Name: Quinoa and Apple Breakfast Casserole with Cherry Drizzle
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: PT1H10M + CHILL TIME
Ingredients: ¾ cup chopped pitted fresh or frozen sweet cherries; ½ cup chopped walnuts; 1½ cups cooked quinoa; 1½ cups chopped pitted dates; 1 cup orange juice; 1 tablespoon orange zest; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 4 Gala or Fuji apples, cored and very thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons almond or sesame butter (see tip in intro); 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Prep-time: 30 minutes / Ready In: 1 hour 10 minutes + chill time
Makes 6 cups
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This warming quinoa and apple breakfast casserole makes a nice morning meal for about four people. Orange- and ginger-infused quinoa takes on an oatmeal-like consistency when layered between tender apple slices and baked in the oven until all the flavors meld together. Dates add bursts of natural sweetness, while creamy almond butter forms the base of a sweet cherry sauce to drizzle over each serving. Adding a sprinkling of sesame seeds is optional, but we love the subtle crunch it gives to the soft fruit. The best part? This cobbler-like dish can be made up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to chow down!

Tip: Sesame butter is not the same as tahini. It’s thicker and grainier because it is ground from unhulled sesame seeds. Look for it in natural food stores or online.

For more vegan breakfast casseroles, check out these tasty ideas:

By Darshana Thacker Wendel, Sep 13, 2023

Ingredients

¾ cup chopped pitted fresh or frozen sweet cherries
½ cup chopped walnuts
1½ cups cooked quinoa
1½ cups chopped pitted dates
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Gala or Fuji apples, cored and very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons almond or sesame butter (see tip in intro)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

Set aside ¼ cup of the cherries and 2 tablespoons of the walnuts to garnish the finished casserole. Store them separately in the refrigerator.
In a medium bowl stir together ¼ cup of the remaining cherries, the remaining walnuts, the quinoa, ¾ cup of the dates, ½ cup of the orange juice, 1½ teaspoons of the orange zest, the ginger, and cinnamon.
In a 2-quart rectangular baking dish arrange half of the apple slices in an overlapping pattern so they cover bottom of dish. Spread quinoa mixture evenly over apples. Layer the remaining apples over top. Cover surface of apples with plastic wrap (to prevent browning); refrigerate up to 2 days.
For cherry sauce, in a blender combine the remaining ¾ cup dates, ¼ cup cherries, ½ cup orange juice, and 1½ teaspoons zest; the almond butter; and ½ cup water. Cover and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to bake.
When ready to bake and serve, remove sauce from refrigerator and let warm to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove plastic wrap from dish and cover with foil. Bake, covered, 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through and apples on top start to soften. Remove from oven and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
Drizzle sauce over casserole and sprinkle with reserved cherries and walnuts and the sesame seeds. Serve warm.

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10 Comments

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(4.5 from 4 votes)

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J Stacey4 days ago

Thank you, but
Calories?
It would be most helpful to know that.

KatV1 week ago

It’s a delicious breakfast dish. As I prepared step 2, I tasted the mixture, and it seemed a little orange-y, and did not want the orange flavor to overpower the apples. So, when making the cherry sauce, I substituted 1/2 cup of almond milk for the orange juice but kept in the zest. It turned out great! Additionally, I toasted the sesame seeds and substituted pecans for the walnuts in the recipe.

Mary1 week ago

What can I use in place of cherries???

Marcene2 weeks ago

Could peanut butter be used in place of almond butter?

Courtney Davison5 days ago

Hi Marcene,

Yes, peanut butter should work fine as a substitute for the almond butter. Please let us know how it goes if you try it!

Thank you,

Courtney
Editor, Forks Over Knives

Marcene2 weeks ago

Could peanut butter be used in place of almost butter?

T2 weeks ago

Sounds delicious

Kelley2 weeks ago

Why can’t I find this in the search function when I pay for membership. So frustrating

Deona S1 week ago

Usually when viewing these additional recipes, there is a button to “Add to Recipe Box” but this recipe is missing this button.
I review these additional recipes and add the ones I want to my recipe box. This takes bunches of time…. However, FOK folks, would you add these additional recipes to the common recipe box for all the paying subscribers? Thanks!

Christine Mcmahan1 week ago

You’re right it isn’t in there and I pay also. Very frustrating!

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about the author

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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