Recipe of the Week: Broccoli Quinoa Chicken Casserole

I found this yummy recipe on Pinterest, but it originally came from this blog. It is so good!  I highly recommend making it.  You will feel good about yourself because you're eating quinoa and broccoli, but it will taste good because of all the cheese and creaminess.  I have made it a few times and it is always good.  I added cooked chicken to the recipe to make it more of a main dish instead of a side dish.

Ingredients:

• One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom), or Condensed “Cream of Anything” Soup 
• 1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (original called for 1 full cup. WOW.)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)
• 1/2 teaspoon Splenda/sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Dash freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups cooked broccoli
• 1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa (see note)
• Feshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup of cooked chicken (I used shredded chicken, you could even use canned)

To cook quinoa:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear.  In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible.  Fluff with a fork.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (8×8 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish – or individual ramekins – with vegetable cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, Splenda, pepper, and nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa, chicken, and broccoli.
3. Spoon mixture into prepared casserole.  Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden.  Makes 8 generous 1/2-cup servings.

Per Serving: Calories 199,  Protein 10 g; Fat 9 g; NET Carbs 14 g; Fiber 2 g; Sugar 1 g; Sodium 297 mg