Chicken & Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Lately, I have really been wanting to enjoy some comfort food.  Of course, almost all comfort food is high in calories and fat, so I knew it was going to be difficult finding a healthy substitute. I found a couple casserole recipes that used quinoa instead of rice, and I was intrigued. I love quinoa; I think the texture is incredibly pleasing, and it has the added benefit of being super nutritious too.  I had some leftover cooked chicken and a bag of frozen broccoli, so I decided to try to create a healthy Chicken & Broccoli Quinoa Casserole. Not only did it turn out great, I also managed to keep it under 500 calories a serving! 

Chicken & Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked & diced

2 cups of quinoa, cooked (preferably in chicken broth)

4 cups of broccoli, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 cup chicken broth

20 oz can Cream of Broccoli Soup

3/4 cup Sour Cream

1 1/2 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Salt & Pepper

Tabasco Sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large saucepan, saute onion in olive oil until soft.  Add in the broccoli and chicken broth, and simmer until the broccoli has softened.  Set aside, and let it cool a little.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, cream of broccoli soup, cheddar cheese, sugar, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. 

4. Add the chicken, broccoli/onion mixture (with liquid), and quinoa to the large bowl, and stir until well mixed. Do a taste test to see if you need to add more salt and pepper.

5. Spoon mixture into the casserole dish and top with Parmesan cheese.  Bake 40 minutes, covered.  Remove cover, and cook for 5-10 additional minutes, or until top has slightly browned.

6. Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve; have Tabasco sauce on hand if you like a little kick.  

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1/6 of Casserole

Calories: 479

Carbs: 31

Fat: 23

Protein: 40