Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Casserole
Published 12/5/2024
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Chicken parmesan quinoa casserole is exactly what you and the fam need for dinner! Juicy, cheesy chicken parmesan on top of a quinoa marinara base that’s packed with protein (57g per serving!) and veggies. This recipe has been made and loved by thousands of our readers over the years ❤️
Featured Comment
“I make this ALL THE TIME. It’s a life saver – so easy to make and always delicious. Also perfect for work leftovers. Thanks for such a quick, easy and tasty dish! ” – Mary
Each time we make this quinoa casserole recipe, I swear it gets better and better. I love that this easy meal is all baked in one casserole dish, and is packed with so much protein (thank you chicken and quinoa).
The best part about this recipe (outside of it being so gosh dang delicious 😃 ) is that it’s super nourishing and packed with protein (57g per serving!). Not to mention it packs in tons of veggies – mushrooms, onion, green pepper, and quinoa. Then, on top, is simple and flavorful homemade parmesan chicken.
What you Need for Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Casserole
In this mouth-watering quinoa bake, we combine quinoa, diced green pepper, mushrooms, and finely diced yellow onion as the base.
The sauce is a mixture of marinara, chicken broth, and minced garlic which provides a robust base for the parmesan-coated chicken breast that sits on top.
Then for the parmesan chicken we’re using chicken breasts and a homemade parmesan breading.
why you’ll love it!
- Super nutrient dense! We’re talking 57g of protein / serving + a hearty serving of veggies.
- This is an OG Fit Foodie recipe, that thousands of you have made and loved over the years.
- Great meal to freeze for later or give to a friend in need ❤️
Quinoa Casserole Variations
- Vegetarian Friendly: Replace chicken with sliced eggplant; the cooking time remains the same for that fluffy quinoa.
- Gluten-Free: Opt for a gluten-free flour for the parmesan coating.
- Cheese Variety: Swap shredded parmesan for a mix of parmesan and mozzarella for a gooey twist.
- Add More Veggies: Feel free to add whatever veggies you have on hand into the quinoa base. Try broccoli, zucchini, or peas. Yum!
Our Favorite
Casserole Dish
We love this le creuset casserole dish because it is oven safe AND has a cover. It is the perfect casserole dish for this baked one pot pasta dish!
FAQ
Yes, but we have not tested any other grains. Rice could give you a similar outcome with the ratio to liquid.
Add red pepper flakes to the marinara sauce.
Absolutely, though homemade is always a flavorful upgrade.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you’re freezing it, make sure to thaw it completely in the fridge before reheating. Casseroles like this one actually improve in flavor over time!
Serving Suggestions
- Pair this casserole with a crisp, green salad to round out the meal.
- A sprinkle of fresh basil, drizzle of balsamic glaze or a dash of red pepper flakes can add a burst of color and flavor just before serving.
Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced (~1/2 cup)
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 1.5 cup white mushrooms, diced
- 1.5 teaspoons sea salt, separated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 cups marinara sauce, (24 oz.)
- 1 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 2.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or g/f all-purpose
- 1.5 cups shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 2.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (4 small chicken breasts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the onion to the skillet and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the green pepper, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan. Turn the heat to medium, and add ½ teaspoon more of salt, and 1 tablespoon of Tuscan seasoning. Saute for an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Add the quinoa and the vegetables to the casserole dish and toss to combine. Then, add the marinara sauce, broth, and the remaining salt. Toss again. Wipe the edges of the casserole dish so that the edges don’t burn.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the chicken. Mix the flour, shredded parmesan, garlic powder, and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Then, crack an egg into a separate bowl and whisk.
- Dredge the chicken through the egg. Allow any excess egg to drip from the chicken breast.
- Dredge the chicken through the parmesan mixture. Pat the flour and cheese onto the chicken until coated. Repeat until all chicken breasts are coated. Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, you may have to add more flour or cheese to the bowl.
- After 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and stir the quinoa mixture. Transfer the chicken to the top of the quinoa and cover. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Uncover the baking dish and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or the chicken is golden brown and the internal temperature temperature of the chicken is 165ºF
- Remove from the oven and let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was updated in October 2024. The original recipe (HERE) skips pre-cooking all the vegetables in the skillet. Feel free to skip that step if you want less dishes. We suggest pre-cooking the vegetables because it adds a ton of flavor and depth to the recipe.
- Cook-time may vary depending on the oven.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
I make this ALL THE TIME. It’s a life saver – so easy to make and always delicious. Also perfect for work leftovers. Thanks for such a quick, easy and tasty dish! Note that I skip the mushrooms and add a red pepper instead.
I’m with you on the mushroom thing, but that’s just my personal preference! The rest of the team LOVES them.
Has anyone tried to freeze this? Or reheat it? I cooked it for a new mom and made it two days early :/
I just reheated it and it’s just as good the second time! Haven’t tried freezing/reheating it yet. We didn’t have enough leftovers for that!
What type of mushrooms do you use?
Dooooo ya think this recipe could be made in the crock-pot?
I made this for my family and everyone loved it! Love your posts and thanks for sharing!
YAY! So glad they loved it!
I don’t have a ceramic baking dish, so hopefully my pyrex will do the trick!
This was delicious! Oh my God cooking quinoa usually scares the shit out of me. Too much water in the pan and it’s snot, too little and it burns. It has such precise instructions. I do love quinoa though and it’s super healthy. 🙁 So this recipe was like finding a little diamond. It was ridiculously easy too. Thank you so much for this, I’m secretly hoping for more quinoa bake recipes in the future hehe
P. S. The crispy edges are to die for
Wow! What a great recipe. Everyone in my house loved it including my picky daughter who said she wouldn’t eat it when she first saw it. But then of course ate it all! I loved the idea of using quinoa instead of pasta. It was very light which was what I was looking for. Pasta is overrated! The only thing different I did was use a can of roasted tomatoes and cut up zucchini.
just made this for 5 people, it was quite garlic flavoured but personally i thought that complemented the other flavours, I am a 15 year old who lives a healthy lifestyle so i cook about once a week for my family, always something healthy! And this was the perfect thing for my picky family because the chicken could easily be taken to eat on its own, i loved the flavours and knowing what I’m eating is healthy makes it so much nicer. Really loved the recipe, served with some veg and finished off with some all natural greek yogurt topped with a bunch of cereals, granola and of course some apple!
Love that you’re in to cooking at such a young age <3 Glad you loved it!
I entered this recipe into myfitnesspal and got drastically different calorie numbers per serving than what is listed. If the recipe serves 6, 1 serving is 624 calories, 25.5g of fat, and 39g of carbs, and 60.4g of protein. I used 3oz chicken breasts and Newman’s Own Marinara sauce. I can’t figure out how in the world you got your numbers. Can you help clarify?