The Very Popular…Moni’s Quinoa Mac N’ Cheese
Posted Friday, May 4th, 2012 at 4:33 pm by Monica Nelson | 88 comments.
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Back by most popular demand!!!
This is a protein packed alternative to Mac N’ Cheese, and well…Delicious! There is no reason we can’t have it all. On top of it all, my Moni Meal recipe is going to leave you feeling recharged and NOT sluggish like most comfort foods do, right?
Quinoa, pronounced ”KEEN-WAH!” is SO good for you. WHY? Well, Quinoa packs a powerful nutritional punch and is just so versatile. It has protein and fiber to keep you satisfied, improves your overall health, and quinoa contains ALL the amino acids as well.
For this Moni dish…I of course add my beloved Heirloom tomatoes (when I can) or bell peppers but you could add any veggie- maybe mushrooms or spinach, anything you fancy really. I love the leeks here too and this is really a one-of-a-kind Moni Meal.
The eggs are so special here as when it goes off into the oven, it all is held together like glue. Oooey-Gooey-delicious glue. NOTE: If you feel you are after the really “cheesy”-mac n’ cheese vibe… you may want to have it noted to add a bit more cheese than what I use. 
Anyways, I serve this with a side of some sort of steamed veggie or a salad and a slice of a good hearty bread. Also, you can dollop this with all the toppings you desire; so many flavors go good with this dish.
Check out all my Quinoa Recipes here but for similar meals to this…Also check out my Nutmeg Mac N’ Cheese , my 4 Cheese Baked Penne, and Mac N’ Cheese For Grown-Ups. Enjoy~
Serving Size: Can serve 6-8
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 med. leek white and pale green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)-OR chives are fine too
- 1/2 cup diced tomato, or red/green pepper
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained (OR you can just use pre-cooked and cut back on the water and cooking time)
- good pinch of salt
- a few grinds of seasoning salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups of water (or stock)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup soy milk, non-fat milk, or milk of choice
- 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling- NOTE: (You may find you need more cheese, BUT I use this amount to still keep the dish 'lighter' yet very flavorful.)
- Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
- Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions (you get the picture)
Directions
- Heat oil in med. saucepan over med. heat. Add leek and tomatoes (or bell peppers-or any veggies you want really); cover and cook 5 mins or until tender. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 mins, or until grains start to turn opaque. (They will not fully be cooked yet.)
- Add 3 cups water (or stock) and season with salt and the Seasoning Salt (I like Lawry's or Everyday Seasoning). Cover and reduce heat to med-low and simmer 15-20 mins or more, (depends and also what kind of quinoa you use) or until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 mins.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese (if you feel you need more cheese, add here.) Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. (Will seem a little "soupy", do not worry, it will all mold together.)
- Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs, add now. You can also sprinkle a bit more cheese on now if you prefer for topping. Bake 25-35 mins, (or until browned around edges.)
- Now you can toss with many toppings, some ideas: salsa, scallions, sour cream, and hot sauce! I serve with a side of steamed broccoli or a salad and a nice slice of good hearty bread.
NOTE: Many readers wanted to know how many Calories this AMAZING meal has. Divided into 6 servings: 339 Calories per serving.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am not a Registered Dietitian. While my advice relies on my own personal experience and research, what has been successful for myself and others may be not best for you. You should always consult your doctor when making changes to your diet. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at monica@monicanelsonfitness.com.
That sounds really good! I’ve had cheezy quinoa before, but not with eggs in it. I like the way it settles together.
Jenn, you’ll really like this recipe, really unique, tasty, and good for you too.
This is brilliant! Can’t wait to try. Thanks Monica!
By the way, it WAS excellent! Thanks!
[...] healthified dish: Quinoa Mac & Cheese. I was just lamenting over the fact that I hadn’t used my beloved quinoa in awhile. This [...]
Gotta make this ASAP!
I convinced a friend to make this last week. It was delicious!
[...] 7. Quinoa Mac N’ Cheese @ Monica Nelson Fitness [...]
I made this last night and it is delish! Though to me it’s almost like cheese grits, not really like mac and cheese. Either way it is super tasty and my kiddos at it ALL.
Yes, I agree, it does remind me of cheese grits. It was satisfying and yummy.
You are correct Ashley, “satisfying and yummy.” Glad you liked it!
[...] Click here for the Quinoa Mac & Cheese recipe! [...]
So glad you liked it and your photos are STUNNING!
[...] Quinoa mac & cheese (yes, please!) Check out this recipe. [...]
Your version looks great! Yum.
Do you cook the quinoa first?
Hi Amanda! No you do not need to cook the quinoa first, even better right! But you should always wash it first and if it is cooked… it is still fine.
Enjoy!
[...] in for quiet time while Matt and I FINALLY took down Christmas. I made some Crack Broccoli and Quinoa Mac ‘n’ Cheese for dinner – both winners, I HIGHLY recommend!! While the mac was cooking, we installed [...]
This was great. My mum and I devoured this!
Hannah, I am so glad you and your Mum liked it.
How could you not! right?
Love love love quinoa! What a great idea for this recipe, sounds like an awesome way to serve it!
Sara, You HAVE to make this, it is the best and since you love quinoa, it is a win-win!
Made this last night and it was great. Even the
Grand kids loved it! I was wondering if you have the nutritional
values per serving?
Hi Rene, I am so happy you like it AND that the Grand kids did too. Woo-hoo! I am not certain on the nutritional facts but a reader has told me that for 8 servings, it was 285 calories a serving. That is fantastic for mac n’ cheese and quinoa is just so good for you. Hope you make it again.
Yummy!! I can’t wait to try this for my kids!! I have been trying to find quinoa recipes they like and need more! Hope to add this to the list!! Thanks
Superfood Sisters, I have been hearing GREAT things from my readers of their kids LOVING this dish too. Let me know!
I’m awalys saying that I should eat more quinoa yet I still don’t. But I am bookmarking this recipe and will definitely be making this dish soon!! I love mac and cheese and spinach, and gout gouda!
If you are going to coook with Quinoa, Kenta, this is the recipe to try it on!
You will love it.
I made this last night, 2/12, for my lunches for the week. OHMYGOODNESS! This is amazing!!! I didn’t have any leeks, but I added cauliflower, it is SO good. Thank you! would you happen to know what the nutritional information is?
I am so glad you LOVED it Victoria! I will be posting the Nutritional Info as soon as possible. Cheers!
Do you know if this freezes/thaws well?
Hi Christina, honestly I could not tell you from experience but I will certainly let you know when I find out for certain.
I made this recipe for myself and the hubs last night after I found it on Pinterest a few weeks ago. FANTASTIC meal and very satisfying. My local grocery store did not have leeks so I substituted with red onions and scallions – it came out great.
This recipe is a homerun!! I will definitely be adding this to my recipe lineup for months to come!
Thanks, Monica!
Here were my recipe modifications:
2 tsp olive oil
0.25 cup red onion
0.25 cup scallions
0.25 cup tomato
1.5 cup quinoa
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs
1 cup 2% Milk
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese
0.25 cup bread crumbs
Assorted spices
I separated this into 6 servings (VERY hearty servings, I know – we both have huge appetites) and it was 339 calories per serving. That is unbelievable.
PS: I use calorie counter (www.caloriecounter.com) and place all of the ingredients into the recipe analyzer and adjust servings to get all of the nutritional information.
Fantastic Nicole! Yours sounds great too and thank you for the nutrtional info. That is pretty much what I have gotten too.
Yes, I agree… it is a homerun recipe! Thanks so much.
[...] to baking dish and bake 30-35 mins, or until browned around edges. Recipe is a modification of this one from Monica Nelson Fitness. [...]
Thank -you! Just starting to cook with quinoa and this was great! Will be taking a look at your other recipes now that i’m on your site (was linked here through pinterest)
Thanks so much Sarah for trying this recipe. If you liked this one, as you said you did… I think you will like many of my other meals too and I have a lot of quinoa recipes to choose from as well.
Hello, I am so excited to try this!!
One quick question, I would like to use soy milk.
So, should I use regular or would the vanilla flavor I
already have be okay?
Thanks so much for sharing this!!!
Hi Steph, well I cannot say for certain that I have ever made it with ‘vanilla’ soymilk before (I too always have that stocked in my fridge.) But iF I had to guess, I do no think it would make a huge difference if you did use it over regular. Let me know if you try it with vanilla and how it turns out!
Very yummy!! The only thing that I did change was replacing the water with organic chicken broth! I always use the chicken broth when cooking quinoa to add extra flavor! Thanks for sharing such great recipes!
So glad you liked it Meredith. What a great idea, I too love using stock.
This was so delicious. I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth also, with a shallot instead of leeks (what I had on hand) and added some ground mustard and cumin to the quinoa for extra flavor and smokiness. The quinoa was JUST shy of done when I took it off the stove, and the end result was awesome. I also waited to add the tomatoes until just before I baked, since I sliced up grape tomatoes and I figured they would hold up better if they went in fresh. Thanks for this recipe, I’ll DEFINITELY be making it again, and I’ll have lots of fun experimenting with it
Hi Louisa! I am so glad it was a hit for you. Great call on using some Chicken broth and love that you jazzed it up with some cumin and mustard. Well done.
It is so easy and consistent. Enjoy for future meals!
[...] I attempted Moni’s Quinoa Mac n Cheese. This was my first attempt at quinoa which I’m sure has something to do with how unperfect it [...]
[...] Quinoa and Vegetable “Mac and Cheese” (Adapted from this recipe) [...]
I am so glad you got to make my recipe.
Your version turned out great! Love the mix of cheeses…GOOD CALL! Have a great day. Love your blog too. 
[...] Cheesy Quinoa from Monica Nelson Fitness [...]
Family Kitchen Blog, you made a great version and I loved how you are getting the message out there about how great Quinoa is!
Glad you liked this recipe. How could you knot, right?! 
Can I make this with red quinoa? Will that change the taste?
Hi Deena, such a great question! I have not thought of that yet or even been asked yet. To be honest, I do not think it would make the biggest difference personally and don’t see why not, but I can’t say for certain. If you make it with “red,” let me know! Be well.
I made this for the second time tonight. The first time I made it following the recipe exactly. The second time I used tomatoes, asparagus, and mushrooms. Both were amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Katie, You rock! I am so happy to hear you made it again and what you added in addition sounds SO GOOD! Yum, can you make me some?!
[...] in Redwood Park with some of my friends. Afterwards, I had the group over for a gourmet dinner of quinoa mac and cheese and chocolate-dipped cake balls. I was nervous to serve a quinoa dish to the general populace, [...]
Hi Kelsey!
“Gourmet Dinner” is right!
I am so glad you made my recipe and for a group of friends too, hope they all enjoyed it.
[...] was quinoa mac ‘n cheese served on spinach with a side of broccoli and cauliflower. I topped my “mac” with Texas Pete [...]
A perfect spring dish too! Glad you liked it Brittany.
I am trying to make this a freezer recipe. do i need to bake the dish then freeze it or can i just do the first quinoa steps, add the egg, milk and cheese, and freeze without baking?
Hi Emily! Did you try to freeze it? I honestly have not attempted that just yet, so I have no exact answer for you. I think your best bet though would be to bake everything and then freeze it (just like frozen mac n cheese dinners). Let me know if you try it and I really think it should work great.
Um…this was amazing! I was nervous about it because it seemed really soupy before I put it in the oven, but it baked up to a perfect texture. It was really delicious and may just be my new favorite way to eat quinoa.
I would probably put a bit more cheese in next time, and maybe add some broccoli, but this is a really fantastic recipe!
Hi Rachel! So glad you liked it! I know what you mean about how it can appear “soupy” at first…but not to worry! You can add more cheese always too but I keep it at the suggested serving to keep it lower on cal/fat. Brocolli would be great with it too.
I used a rainbow quinoa (mix of white, red and black) – it worked fine, although I think the white breaks down a little easier than the red and black which might make this dish a bit creamier – more pasta-like. Was trying to use up some of my veggies, so added brocolli, shitake mushrooms, red bell pepper, tomato and leek – was fantastic! But with all of those veggies, I think I could have used a bit more cheese. Still delicious, though!
Hi Cathi! What a great idea…rainbow quinoa. Brilliant! I know what you mean though, how parts of the mixture of the quinoa do not have equal cooking time. But Yes, try it again with more cheese, I just keep it at the suggested serving to keep it lower on cals/fat.
[...] took some time, but didn’t disappoint. Here’s my take on Leanne’s version of Monica’s original recipe (phew! just trying to give credit where it’s [...]
I love the version you made Sally! Wow, cauliflower is such a good idea to add in. I am glad it did not disappoint and how could it with it still being a healthy version of a classic and so darn tasty right!
Thank you so much for commenting on my blog! I love this recipe so much and was proud to feature it!! It even got my husband to try quinoa ( he loved it of course!) Your website is awesome. I am spreading the word!! Thanks again!!
Leanne
Quick question, Monica – I made this last week and it was FABULOUS and I’m planning to make it again tonight, but I had some trouble with throwing the quinoa into the pot raw. I stirred and stirred but because there was no water, the quinoa just seemed to stay dry and raw, and it began to burn a bit so finally I just gave up and added the water before the grains started turning opaque. Am I doing it wrong?
Hi Kate! I am sorry you had a hard time with the quinoa cooking through at first. Yes, you need to add the water to the pan for it to FULLY cook through with the LID ON. Did you do that? This can be a cooking range from 7-20 mins, depending on what kind of quinoa too. It should work next time if you give it time with 3 cups of water (or stock) to cook before you add it to the oven in the prepared baking dish for the final baking.
Yes! The water part works fine for me, it’s the part before that that doesn’t work. I think next time I’ll just cook the quinoa totally separately and add my veggies right before I put it in the oven. Thank you for the reply, though!
Ok, so i’m in the process but wondering what i did wrong. i’ve been ‘simmering’ for 20 minutes now and the water is still not boiled off? going to strain the last of it off (which is too bad since it has some yummy jerk seasoning in it) and will move forward. interested on your thoughts. can’t wait to eat the final product!
Hi Jen! Gosh, I can’t tell you why it took so long to get the water absorbed?? 20 mins for sure should of done the trick. Next time make sure you give yourself enough time, maybe use less water (if you followed your own measurements,) OR you can alwyas used pre-cooked quinoa.
This sounds great! Has anyone tried goat cheese?
I did have some readers try it with Goat Cheese AND also with Feta Cheese. Both have worked great. Such a great idea! Actually, Brilliant… I should say.
[...] Quinoa Mac N Cheese [...]
Love that you added Matzoh Farfel Topping…so clever! What can’t you do with this dish!
I made this and it was a HUGE HUGE HUGE hit with us! HUGE..lol I cant thank you enough for this recipe! I was able to get a bunch of my friends on facebook to give it a try aswell and they loved it just as much. Im making it again this week..thank you again!
Hi Sonya, WOW! I am so happy to hear. The funny thing, I even made a batch last night, haha. It is just the BEST.
Thanks for the support and keep in touch. I post new recipes weekly and if you want, you can follow me on Face Book too for all new updates/recipes, etc. Be well!
I’m now following you on facebook and look forward to trying more recipes
Monica – This was delicious the first, second and third time I made it. Thank you so much for sharing! Tonight was number three and I experimented a bit. Instead of leeks, a sweet vidalia onion. Instead of tomatoes, baby portobellos and crimini mushrooms. And finally, instead of cheddar, I used a mix of smoked gouda and swiss cheese (and I love cheese, so I always use about 3 cups). I soaked my quinoa overnight, so it took less water (only 2 cups) and cooked much faster. Can’t wait to experiment further, and thanks again for basic recipe! It’s the best!
Hi Jen,
Keep in touch!
Oh WOW! You are so creative. I love your twist with the vidalia onion and mushrooms, sounds AMAZING. I am so glad you are loving this recipe.
[...] recipe for Quinoa Mac N’ Cheese came from monicanelsonfitness.com. It was very quick and easy to prepare. I altered it a little bit and used half low fat [...]
Yum! Your version turned out great! Glad you tried it and LIKED it… more importantly.
[...] This recipe is adapted from Monica Nelson Fitness. [...]
Your version looked great! Thanks for the link back and I am so glad you made it.
Love your blog too!
YUM. This is SOOOO awesome! Good luck with portion control on this one! LOL
Glad you like it Danielle, I know what you mean on that portion control!…. Maybe you can at least attempt to by pre-cutting it up.
We had this tonight and it was delicious. First time we ever tried quinoa and it’s definitely a keeper. BTW, my daughter’s name is also Monica and her nickname is Moni
Hi Marion!
That is so great to hear. Glad you like it and yes, it is a keeper FOR SURE, as I make it ALL the time! Tell your Moni, Hello, so cute.