade dairy-free pesto.
Step by step instructions
Testing and equipment note: I tested this recipe in an 8x8 metal baking dish, 8x8 ceramic baking dish, and a 6x10 ceramic baking dish. Metal baking dishes cook more quickly than ceramic, but all sizes and styles worked.
The beauty of a dump-and-bake casserole is that it doesn't have many steps at all.
Start by lighting oil the casserole dish. I like to use oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes to do this.
Add the quinoa, pesto, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, seasonings, and heated vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
Cover tightly with foil or a lid. Bake at 375F on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes, or until the quinoa is mostly cooked through.
The bake may appear a little liquidy at this point, but that's okay. Stir in the torn spinach so that it is mostly covered. It will continue to wilt as it bakes.
Top with shredded mozzarella and return to the oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the casserole is firmed up and the cheese is completely melted.
Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve garnished with lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper.
Tips for success
- Baking dish: Cook times vary based on the type of baking dish. For example, metal baking dishes heat up more quickly than ceramic, so you may find that the quinoa cooks more quickly in a metal dish.
- Liquid temperatures: I highly recommend heating the vegetable broth to boiling before adding it to the baking dish. You can do this on the stovetop or you can use an electric kettle (my preference). I use vegetable bouillon, so it's easy to heat up the water in a kettle and then mix it with bouillon before adding it to the remaining ingredients.
- Cover the baking dish: In order for the quinoa to bake, the baking dish must be tightly covered during the initial baking phase. I recommend foil or a tightly fitting lid, but an upside-down sheet pan does work as well.
- Remove the foil or lid when the quinoa appears mostly cooked through. After the lid is removed, the excess liquid starts to evaporate and the quinoa becomes fully cooked.
Storage tips
Leftovers are best within 3-4 days. Let the casserole dish cool to room temperature. Cover with foil or a lid and refrigerate, or transfer the quinoa bake to a reusable container.
Reheating: I usually just reheat individual servings of this dish in the microwave. Reheat the entire casserole in the oven at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through. Cover with foil if the casserole starts to dry out or the cheese starts to brown too much.
Freezing: I have not tried freezing this exact casserole, but other similar dishes freeze well. Here is how: Cover the casserole in plastic wrap and foil or plastic wrap and a lid before freezing. If reheating in the oven, add an extra 10-15 minutes of cook time. The casserole can also thaw overnight in the fridge.
More dump and bake casseroles
There's more where this came from! Check out one of my more than a dozen vegetarian dump and bake recipes.
Did you try this recipe? You can leave a star rating in the recipe card or a review in the comments below. Or check out my cookbook and keep up to date with my YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or newsletter!
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cozy Peach Kitchen
Vegetarian Quinoa Pesto Bake (Dump & Bake Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 and ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed thoroughly
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 8 and ½ ounces sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained and roughly chopped
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 6 ounces pesto store bought or homemade
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for topping
- 3 cups spinach leaves leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 small lemon sliced into wedges for serving
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest about 1 small lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly oil an 8x8 or similarly sized casserole dish (I like to use some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to do this). In a small sauce pot, heat vegetable broth to a rapid simmer over medium high heat.
- To the casserole dish, add the quinoa, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pesto, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and heated vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil, a lid, or an upside-down baking sheet. Bake at 375F on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes, or until the quinoa is mostly cooked through. The casserole may be a little liquidy at this point, that's okay.
- Stir in the spinach leaves. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven to bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden and the quinoa is completely cooked.
- Let cool 5 minutes before scooping and serving. Serve with lemon wedges, lemon zest, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Sun-dried tomatoes: While the oil the sun-dried tomatoes are jarred in isn't used in this recipe, I like to save it as a base for vinaigrettes.
- Pesto: In the summer I stick to homemade pesto, otherwise I usually use Barilla pesto (it has a good flavor for its price).
- Leftovers are best within 3-4 days. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Reheat individual servings in the microwave. Reheat the entire casserole in the oven at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through. Cover with foil if the casserole starts to dry out or the cheese starts to brown too much.
suzi says
I was busy cooking for my clients and tossed this together tonight for the two of us, while multitasking. What an absolutely delicious dish!! I followed all but used mixed baby greens in ours and I use these plump sun dried tomatoes not in oil and was so glad I had everything on hand for this one. Already looking forward to the leftover portion tomorrow!!
Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD says
That's awesome, I love that you found this easy enough to cook while doing other cooking. I think the first time that I made this I used sun-dried tomatoes not in oil too and I agree it's very tasty, they soak up the flavors in the casserole!
Christine says
Love this recipe! Although it’s been awhile since I made it, and I precooked the whole bag of quinoa. Any ideas how to make it work? I was going to make one batch for dinner and one to freeze!
Cassidy Reeser says
Since the veg broth is really only for the quinoa, I would omit it. I would thaw the quinoa a little bit (doesn't need to be fully thawed) so it's easy to add to the dish. Combine everything else in the baking dish and top with the cheese. You might want to sauté the spinach a little to wilt it before adding it in. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes to heat up the casserole. Uncover and continue cooking to brown the cheese, if needed. I think you'll get a slightly different result (the quinoa won't absorb as much flavor since it's already cooked) but it should still be good! Good luck!
Diana says
Hi Cassidy, I wanted to make this ahead of time but I add the broth😬 What do I do???
Cassidy Reeser says
Hopefully you figured something out, either way I think it will be fine! I am assuming you meant you wanted to assemble it in advance and then add the broth just before cooking later, but accidentally added broth? If you added the broth, I would just cover and put it in the fridge. The quinoa will absorb some of the liquid, but it won't be fully cooked. Just cook it (covered) for a shorter out of time, maybe check on it at the 20 min mark in the oven and see how it looks.
Charlotte says
I have made this at least 10 times, it has become such a staple meal. So easy, minimal chopping, so much flavour, and is great for leftovers. Thanks!
Cassidy Reeser says
Love that!! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Attie says
LOVED this! easy to make & so tasty. we added some shredded rotisserie chicken when we mixed in the spinach. YUM!
Audrey says
I was skeptical of how well the quinoa would bake, but this recipe is great! The flavors and texture came out like a veggie lasagna and I am looking forward to eating this for dinner this week as my meal prep choice. I didn’t have aluminum foil so I used the baking tray cover and that tip was very helpful as well!
Alana says
This dish is easy to put together and has great flavors. The crushed red pepper flakes put it over the top! I did not add the salt and was glad I skipped it. It’s not needed at all. Thanks much for the great recipe!
Cassidy Reeser says
Always love hearing when a dish can get away with less salt! Thanks for the review!
Rachelle says
Tried this recipe out after having made your black bean quinoa bake a number of times and it was amazing! So simple to prepare and super tasty. Will definitely be making again. Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Cassidy Reeser says
You're welcome! Thanks for making it and leaving a review! 🙂
Rozio says
I went to make this and realised that I had run out of quinoa, and that my jar of sundried tomatoes was a jar of roasted peppers.
I substituted bulghur wheat for the quinoa one-for-one, and went with the peppers and it turned out great.
I had my leftovers cold with salad, and they were still delicious. Great recipe.
Cassidy Reeser says
Awesome! I share these recipes with the intention of them being versatile, so it makes me happy to see this 🙂
Corrie says
Loved this recipe! Have you tried making it ahead and freezing it?
Thanks!
Cassidy Reeser says
Freezing it should work well, but I haven’t tried with this specific recipe. Here is what I would do:
Let the casserole cool. Cover the casserole in plastic wrap and foil or plastic wrap and a lid before freezing. If reheating in the oven from frozen, cover with foil and bake at 350 for at least 20-25 minutes of cook time (likely more). The casserole can also thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven more quickly. I still recommend covering with foil so it doesn’t dry out.
Renee says
Delicious! So simple to prepare and it tasted amazing. Will be in my dinner rotation for sure! Thanks!
Cassidy Reeser says
Awesome! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Rachael says
Me and my husband loved this! I subbed jasmine rice for quinoa and ended up adding about 3/4 cup liquid and baking an extra 25 mins before adding the spinach and mozzarella. Turned out incredible. I print my favorite recipes and I'll be adding this one to the binder!
Cassidy Reeser says
Awesome! Thank you for the review. I'm happy to hear that jasmine rice worked!
Lisa Moore says
Can you double the recipe? I know sometimes it does not work.
Also, can you make the dump ahead of time until ready to bake? Thank you for the great recipe!
Cassidy Reeser says
Yes, you can double it! I would use a 9x13 pan. Bake time should be about the same. I haven't tried making it in advance, but it should work as long as you wait to add the heated vegetable broth until baking. I'd love to hear back if you try it out!
Mari Laurence says
I did make ahead yesterday and did exactly what you said. I just left out the liquid until I was ready to put in the oven. It worked out perfect.
Such a delicious recipe. I sent the leftover home with my daughter and just made another batch. Thank you for the best recipes ever.
Cassidy Reeser says
Awesome, thanks for letting me know- it helps me to know it can be prepped in advance. Also, thank you for the kind words! 🙂
Mercedes Fritz says
Soo good! Has become a weekly staple in our house.
Cassidy Reeser says
Yay I love to hear that! 🙂
Nicole says
OMG, this was delicious! So flavorful and beyond easy to make. I loved it! Baked it in a 9x13. Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser says
Thanks so much for the review! 🙂
Linde says
I made this recipe and it was amazing! Really enjoyed making it and it was so flavorful. Felt kind of healthy too! Glad to have a new awesome vegetarian recipe on the roster!
Cassidy Reeser says
Lovely! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Gloria says
Excellent!!! Quinoa Pesto Bake — so delicious . Just wanted to know on nutritional facts are those based on per serving ?
Cassidy Reeser says
I'm glad you liked it! Yes, they are based per serving and there are 6 servings. They are just an estimation and will vary based on specific brands used.
Pat says
Do you think it could made with cannellini beans instead of chickpeas? Not a huge fan of sun dried tomatoes so, do you think it would matter if I left them out? Sounds so delicious 😋
Cassidy Reeser says
You can definitely use cannellini beans instead! And it should be fine to omit sundried tomatoes, it'll just affect the overall flavor (which sounds like a good thing if you don't like them). Enjoy!