Delicata Squash and Quinoa Casserole

My good friend Laura over at forking delicious initially posted this recipe, check out the original at http://forkingdelicioiusfood.blogspot.com/.

The idea of casserole is so perfectly fall, that I've already made a couple of variations based on what was on hand from the farmer's market (how sad that it is the end of the season!) and in the pantry.  I love the idea of replacing pasta with nutrient dense quinoa. I can honestly say that this dish was far tastier than any noodle based casserole that I've ever eaten, with the added benefit of being healthier too! Both versions featured squash and mushrooms, but one was vegetarian and one had chicken. Feel free to adapt the veggie types based on what you have on hand, and adapt the herbs to suit. I'm looking forward to trying spring vegetable versions, got to have something to look forward too with the long winter ahead!

Delicata Squash and Quinoa Casserole:

• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp butter, unsalted
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced  in thin half rounds
• 1 medium delicata squash, seeded and sliced in thin half rounds
• 1 cup red quinoa
• 1 Tbsp herbes de Provence
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 can cream of celery soup (try Pacific Naturals, you won't be disappointed)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 cup grated aged white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Bring red quinoa to a boil in 1 1/2 cups of water with a pinch of salt, when just boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. When done, remove from heat, fluff with fork and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. In a large pan, sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes in the olive oil, then add mushrooms and herbes de Provence and cook 3 minutes more. Add cubed chicken, and some fresh cracked black pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, to brown the chicken lightly on all sides. Add vegetable stock and cream of celery soup to the pan, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Melt butter in a separate pan, add zucchini, delicate squash, red pepper flakes and bell pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
6. Add squash to chicken and mushrooms, stir in quinoa.
7. In a small saucepan, whisk together milk and flour, cooking over medium heat with constant stirring until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat, continue stirring, and add in 1/2 of the grated cheese.
8. Transfer chicken and veggies to a casserole dish, pour milk and cheese mixture over the top and stir to combine. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
9. Bake at 350 for 20 min, finish under broiler for an additional 5 min to brown the top.

For the veggie version, I followed almost the exact same recipe *but* instead of chicken I increased the variety of vegetables. I used root vegetables and green beans, because I didn't want it to get too watery. About 1 c of chopped new potatoes, 3 carrots sliced in rounds and about 1/3 lb. of fresh green beans. Cook the potatoes and carrots with the mushrooms and onions, since they need a longer cooking time, and toss the green beans in with the squash.

Enjoy!