Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
Healthy, cheesy comfort food without any of the guilt!
Jason and I have decided to have a mini getaway after his graduation in May. He’s been in architecture grad school for the last 3 years, and seeing that this is the last break he’ll ever have, we will be flying to a gorgeous resort to Cabo for 5 whole days! That being said, I have 2 months to get ready for bikini season, and since I love food too much to “diet”, I’ve lightened up a classic comfort food favorite.
This casserole is made completely from scratch with healthy ingredients – but have no fear – there’s plenty of cheese, creaminess, toasted breadcrumbs for that extra crunch, and an overall balance of veggies and quinoa for that extra protein. And if Jason, the all-time quinoa hater, devoured this without looking up, well, I’m sure your pickiest of eaters will just gobble this up too!
Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- ⅓ cup Panko*
- 3 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions. Within the last 5 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli on top and steam until cooked through.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add Panko and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, about 3 minutes; set aside.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces; set aside.
- Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in quinoa, broccoli, chicken, 1 cup cheese and Greek yogurt; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Spread broccoli mixture into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Place into oven and bake until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with Panko, if desired.
Notes
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Made this to broaden the horizon of the grains, instead of rice or pasta. I used half and half and sour cream because those were the ingredients I had. Delicious probably one of the best casserole dishes made yet.
I actually tried some of your recipes and let me tell you they are delicious, I’m sure you already know that.
I made this last night and everyone loved it! I made some alterations based on other reviews: (a) cooked the chicken with a few garlic cloves; (b) sauteed half a diced onion until brown and added that to the mix; (c) added about 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper; (d) used chicken broth to cook the quinoa; and (e) substituted half of the milk with organic fat-free milk. This was really delicious and a definite keeper. However, I think it took a lot more than 30 minutes from start to finish!
Valerie, I’m so glad you tried this recipe! As for the timing of the recipe – it’s helpful to prep/cook while the quinoa is cooking. It’s a huge time-saver!
Starla mentioned that she calculated this dish to be about 305 calories. Not many calories for something this good. I think I will try it tonight. I have just discovered Quinoa and I really like it. Thanks Chungha.
Helloo, new way to eat broccoli! Bury it in healthy quinoa and cheese. I might even make a special trip to the grocery store just for broccoli, unheard of! Thanks for sharing!
Deeeee-licous!! I LOVE Quinoa! Needed some more ideas! Seems like you got quite a few on your page! This was the first one I tried. YUM!!! LOVE healthy meals that actually don’t taste healthy, lol. Thanks!! <3 <3
Oh my this was AMAZING! Used 1% milk and all natural sour cream since it’s what I had! unfortunately only had lightly salted butter so I omitted any added salt. Seasoned my chicken with poultry seasoning, black and red pepper. Added in some Romano/asiago/Parmesan shredded cheese I needed to use along with the cheddar and this was divine! Thanks for the start of it! SUPER easy and was my first attempt with quinoa and I’m sitting here eating leftovers loving it even more!! THANK YOU!!
I just made this for dinner and it is delish! Even my picky daughter loves it and she loves nothing that doesn’t end with the word burger! I did make a few adjustment though which was I seasoned my chicken with garlic powder and onion powder and I also seasoned my roux the same way. I also only used half the milk (we are not big milk drinkers in my house) and exchanged the other half of the liquid with chicken broth. I will definitly be adding this to my dinner menu! I also have leftovers, so I have a healthy lunch tomorrow! 🙂
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This was so delicious! I have made at least 7 of your recipes in the last 9 days and I can’t wait to make more! You make our bellies so happy! Thank you for sharing!
I made this tonight and it was yummy! I skipped the panko topping and used olive oil to make my rue instead of the butter. I will definitely make this again.
I am just wondering how well you think this would freeze? I am going to try this tomorrow night, but am 37 weeks pregnant and trying to double recipes and have a supply of freezer meals for when the baby comes!
Unfortunately, due to the amount of liquid in this dish, I do not recommend freezing this.
while i’m typing this comment i eat your lovely casserole. i love iz@
greetings from germany / north sea / lower saxony, inka
Tried it tonight and I was nervous that maybe it would be too bland, so I made another casserole using Brussel sprouts, carrots and red onions. Mixing sea salt.pepper and olive oil and baking it for 40 minutes ( turning it once) it was a great compliment to the quinoa dish.
My husband loved both casseroles and is looking forward to both left overs tomorrow.
I love trying new recipes. So much fun!
I’ve recently been trying recipes that incorporate quinoa, and some haven’t been good enough to add to my favorite recipes collection. However, my entire family loved this dish, which is RARE! The only change I made was adding the juice from one small lemon. I will most definitely be preparing this again and again. I’m looking forward to trying some of the other recipes on this site. Thanks so much for sharing these awesome recipes!
Do you know about how many cups of broccoli we’re supposed to have? Heads of broccoli vary so much that and want to make sure that I have enough! Thanks!
Stacey, there’s about 3 1/2 cups broccoli florets in a broccoli head.
Is the casserole supposed to be extremely soupy? I followed all the directions and ended up with something less casserole and more thick soup. I am cooking longer at a higher temperature to get things to solidify a bit but so far no luck. It’s too bad, it looked good in theory.
Marisa, it is not supposed to be “soupy” at all. I recommend whisking the milk constantly to make sure it thickens up. This step is crucial to avoid a liquid texture.
Tried this out but modified it to be vegetarian…I sautéed sliced tempeh in a little olive oil, and seasoned with sea salt and cracked pepper…then cubed that to add with the broccoli. So good!
Using the “Loose it” app it calculates out to 351 calories per serving. You can knock it down pretty easily by taking out the Roux (butter flour sauce) and olive oil. Instead I used Pam in the pan and lightly floured the chicken, after cooking the chicken added the milk to what is remaining in the pan and only one cup. I also supplemented a fat free chicken stock instead of water to give it more flavor. Spraying the Pam on the Panko also crisped it up enough. It was then only 274 calories and no cheese sacrificing!
I just made this and it is delicious! My fussy two year old will definitely love it, meaning we can all eat the same healthy meal! This will definitely become a staple meal in our household. (BTW, next time I’ll try adding some dijon & cooking the quinoa in broth for a change up… great tips!)