Cheesy Southwestern Quinoa Casserole

Ever since I got back from India, I’ve been stuck in sort of a weird funk. After three weeks of adventures in India, it’s back to the same old routine. And now that the holidays are over, I have nothing to look forward to. Besides for the bone-chilling cold, which makes it extra painful to leave my bed every morning. Have I sucked you into my dark cloud of gloom yet?

This ennui has seeped into all aspects of my life. I’m no longer excited by Friends on Netflix. There’s are no enticing classes at the gym. Even a sale at Anthropologie did little to lift me out of my doldrums. The worst has been in the kitchen: I’ve had such little recipe inspiration and a limited desire to cook, and now have ordered dinner so frequently that I’m bored of Seamless as well.

Thankfully, I have friends who are as into food as I am and send me recipes all the time. This one comes courtesy of Abby, who raved about it last week. The original casserole, from Good Housekeeping, plays off the always-winning combo of broccoli and cheese, tossing in quinoa and spinach for a hearty vegetarian skillet that’s quite healthy to boot. Given my new interest in food that’s sneakily good for you but 100% delicious, I was hooked.

But of course I had to change a few things. There was a sale on pretty rainbow-colored peppers at the grocery store, so I went with those over broccoli. And I forgot to buy spinach, so … oops. I also threw in some ground turkey, though in retrospect, I think a can of black beans would be just as delicious and preserve the whole “vegetarian” premise of the dish. And of course I swapped Greek yogurt for sour cream, since I always have one and never have the other.

But the real beauty of this quinoa casserole is that it can be changed up in a million ways. I’ve already envisioned a version similar to my beloved mushroom “risotto”, as well as one that involves Brussels sprouts. The possibilities are actually kind of exciting … could this casserole cure me of my winter blahs?

Cheesy Southwestern Quinoa Casserole
Adapted from Good Housekeeping
Makes 4-6 servings

– 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

– 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

– 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or water)

– 1 small red onion, chopped

– 2 large cloves garlic, minced

– 1 pound ground turkey

– 2 teaspoons cumin

– 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

– 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

– salt and pepper, to taste

– 1-1/2 large bell peppers, diced

– 1/4 cup salsa (I used a roasted chipotle salsa from Whole Foods)

– 1 teaspoon hot sauce

– 1/4 cup greek yogurt

– 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1) Preheat the oven to 450F. Grease a 7-x-11 baking pan and set aside.

2) Make the quinoa: heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the quinoa and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the grains smell nutty and brown slightly. Add the chicken stock (or water) and bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Stir the

3) In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic for 10-12 minutes, until the onions have softened and are beginning to brown. Add the ground turkey and break into crumbles using a wooden spoon. Add the cumin, chipotle powder, paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for 7-10 minutes, until the meat is browned. Stir in the bell peppers and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

4) Stir the quinoa, salsa, hot sauce, greek yogurt and 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese into the ground turkey mixture. Spread the casserole mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.

5) Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and browned slightly. Cut into pieces and serve.