Creamy Quinoa, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

When you went out to dinner as a kid, did you have a standard order?  Growing up in a small New England town, dining options were limited. BUT, we had a Bertucci’s.  That’s right, home of the best rolls in the world. My standard order: half a dozen rolls, and the rigatoni, broccoli and chicken. It was creamy, lemony goodness. My perfect comfort food.

Living in Boston’s North End, today I have no shortage of Italian dining options. And the rigatoni, broccoli and chicken is a draw on any menu. But on a regular night when you’re not looking to splurge on calories this is a good substitute for the comfort food classic.

We’re back on our kick of trying out new recipes. This week we tried one slow cooker option and this casserole. This one is a bit more labor intensive, but can be made in advance. The base for this meal comes from a blogger’s recipe, but I did some doctoring to amp up the flavor and pack in a bit more nutrition.

Creamy Quinoa, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ½ cup flour
• 1/2 – 1 cup water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons seasoning (like Emeril’s Essence or any basic blend you like)
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (any kind will work)
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/8 cup green onions, chopped
• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
• A pinch of love

While the oven is preheating to 400°, bring chicken broth to boil. In a separate bowl, mix milk, flour and poultry seasoning. Add the milk mixture to the boiled chicken broth and stir until you get a creamy sauce.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the creamy sauce and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I also added some shredded Gruyere to add to the creamy texture. Add the rinsed quinoa. Pour the quinoa mixture into a greased casserole dish (I used a square Pyrex). Top with sliced raw chicken, sprinkle with seasoning and bake for 30 minutes.

While casserole is cooking, blanche broccoli by submerging florets in boiling water for 1 minute and immediately rinse in ice cold water.

After 30 minutes, add broccoli and spinach to the casserole and mix well. Top with green onions and shredded cheese. Don’t forget the pinch of love.

Bake for 5-10 more minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Enjoy!