Sweet Potato Spinach Quinoa Casserole – Vegan gluten free entree for Passover or anytime, topped with a rich coconut-saffron “gratin” sauce.
Developing a vegan entree for Passover is tough business. My vegan guests deserve an entree at the Seder table, but finding one that is flavorful enough for a holiday is a real challenge. Over the past couple of Passovers I’ve given myself the task of coming up with a vegan entree option that isn’t just an afterthought, but something truly comforting and filling. When you remove meat and dairy, then apply Passover restrictions to your list of options – there’s not a whole lot left to work with! Never one to shy away from a challenge, I put on my thinking cap and came up with something pretty amazing. Vegan or not, this casserole is really, really delicious!
This recipe was inspired by my Dairy Free Saffron Scalloped Potatoes, which are made with a delectable coconut milk and saffron-based sauce. It has the creaminess of a dairy dish with the exotic flavor of saffron, which elevates it to something truly special. To make the dish more filling, I sandwiched a layer of quinoa and spinach between the roasted sweet potato slices, topped it with sauce, then baked and broiled it gratin-style. The quinoa provides Passover-friendly protein and makes the dish more hearty overall. This recipe is something I’ve been developing in my head over a the course a few weeks, knowing that all of the ingredients are tasty and should work well together. Even so, I wasn’t sure it would work until I tested it– then retested it– then tested it again, because I couldn’t stop eating it! This Sweet Potato Spinach Quinoa Gratin is really unique, and it’s also a very pretty dish. It’s definitely worth a try as a vegan option for the Seder table, or for Meatless Monday, or just because. Enjoy!
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Sweet Potato Spinach Quinoa Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 whole large orange sweet potatoes (2 lbs. total) peeled and sliced into rounds 1/8 inch thick
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 pinch saffron threads (make sure it’s good quality saffron - it’s much more expensive, but the cheap stuff has no flavor)
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- 14 ounces full fat coconut milk (1 can)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic (or ¼ tsp garlic powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adds heat – use less if spice sensitive)
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the sweet potato slices across two lightly greased baking sheets. Toss each sheet of slices with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat the slices.
- Roast the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes in the oven, stirring the potatoes and turning each baking sheet around once during cooking, until slices are tender and starting to caramelize.
- While sweet potatoes are roasting, rinse the quinoa out well in a mesh colander until water runs clear. Combine rinsed quinoa and low sodium vegetable broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until broth is absorbed and quinoa is tender/fluffy. When the quinoa is finished cooking, quickly open the pot and add the roughly chopped spinach on top of the cooked quinoa. Recover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes while the spinach wilts on top of the quinoa. Stir the spinach into the quinoa. Reserve.
- After sweet potatoes are removed from the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Reserve the sweet potato slices. Grind the saffron threads in a mortar and pestle to a powder. Add 2 tbsp of hot water to the ground saffron and let it soak for a few minutes.
- Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking dish. Place half of the sweet potato slices in a thin layer on the bottom of the dish, with each slice overlapping the next.
- Spread the cooked quinoa/spinach mixture over the first sweet potato layer.
- Make a top layer with the remaining sweet potato slices.
- In a small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine over medium heat. Whisk in 1 tbsp potato starch to form a thick paste.
- Slowly whisk in the coconut milk. Whisk in the salt, garlic, cayenne pepper, and the reserved saffron water. Heat the sauce over medium, whisking frequently, until it boils and thickens into a golden yellow sauce. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
- Pour the sauce over the layer of sweet potatoes, using a ladle or large spoon to make sure the potatoes are evenly covered with sauce.Place dish in the oven and bake covered for 20 minutes until heated through. Remove the foil and turn on your broiler. Place your baking dish 6 inches below the broiler. Broil the casserole for a few minutes until the top is nicely, evenly browned. Note - if you use a glass baking dish, skip the broil and simply bake until it's lightly browned on top. Serve warm.
Nutrition
I made this for break the fast and everyone loved it. I didn’t have sufficient sweet potatoes, so used a blend of sweet potatoes and Idahos. Also substituted turmeric for the saffron. What a great and nutritious recipe!
Thanks for creating it!!!
Is this something I can make ahead of time and freeze? if so, would you suggest baking it then freezing and then thaw and reheat or freeze before baking it?
Wendy, I have never frozen this recipe so I can’t say if it will work out or not. If I were going to try it, I wouldn’t freeze it with the sauce. Instead I would assemble it, cover and freeze, then defrost and add the sauce before baking. I doubt the coconut sauce will freeze well, but that’s just a guess.
looks delicious. wondering if i can omit the quinoa and up the spinach. what do you think?
Can I use regular milk/butter instead of coconut/margarine?
Sure!
I continue to love this recipe! My only note is that I find two sweet potatoes not to be enough to cover the pan twice, and three would be better. Today I only had a half can of coconut milk so I substituted a bit of macadamia milk. I crave this dish!
I’ve been holding onto this recipe and I’m so glad I finally made it. It’s simple but refined at the same time. Absolutely delicious! I only had frozen spinach on hand and it was perfectly fine.
Made this for a dinner party last night. I am vegetarian with many food intolerances, everyone else at the party are big meat eaters. I asked to bring a side dish that I could eat and that everyone else would enjoy. Searched the internet for some of the ingredients I had on-hand at home and your blog came up. I don’t cook with olive oil, so substituted coconut oil. I also don’t do margarine, and I’m not vegan, so I used ghee. Other than that I stayed true to the ingredients. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe, SO DELICIOUS! Thanks for posting.
Glad it was delicious!
I planned on making this for Passover but never got around to it. I made it for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I don’t have a mortar & pestle so I did the best I could with a spoon & ceramic bowl. My first time using saffron and coconut milk. The sauce did spill over so next time I will put a baking sheet under it in the oven. Will absolutely make this again. It was a big hit. Thank you for the recipe.
I was looking for a gluten-free vegan Passover recipe — a tall order, I know — and came across this dish. It was easy to make and was a huge hit! Even the meat eaters in the crowd loved it! Despite the copious amounts and variety of foods were served, this dish was devoured! Not only was I asked to share the recipe, but I was asked if I could bring it for the second seder tomorrow night. Thanks!
This is a great recipe! Especially for a pot luck type of event as it can be served hot or at room temp? My only recommendation is to have the sauce settle a bit into the dish so people can see the sweet potatoes.
Uniquely delicious! With every bite, I fell more in love with this dish, as did everyone else at the table. I need to seek out more saffron rich recipes. Thanks Tori!
Fantastic Jill! So happy to hear that.
This sounds delicious and perfect for the dish I am looking to make for a sick friend allergic to so many things. I have the saffron but no mortar or pestle. Can I grind in a processor or just use the strands as they are? What can you suggest as alternative? Thank you.
You can skip grinding them, but do not skip the soaking step.
My family is not a big fan of saffron or tumeric. Can I omit the spice? Or is there something more mild or common that I could substitute? The sweet potato, spinach and quinoa combo sounds great!
Hi Sue! Saffron is integral to the overall flavor, it imparts a cheesiness to the sauce. You could try adding a bit of nutmeg to make it more like a béchamel sauce, but it might lack the buttery flavor of the original, which relies on saffron to enhance the savory flavor. As I haven’t tried it myself I can’t say for certain.
I just deiscovered your website – and this recipe – while searching for vegetarian, gluten free entrees that could be used for Passover. It exceeded all expectations and was enjoyed by everyone. I made it a week ahead, baked it completely, and then froze. It reheated well and was delicious! Definitely a keeper – thank you!
Fantastic Anne! Thank you for letting me know you and your guests enjoyed it, and that it froze well for you.
Your website shows a pyrex dish under the broiler. I thought you were not supposed to broil in pyrex.
Hi Denise, thank you for the heads up. I have never had an issue broiling with Pyrex, as I generally only broil to brown at the very end of cooking for less than 5 minutes– I never leave it under the broiler very long. But you are right, it is probably safer to use a metal baking pan instead– or skip the broiling step. I’ll note it in the recipe.
Hi, if we need to use ground saffron how much would we use and would the process change at all?
Hi Cara, I don’t recommend ground saffron here– good quality saffron comes in threads, and the ground kind is often cut with less expensive spices which reduce the potency and flavor. If it’s your only option you can try 1/8 tsp, and stir it directly into the sauce (no need to add it to water first). Taste the sauce and adjust for flavor, adding more seasoning to taste if desired. Good luck!
I would like to try this recipe but can’t get Kosher for Passover margarine. What can I use instead?
If you can find buttery flavored coconut oil, try that! Otherwise regular coconut oil will work, but it won’t turn out quite as creamy flavored. Important if you are subbing these ingredients to taste the sauce after it thickens, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Hi Tori,
My son recently went vegetarian and I am looking to make this for upcoming passover. I do a lot of my cooking in advance so that I am not crunched before the 1st Seder. If one were to make this a day ahead of time and put it in the fridge would you leave the sauce for the day of and make everything else?
You can roast the potatoes ahead and also make the quinoa spinach filling, stored separately. Definitely wait until the day of to make the sauce, assemble and bake.
I just made this gratin for a New Years Eve dinner I hosted! It was incredible! Several people asked me what kind of cheese I used! It was so quick and easy except I started snacking on the sweet potato chips and had to make another batch. It is rare I do not alter a recipe but this one is perfect! My vegan friends (and omnivores) all loved it!
Hi. This recipe looks wonderful, I am planning on making it for this Shabbat. I don’t have potato starch on hand, I am wondering if I can use brown rice flour instead. If so, would I use the same quantity? If brown rice flour wouldn’t work, what can I use instead of potato starch?
Thank you in advance.
Your recipies are great
Hi Batia, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I’m not sure how to sub correctly using brown rice flower since we haven’t tried it, but cornstarch is typically the best sub for potato starch. Hope this helps!