Darshana Thacker Wendel
Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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Comments (20)
I probably won’t make this again. I only had 1.5 cups of quinoa and it was still too much. Maybe mix the marinara in with the quinoa rather than as a layer? This also uses too many pots. 1 for the quinoa, 1 to sauté, and 1 for the oven. My husband was pretty ambivalent about this, so it’s not worth the effort.
I subbed a 28oz can of Rotel tomatoes and green Chile’s and red wine vinegar. Delicious. Makes a lot of food. It’s my work lunch for a week!!
New to this way of eating. My husband asked if there was more. Big win! Question: Do you add the remaining broth at once while cooking the cauliflower or do you continue to add it 1-2 T at a time?
Hi Denise,
Glad to hear the casserole was a win! Regarding the broth, no need to use it all; the point of the broth is just to prevent things from sticking and burning, so as long as that’s not happening, you’re good to go.
Thank you,
Courtney, editor, Forks Over Knives
I am allergic to tomatoes! Bad deal. I love them. Is there another kind of sauce?
You could try Alfredo, Bechamel, Pesto or roasted Red Pepper sauce.
What would be a good substitute for the peas. They are my least favorite veggie.
Hi Marilyn! Perhaps you could try chopped carrots, they would pair nicely with the marinara sauce and add a little sweetness similar to the peas. Enjoy!
Can the casserole be frozen once baked or will it get mushy when next thawed out?
I added some parsley and gave it a nice taste!
Thanks for the recipe
Do you cook the quinoa first?
yes, you cook it. Step 1.
Nevermind! I just reread and saw it says dry quinoa so I am assuming it is uncooked.
very good. I first did it with potato on the bottom layer, instead of quinoa, and added some sunflower seed and pomegranate seed in my bowl when I ate it. I like that is can be made as a great base and then things can be added when eaten. I made it with quinoa the second time and just as good! wholesome and healthy and hearty. my husband likes spicy, so he added hot sauce in his bowl.
I was hoping for more…we love all the ingredients, but found the recipe to be rather bland. I added sautéed veggies to use up the leftovers, since the recipe fills a 9×12 dish.
Surprisingly simple and delicious! I used frozen cauliflower and it worked well.
Can I use millet or some other grain instead of quinoa?
I love amaranth, so much cheaper than quinoa and higher in protein, so I make this with amaranth, millet would give the overall dish more texture and a nuttier flavour. That would be a good thing though as like others have said, we found it a bit bland and on the next batches, increased herbs to 3 Tablespoons and a tablespoon of both onion and garlic powder as well
Very delicious and simple! Filling without making me feel heavy.
Tasty, filling and full of goodness! Thanks for sharing.