Quinoa is incredibly healthy, filling, vegetarian and pretty easy to cook. It has a strong taste that is somewhat lessened by rinsing it 3 or 4 times before cooking. Cooking it in carrot juice, beet juice or vegetable broth not only sweetens the taste but also changes the color. White quinoa made with carrot juice turns an amazingly beautiful bright orange–so cool.
To shorten the cooking time even further, you could skip the casserole dish and baking step completely and just eat it right out of the pan.