{Creamy Broccoli and Chicken Quinoa Casserole}

How delicious does this dish look?!?  It is on my "must-try" Pinterest board, and I'm dying to whip this up.  My mouth waters every time I see the picture, and once our oven is fixed, this casserole is going in!!

{via Cooking Classy}

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 12 oz broccoli florets (about 4 cups), diced and steamed just until tender
• 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 oz finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided (about 1 cup slightly packed)
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)

Directions

Cook quinoa according to directions replacing 2 cups of water with the 2 cups chicken broth (so you should be using 2 cups broth 1 cup water). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet, melt butter along with olive oil. Add in onion and sauté over medium heat until soft. Add in garlic and flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. While whisking slowly pour in milk, then add in thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened then remove from heat and stir in half of the Parmesan cheese, then mix in sour cream, lemon juice and fresh parsley.

To assemble, butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and spread half of the cooked quinoa into an even layer in bottom of baking dish. Then spread steamed broccoli into an even layer over quinoa, followed by chicken then remaining cooked quinoa. Pour white sauce evenly over top and spread into an even layer and sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Thank you Cooking Classy for this yummy adaptation of your Mom's recipe. :)

xoxo,
Katherine