Baked Quinoa with Zucchini, Corn and feta, topped with a fresh Tomato Relish. A healthy, easy vegetarian dinner recipe- a delicious way to use up all your farmers market veggies!
The danger is not that the soul should doubt whether there is any bread, but that, by a lie, it should persuade itself, that it is not hungry. ~ Simone Weil~
I’m always amazed at how much zucchini we amass this time of year! How does it happen that just as I use them, more appear? We’ve been making Zucchini Fritters, Zucchini Hummus, Zucchini Basil Soup, and most recently this simple Baked Quinoa with Zucchini and Corn. So tasty!
Topped with a fresh Tomato Relish and an optional Smokey Yogurt Sauce it is easy and delicious…and very adaptable. Add cooked chicken or black beans for extra protein if you want, but to me, it’s filling enough just as it is. Red peppers can be substituted for the corn, and if you like it spicy, add a chili pepper to the mix. Top with your favorite cheese, like feta, and bake.
A simple vegetarian meal that is perfect for lunch the next day. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
We’re coming upon my favorite time of the year in the Northwest.
Mornings are cool and breezy and days are long and warm, providing ideal conditions for gardens and markets.
The farmers markets are full of so much produce, such a time of abundance.
So much goodness happening here… 
Give this Baked Quinoa a whirl this week and see with you think. Such a good way to use up your garden veggies!
Enjoy your time this weekend, it’s a stunner!
OTHER CORN RECIPES YOU may like
- Fregola with Corn, Zucchini & Basil
- Mexican Street Corn ( Elotes!)
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Coconut Corn Chowder with Leeks
- Masala Street Corn
- Cornbread Casserole
- Zucchini, Corn and Basil Stir-fry
xoxo
Print
Baked Quinoa with Charred Corn and Zucchini
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main, Quinoa, vegetarian
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A simple Baked Quinoa with Charred Corn & Zucchini, topped with fresh tomato relish and an optional (but tasty) Smokey Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced ( about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 small zucchini ( or sub summer squash) diced, about 3 cups
- 1 ear corn- lightly charred over gas burner ( sauteed is fine too)
- 2 garlic cloves- minced
- 1/2 jalapeno – finely chopped ( optional)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1 cup rinsed quinoa
- 1/2–1 cup cheese ( feta, goat, mozzarella balls, etc…)
TOMATO Relish
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half – or regular tomatoes, big diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup sliced onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- generous pinch salt and pepper
Smoked Paprika Yogurt ( optional- or feel free to sub a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt, or sour cream
- squeeze lime
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Fresh Parsley or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- In a 10 inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and zucchini and saute for 6 minutes, stirring often. Add jalapeño ( if using) and garlic, turn heat to medium and continue cooking until zucchini is tender about 4 more minutes.
- Char the shucked corn (still on the cob) placing it directly over a gas burner, using tongs to rotate until blackened in spots. Cut the kernels off. (Alternately, if no grill, cut corn off the cob and add to skillet and saute with zucchini.)
- Add charred corn to zucchini. Add water, salt and spices. Stir, bring to a boil, then add quinoa. Stir once. Top with cheese, cover with lid or foil and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, remove the lid, and let the cheese get a little melty and golden.
- While baking, make the Tomato salad: Place everything in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
- Make Smoked Paprika Yogurt (mix ingredients together in a small bowl). Alternatively, you could simply serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream (or leave it off and keep it vegan)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: -With Feta, Tomato Relish and Smoked Yogurt
- Calories: 417
- Sugar: 9.4 g
- Sodium: 1019.1 mg
- Fat: 20.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 44.5 g
- Fiber: 6.2 g
- Protein: 17.3 g
- Cholesterol: 38 mg
At what point do you cut the corn off the cob?
Hi Licci- sorry about that, updated the recipe card. Right after you grill it, or if you are not grilling you can cut the corn and add to saute pan with the zucchini.
Can you recommend another cheese that would work well? Not a fan of feta. Thanks ahead of time for your response
How about goat cheese, like chevre? Fresh mozzarella pearls are nice too.
This recipe is so flavorful. My family loved it so I made this recipe for a women’s brunch. I served the dish with the tomato relish layered over the quinoa and dollops of the paprika yogurt on top. It was a hit and got many rave reviews!
Awesome to hear! Thanks Lisa!
I used couscous! It works
Good to know! Thanks!
This seemingly simple dish is rich and delicious. My husband is not a fan of quinoa, and he loved it.
Great to hear Kim!
This was sooooo good. Wouldn’t change a thing!!
So happy you enjoyed!
It was absolutely delicious!! So much flavor. I didn’t even need the yogurt sauce
We’re so happy you liked this Andrea!
My family, including my five year old, loved this recipe. The blend of textures was enjoyable, especially the crunchy corn and fresh tomatoes with the cooked zucchini.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Janine!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I wasn’t sure about the yogurt/paprika but it’s was perfect. This will definitely go in my recipe book
Great to hear Kirk!
Do you cook the quinoa before baking? I just want to make sure!! Thank you!
No Rachel, the quinoa will cook in the oven. 🙂
would love to make this for a larger crowd – would anything need to be changed (cooking time – wise, etc?) should I opt to double everything?
Yes, feel free to double but perhaps increase cooking time? Or just cook until all the liquid is gone. 🙂
Thank you for the great recipe! Made this for dinner tonight with fresh zucchini from the garden and it was delicious. I ended up making the following tweaks–I did not add any herbs to the tomato relish (forgot to pick parsley while I was picking my zucchs)–it was still delicious. I also added some olive oil to the yogurt sauce because I only had non-fat Greek yogurt on hand.
Perfect Amy!
This dish was absolutely amazing! Super delicious easy to make having again tonight!!! That’s
Awesome Pauline! Glad you liked it!
Hey, Sylvia~ This looks amazing, though what would you suggest as a good sub for the corn? The flavor profile sounds wonderful, but corn allergies limit us a little bit. 🙂 Love your recipes—thanks for giving us such a variety of ideas!
Bell pepper?
A staple in our house. Nuff said.
I have made this twice now, and both times there have been no leftovers. Not even a scrap. I add frozen shrimp during the last 15 minutes of cooking and also some hot smoked paprika. The flavors are unbelievably delicious – thank you for such a wonderfully simple, flavorful dish!!
Thanks Alison, great to hear!
I love this recipe Sylvia! I’m a huge fan of quinoa and I love this idea of baking it! I will just do a few changes to veganize the meal but looking forward to ttying it 🙂
Yes Maja, it’s a good base recipe to make your own adaptions. Easily vegan-izable! Let me know what you end up doing or tag #feastingathome, so I can see it! Have a great day!
I guess my original comment was lost so….I made this last night with red quinoa and feta. It was delicious. I also added a sweet red pepper to the mix. I will be making this again, thank you.
Addition to my comment: I used sungold cherry tomatoes for the relish.
This recipe was wonderful. I followed it as directed, used feta cheese for the topping since I had that on hand and added a sweet red pepper to the saute mix. I originally started to char the corn over the stove and it popped, so I decided to slice it off the cob and add to the saute mix instead. My husband has requested an additional cob so I’ll do that next time. I used aleppo pepper for the chile and red quinoa. Very tasty indeed, thank you.
Cheri, Im so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your feedback and notes. Red bell pepper and Aleppo Chili flakes….perfect additions!
So yammy! Thank you! ❤