This super flavorful Cheesy Caprese Chicken and Quinoa Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal that is hearty, full of flavor and sure to please the entire family!
Want to know the best way to your man’s heart??
Yep. This cheesy full-of-yummy-comforting-goodness casserole dish filled with rotisserie chicken, quinoa, fresh tomatoes and basil. I’ve always loved caprese dishes….the combination of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil is pure HEAVEN in my book and I figured it was absolutely necessary that they be thrown into a cheesy casserole.
Why You’ll Love This
- Healthy, hearty and tastes absolutely delicious.
- The quinoa soaks up this delicious sauce for maximum flavor.
- You can easily throw everything into one pan, toss it in the oven and have a delicious dinner along with a bunch of leftovers for the week!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- tomatoes – you’ll need 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes along with fresh grape tomatoes for the top of the casserole. Cherry tomatoes or sliced roma tomatoes work great too.
- quinoa – perfectly fluffy quinoa simmered in chicken broth for extra flavor!
- chicken – I like to use shredded rotisserie chicken because it’s quick and easy with so much flavor, but feel free to use any cooked chicken breasts (or turkey) in this recipe.
- chicken broth – this adds more flavor to the quinoa, but water would work great too. I used low-sodium chicken broth, but you could use vegetable broth or any stocks you have in your pantry.
- garlic – you can use fresh chopped garlic or minced garlic from the jar.
- tomato paste – adds a deep rich color and thickens up the sauce in the casserole.
- balsamic vinegar – make sure to use a good, high quality balsamic vinegar to get the best flavor.
- half and half – adds a creaminess to the sauce, but you could also use coconut milk or heavy cream as a substitute.
- cheese – you’ll need a combination of grated parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- fresh basil – this is a MUST and tastes so good topped on this casserole. You could also top with avocado slices or fresh salsa.
- seasonings – a combination of crushed red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
How to Make Caprese Quinoa Casserole
- Cook the quinoa. Rinse and soak the quinoa for about 10 minutes in warm water. Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan, drain quinoa and add to the boiling broth. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the quinoa to sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- Make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine crushed tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar on medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in half and half, crushed red pepper and salt/pepper and continue cooking until heated through.
- Mix everything together. In a large bowl, mix together the chopped chicken, cooked quinoa, parmesan cheese and a 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Add in the sauce to the quinoa mixture and mix well.
- Bake casserole. Transfer to a prepared 9×13 baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and sliced tomatoes. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. Top with fresh basil and serve!
Prepping and Storage
To Store: This caprese chicken quinoa casserole makes great leftovers! Store casserole in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven covered in foil or in the microwave.
To Freeze: This casserole also freezes really well too. Just let everything cool completely, cover tightly with plastic wrap then cover again with foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and when ready to bake, top with the fresh tomatoes and pop right in the oven. Your family will thank you!
More Casserole Recipes
- Easy Beef Stroganoff Casserole
- Cheesy Keto Meatball Casserole
- Sausage and Veggie Egg Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
- Lemon Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Hope you all enjoy this Caprese Chicken and Quinoa Casserole! If you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Caprese Chicken and Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups diced rotisserie chicken, or any other cooked chicken
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, this is optional
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- Handful fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- To make quinoa, rinse and soak for about 10 minutes in warm water. Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan, drain quinoa and add to boiling broth. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn heat off and allow quinoa to sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork; set aside.
- To make the sauce, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add half and half, crushed red pepper and salt/pepper and continue cooking until heated through.
- In a large bowl, mix together chopped chicken, quinoa, Parmesan cheese and a 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, then add sauce to quinoa mixture; mixing well.
- Pour quinoa mixture into a prepared 9×13 baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.
- Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. Top with fresh basil, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can’t wait to try this!!
I don’t have access to any fresh basil. Would you add dried basil to the quinoa mix? If so, how much? This looks yummy! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
I definitely think fresh basil would taste best in this, but feel free to add a 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil if that’s all you have 🙂
Can I use canned chicken instead of rotisserie chicken?
Sure you can definitely use canned chicken, although it won’t have as much flavor as the rotisserie. You could also use shredded chicken breast or chicken thighs too.
Hey! I’ve made this recipe a couple times and love it, but will be cooking carb-free for a while. I was thinking of subbing in spaghetti squash- any advice?
I’m so sorry this question was missed! Spaghetti squash would make a great substitute, you would just want to roast the squash first then scrape out the strands and mix the spaghetti squash strands in with the rest of the ingredients as directed 🙂 Let me know how this tastes! You can see how I easily roasted spaghetti squash in this post: https://www.qqtpfx.shop/baked-spaghetti-squash-casserole/
This was really delicious! The whole family loved it!
I made this tonight. We loved it! I added cayenne pepper to the grown up plates.🥰
That was delicious! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Made this today and all enjoyed! Thank you!
Just made this today using a failed crockpot chicken breast experiment. IT WAS AMAZING! I followed the directions exactly… minus the crushed peppers. This will definitely be on regular menu rotation in my house. Thanx!
If I were to used jarred tomato sauce like Rao’s as one person suggested (to save time!) about how much should I use? Thank you! This looks delicious.
I would use two cups sauce and omit the tomato paste as it won’t be needed 🙂