Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Casserole

 This Mediterranean chicken quinoa casserole can be made ahead and re-heated for an easy, healthy dinner. The perfect healthier comfort food recipe!

They warned us that this would be a long, cold winter, and this has been 100% true.

I'm looking out the window. It's March 11. It's -18°C, windy, snow blowing everywhere. Our windows are frosted and I'm freezing my butt off. To say I've had enough of this weather is an understatement.

So while I'd rather be thinking about spring flowers and produce, I'm stuck on winter and comfort food.

But today I have a delicious 'comfort food' recipe that is so tasty that it makes me forget all about the weather! This Mediterranean chicken quinoa casserole is packed with quinoa, chicken, feta cheese and Mann's Kale Beet Blend, and is so easy to prep.

Today's post is in partnership with Mann's, who have a new delicious veggie blend: Kale Beet Blend! I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty this blend is, the beet flavor is present but not overpowering, as it's mixed in with kale, kohlrabi and red cabbage.

My first instinct was to make a salad with these delicious crunchy veggies, but I was really happy how tasty they were baked into this casserole. The perfect flavors to compliment the Mediterranean flavors in this recipe: lemon, oregano and feta.

And let's face it: this is one pretty blend...check out those colors!

It always drives me crazy when you have to add cooked components to a casserole. Because that means so much extra work, and many extra dishes to wash.

So for this recipe I made sure that the quinoa could cook right in the casserole. One less pot to wash equals one happy lady!

It does use pre-cooked chicken, but we often will buy a rotisserie chicken, so this is an easy shortcut if you don't want to do this step.

One other thing that I made sure of was that this wasn't a one-texture casserole. I've found quinoa casseroles to be quite...mushy in the past.

This chicken quinoa casserole is not! It has the perfect fluffy, kind of chewy texture from the quinoa itself, and is topped with Panko breadcrumbs, which really helps give it a nice crunch.

This is a great, family-friendly chicken quinoa casserole that you can make ahead and re-heat for an easy dinner during the week.

Ready for that recipe? Let's get to it!

Thank you to Mann's for sponsoring this post. And thank you to my readers for supporting the brands that keep Sweet Peas & Saffron going! As always, all opinions remain my own.

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this Mediterranean chicken quinoa casserole. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Casserole

4 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

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This Mediterranean chicken quinoa casserole can be made ahead and re-heated for an easy, healthy dinner.  The perfect healthier comfort food recipe!

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ cups rinsed quinoa
• ▢ 3 cups chicken stock
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• ▢ zest from 1 lemon
• ▢ 1 8 oz bag Mann's Kale Beet Blend
• ▢ 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
• ▢ 2 cups cooked chicken cubed
• ▢ added ½ cup water
• ▢ ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
• ▢ ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions 

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• In an 8x8 inch baking dish (or 9x9), stir together the quinoa, chicken stock, oregano and lemon zest. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and stir in the Kale Beet Blend, feta cheese & chicken. The baking dish will be very full, so take care while stirring. Return to the oven.
• Bake 30 more minutes, stirring once half way through.
• If quinoa does not taste cooked through completely, return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes until all water absorbed and quinoa cooked through
• Top with Panko breadcrumbs and cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes.
• Sprinkle with green onions and feta cheese.
• To Make AheadFollow all steps except the addition of cheese & breadcrumbs.
• Allow to cool completely and store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• To re-heat, cover with foil and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.
• Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Tips:

Make sure you use a deep casserole dish! The pyrex dish I use is 2.5 inches deep and was quite full.

This recipe can be halved and cooked with the same cook times as listed.

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of batch, Calories: 420kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 1298mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g

Author: Annie Holmes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

More healthy comfort food recipes for us!

• Try this Cheesy Chicken Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe and you won't regret it!
• or this Cauliflower Rice Chicken Enchilada Casserole, which is deceptively light
• or this Make Ahead One Pot Black Bean Fajita Pasta