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
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this tonight, it was delicious! I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth for extra flavour. Next time I’ll add extra broccoli. Great recipe, thanks!
Your website is amazing. I love all the fresh, colorful recipes. They all look delicious. Love Love Love them all~
Just wondering what to do with the panko? It says to set aside and then it doesn’t say where to add them. I put them on the top with the cheese before I out it in the oven.
Patti, the addition of Panko is directed in the last line of the instructions – right before serving.
HI! This was sent to me by a friend who knows how much I love quinoa. It looks awesome! BUT, I’m on a pretty specific caloric intake right now — could you post the nutritional info if you have it? Thanks 🙂
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information of my recipes. Please use online resources to obtain such information.
Great dish … the whole family loved it. I too am curious about the nutritional information. It’s tough to use online resources in such combinations. We wouldn’t hold you responsible! LOL
By combining all ingredients and dividing, I’m guessing around 375 calories.
Made this last night, it was good but will make some changes the next time such as add more seasoning, someone suggested Dijon mustard, definitely garlic and onion. Used almond milk and hubs couldn’t taste it but I could, will try skim milk instead to see if I notice the difference. Also will double the amount of broccoli and cook the quinoa in broth to up the flavor quotient. It certainly has enough health benefits and good readily available ingredients to make again. Thanks for sharing!
I agree that it needs a couple tweaks. I am really a novice with cooking (and this was my first time making quinoa) and I was aiming for just more than half the recipe – but I kept the full amount of broccoli, yogurt, and cheese. I added dried minced onion and garlic powder to the chicken while it was cooking (which I had already cut into small strips for faster cooking because I’m paranoid). Also, was I the only one that had ZERO success cooking the broccoli with the quinoa? By 10 minutes in (as the quinoa said 15 minutes and the recipe said broccoli for the last 5), the water was mostly absorbed and the broccoli just sat on top doing nothing. I left it on a few minutes longer with a bit more water and still nothing – even cool to the touch. Ended up scraping the broccoli into a Pyrex bowl with a bit of water to steam in the microwave for a few minutes.
Otherwise my tweaks were really minor – used a little bag of 3 cheddar blend (I believe it said sharp, mild, and fontina?) and got the garlic Panko. I was a bit skeptical of the quinoa thing, the broccoli issue, and the milk taking forever to thicken with that little flour (I added a good pinch more), as well as my lack of skills with cooking chicken, but it turned out pretty tasty. My roommates enjoyed the smell and the tasting as well! Good comfort food and it’s nice knowing my just-about-gluten-free friend can enjoy it and just tolerate the bit of flour and Panko.
Again, I’m a novice with cooking but dang, this took me like 2 hours including cutting fat off the chicken (I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs). A bit long after a day of work; in the future I’d do this on the weekend.
Lastly – there is a whole step for toasting/goldening the Panko in a pan and then all it says for adding is ‘SPRINKLE ON TOP IF DESIRED’?? This was rather disappointing. I think noting it as optional from the get-go would have been helpful. I definitely sprinkled it all on the top before baking after taking the time to toast it up in the skillet but it took me several minutes of panic and triple checking to make sure I wasn’t missing something since it never clearly said to add. So, that could be clearer and if you put it on before baking, I personally don’t see the need to pre-cook it? Then again, this was also my first time actually cooking with Panko personally. Or making a casserole.
Anyway, these are the notes of someone who is NOT an expert in the kitchen, for all you who see this recipe as an opportunity to get your feet wet!
About the broccoli not cooking–did you finely chop it, like the recipe calls for? I could see bite-sized florets not cooking if just put on top of the quinoa in the last five minutes. Mine were chopped into pieces about 1/4″ and it worked, but there was hardly any room–next time I’ll use the “large saucepan” like it says!
I, too, am taking issue with the prep time and total time for this recipe! It took wWAY over an hour.
Yummy! I made this tonight, with pan-roasted cauliflower and pine nuts (served the chicken on the side). I subbed half-and-half and sour cream because that’s what I had on hand. Very good! Added some thyme, onion powder and garlic powder too. Thanks for the idea of how to use quinoa.
Oh my, this casserole looks so satisfying and tasty 🙂 I can’t wait to make this!
Can I use flax meal in place of panko? I don’t want to make a special trip to the natural market for healthier bread crumbs that don’t have soybean oil and corn syrup. Please reply ASAP as I plan to make this tomorrow morning while my baby is napping. I already have the other ingredients on hand. Thank you. It looks delicious!
Julie, I recommend using the specified ingredients listed in the recipe whenever possible for optimal results. I understand that you may have dietary restrictions or simply do not have the ingredient on hand, but please remember that by using a substitution, I cannot speak for how much this will change in the overall taste or texture of the dish.
This can be transformed into a safe gluten free dish simply by eliminating the panko [or breadcrumbs] from the recipe. Quinoa is on the approved list for anyone with celiac or non-celiac GF sensitivity. I’ll have to try the wheat free version of it myself. Typically I make alot of this but using rice, I’ve not cooked with quinoa.
I’m assuming you stir in the chicken to the brocoli and cheese mixture? After you set aside the cooked chicken, it doesn’t say what to do with it. I’ll see how it turns out!
Yes! Thank you for letting me know – I just updated the recipe.
sounds great till you get to the panko which is not gluten free, could you sub gf bread crumbs?
Yes, absolutely.
I am anxious to make this….we spend our winter’s in Cabo…so enjoy!!! There is no better place.
Love it. I will add a few herbs for taste and I found this small bag of mixed – Swiss chard, kale, spinach. Gonna chop this and add as well. Yum yum
The veges my husband hates but will love in this recipie. Thanks
Making this tonight !!!!
Such a beautiful and sacrifice-free update on the classic! I will be in Italy in a swimsuit by the end of May! I really need to get going on that “get-in-shape” thing!
recipe looks great…have never cooked with quinoa, but you’ve gotta start somewhere. Just wondering if you can sub regular breadcrumbs for Panko? I make my own bread…
Yes, absolutely. After all, nothing beats homemade!
I just made this and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Quinoa and Kale are ‘in’ ingredients this season. But it’s nice to see my ol’ friend Mr. Broccoli
featured. I have yet to cook with quinoa, but boy howdy I have been eating a fair amount
of it the past year. I must say it’s been a pleasure, particularly as used in some wonderful salads. I love the change of pace. If I make this, I will really be in the fast lane of the cookig world. Ha!
I love finding new quinoa recipes, Chung-Ah! And this cheesy casserole fits the bill for when I’m craving comfort food. You two will have a blast in Cabo!
I’m always up for a new way to enjoy quinoa – looks so good!