Jon and I love incorporating flavours from the Italian kitchen into our dinner meals. Tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella top the list of our favourites so this Tuscan Quinoa Casserole hits the mark. Easy to whip up for a mid week dinner and even easier to pack for lunches for the week!
900g chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 medium red onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
3 cups Imagine Foods Creamy Tomato Soup (found at Marketfresh, Stone Store and Zehrs in the gluten free section)
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning (this is usually a mix of oregano, basil, thyme, savoury etc so you could mix up your own here)
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp each)
400g small tomatoes, sliced
12 fresh basil leaves
100g Tre Stelle Bocconcini Balls, sliced
1) Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 9x13in pan with a little of the olive oil. In a large sauce pan, heat the rest of the olive oil and saute the garlic and onion for about 5 minutes. Then add in the chicken and brown on the outsides (about 3-5mins).
2) Pour this mixture into your casserole dish. Add in the uncooked quinoa, Tomato soup, seasoning, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Cover with aluminum foil.
3) Bake covered at 375ºF for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella balls. Bake for another 20 minutes but uncovered this time, until you can see the quinoa is fully cooked and cheese is melted. Top with basil leaves and serve with a side of greens to round things off!
Macronutrient Breakdown (per serving):
Calories-404
Fat-11g
Carbohydrates-32g
Protein-44g
