Everythang’s betta with chedda.
When I was little, my mom used to make this amazing chicken and broccoli casserole. The star ingredients were broccoli, white rice, chicken (duh), cream of chicken soup and a bit more mayonnaise than she’d like to admit. And guess what? It was freaking fabulous. Creamy, comforting, happy belly goodness.
It was a classic in the dinner rotation, along with a few other favorites that overwhelm me with warm nostalgia. I have vivid memories of eating stuffed peppers, baked apples, spaghetti and zucchini kugel. Meatloaf, fajitas, chicken paprikash and broccoli and cheese squares. Oh and cream cheese cookies, apple cake and chocolate chip banana bread. The main dish was always something with meat, but we always had fresh veggies on the side with some kind of crusty bread and a huge fruit salad. My mom was (and still is) amazing in the kitchen. Eating dinner with my brother, sister and parents was something I looked so forward to each night. I’m a firm believer that eating meals together as a family is an integral part of developing good eating habits, bonding as a family and learning to appreciate the importance of a home cooked meal.
But let’s be real. I’m no longer as inclined to eat a big ole plate of chicken, rice and creamy sauce, no matter how much I may miss my mom. These days, my mom runs out to get me prepared vegetarian food from Mustard Seed Market whenever I come home to visit. God bless her heart. To think that she used to serve me meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans and now she’s scurrying to the health food store to get me organic tofu and kale salads. That’s true love.
In lieu of comforting, homey dinners, I was inspired to whip up a healthy rendition of chicken and broccoli yesterday. It’s much healthier but still loaded with flavor. I promise. You can even add more cheese if you feel like getting cray cray.
Here’s to chicken and broccoli casserole loaded not only with saturated fat, but also with laughter, memories, happy bellies and lots of love to pass around the dinner table.
Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Pie
Cook Time:
Yield:
Print
PinIngredients
- 3/4 cup dry quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 cups finely chopped broccoli florets (measure after chopping)
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast for vegans)
- 3/4–1 tsp salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375F. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place quinoa and water in medium pot and bring to a a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until all the water has absorbed.
- While quinoa is cooking, place the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- When quinoa is finished cooking, add to the large bowl and stir until throughly mixed.
- Scoop mixture into pie pan and bake for 25 minutes.
Nutrition
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 13 g
i am adding this to my dinner rotation 🙂
Yay! Let me know how you like it if you give it a try 🙂 Happy Friday!
This looks soo good! The mayo in casseroles always reminds me of Marshall’s mom on How I Met Your Mother!
Hahahaha spot on!!!
This looks soo good! The mayo in casseroles always reminds me of Marshall’s mom on How I Met Your Mother!
Hahahaha spot on!!!
Wow! I love quinoa and this looks so fab!
Thanks for sharing!
Isn’t quinoa the best? I’ve been trying to incorporate it in different ways and voila–this happened! Happy Friday 🙂
Wow! I love quinoa and this looks so fab!
Thanks for sharing!
Isn’t quinoa the best? I’ve been trying to incorporate it in different ways and voila–this happened! Happy Friday 🙂
This looks awesome! I made a similar recipe from the detoxinista last week using Nooch but I think this looks better and sometimes you gotta use the real stuff 😉 Have a good weekend!
I saw that on Detoxinista and I totally pinned it and then forgot all about it….story of my life. How did it turn out??
This looks awesome! I made a similar recipe from the detoxinista last week using Nooch but I think this looks better and sometimes you gotta use the real stuff 😉 Have a good weekend!
I saw that on Detoxinista and I totally pinned it and then forgot all about it….story of my life. How did it turn out??
What an awesome recipe! I pinned it and can’t wait to give it a try! This would be perfect with a side salad for lunch. 🙂
Thanks, Holly! It would definitely be rounded out well with a nice side salad. Enjoy!
What an awesome recipe! I pinned it and can’t wait to give it a try! This would be perfect with a side salad for lunch. 🙂
Thanks, Holly! It would definitely be rounded out well with a nice side salad. Enjoy!
Yum love this recipe! I am actually not a huge cheese fan (I know, I know) so I think I will try this with nutritional yeast — possibly for my lunches this week or next 🙂 Have a fabulous weekend girly
Yum love this recipe! I am actually not a huge cheese fan (I know, I know) so I think I will try this with nutritional yeast — possibly for my lunches this week or next 🙂 Have a fabulous weekend girly
The best meals are definitely ones which ignite strong family memories! That looks incredible, and I would agree about the cheddar, but I stupidly bought a 1kg block and have added it to anything and everything, its time for a new cheese!
Don’t you love when food ignites those memories? The smells of yummy food really does it for me! I’m kind of sort of jealous of your 1kg block of cheese…for real. Happy Friday!
The best meals are definitely ones which ignite strong family memories! That looks incredible, and I would agree about the cheddar, but I stupidly bought a 1kg block and have added it to anything and everything, its time for a new cheese!
Don’t you love when food ignites those memories? The smells of yummy food really does it for me! I’m kind of sort of jealous of your 1kg block of cheese…for real. Happy Friday!
Yessss just in time for the weekend- need to try it out! I am impressed at the texture- I would think that quinoa would crumble when baked. This is a great dish to keep ready for quick lunches during the work week….and for it’s worth, I’m yet to eat a pie that I am not a fan of & I’m pretty sure this measures up too :)!
It held together pretty well, which I was surprised about! And you can always throw in another egg, right? 🙂 It supplied me lunch allll week. Have a great wekeend, Khushboo!
I made this twice, and the second time I threw in an extra egg, which seemed to make it stick together a bit more. 🙂 Delicious. Thanks.
Thanks for the sweet comment, Teddi! Great idea to add in another egg. Thanks for reporting back!
I am going to smell like onions for weeks. Perhaps my oven is a little on the gentle side but it took me over double the cooking time. In fact, it is still in the oven and it’s been over an hour. I would suggest reworking this recipe a bit. Very sad. It had a lot of potential.
★
Yessss just in time for the weekend- need to try it out! I am impressed at the texture- I would think that quinoa would crumble when baked. This is a great dish to keep ready for quick lunches during the work week….and for it’s worth, I’m yet to eat a pie that I am not a fan of & I’m pretty sure this measures up too :)!
It held together pretty well, which I was surprised about! And you can always throw in another egg, right? 🙂 It supplied me lunch allll week. Have a great wekeend, Khushboo!
I made this twice, and the second time I threw in an extra egg, which seemed to make it stick together a bit more. 🙂 Delicious. Thanks.
Thanks for the sweet comment, Teddi! Great idea to add in another egg. Thanks for reporting back!
I am going to smell like onions for weeks. Perhaps my oven is a little on the gentle side but it took me over double the cooking time. In fact, it is still in the oven and it’s been over an hour. I would suggest reworking this recipe a bit. Very sad. It had a lot of potential.
★