greek quinoa casserole.

this recipe has been in my head for over a year.

over a YEAR, people.

we love greek.

we love casseroles.

so.. this recipe was a shoe-in.

we loved it.

hope you do, too.

greek quinoa casserole with chicken
prep & active cooking time: 15 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
yield: five servings

ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts thinly sliced into five equal pieces
• 4 oz olive tapenade
• 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• 4 oz roasted or sun dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• 2 oz crumbled feta
• 2 oz crumbled goat cheese
• 2 fluid oz (1/4 cup) balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 of a lemon

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350* F.
2. rinse quinoa and then combine it with broth in a medium saucepan.
3. bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked through.
4. heat a skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil.
5. season chicken with salt and pepper then place in heated skillet.
6. sear each side of chicken breasts for about two minutes, then remove from heat.
7. meanwhile, combine tapenade, artichokes, and tomatoes in a bowl.
8. add quinoa, vinegar, and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper to the bowl, mix to combine.
9. layer half of the quinoa mixture in an 8 x 8 casserole dish.
10. sprinkle with all of the feta.
11. place chicken over quinoa.
12. squeeze juice of half a lemon over the chicken.
13. layer remaining quinoa mixture over the chicken.
14. sprinkle with all of the goat cheese.
15. cover and bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
16. serve immediately. enjoy!

step-by-step photo tutorial:

preheat oven to 350* F.

rinse quinoa and then combine it with broth in a medium saucepan.

bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked through.

heat a skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil.

season chicken with salt and pepper then place in heated skillet.

sear each side of chicken breasts for about two minutes, then remove from heat.

meanwhile, combine tapenade, artichokes, and tomatoes in a bowl.

add quinoa, vinegar, and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper to the bowl, mix to combine.

layer half of the quinoa mixture in an 8 x 8 casserole dish. sprinkle with all of the feta.

place chicken over quinoa.

squeeze juice of half a lemon over the chicken.

layer remaining quinoa mixture over the chicken. sprinkle with all of the goat cheese.

cover and bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

serve immediately. enjoy!

and, for you calorie and macronutrient trackers, here are the stats per serving (one-fifth of the recipe):

please note that the higher fat is due to the healthy oils and olives—it’s all good fat. don’t fear the fat, folks. if you use myfitnesspal, you can find this recipe on myfitnesspal.com’s database under “Greek Quinoa Casserole – meals & moves” for tracking purposes.

this dish would be really great with a dollop of hummus and a dollop of tzatziki on top! alas, we were already eating dinner at 9 PM and i had neither of those toppings.. but if you have them on hand, give them a whirl. i bet it’d be delicious. also, if you are vegetarian, you could easily omit the chicken and it would still be a filling, flavorful meal!

Q~

what was the last thing you baked in your oven?

xo. janetha g.

Tagged as: casserole, chicken, greek, greek quinoa casserole