Chicken, Kale and Broccoli Casserole
Let’s start this with a .. YUM.
Reasons to try this recipe: It’s full of healthy greens.
Dark, beautiful, curly kale and a little family-friendly broccoli. I like greens on their own, but when you add pasta and cheese? That’s a win.
Dark, beautiful, curly kale and a little family-friendly broccoli. I like greens on their own, but when you add pasta and cheese? That’s a win.
It’s freezable.
I made the full recipe; baking up half of it for our meal and freezing half of it for a future dinner. I love that I only had to cook once, but I get to eat it twice (and not as leftovers).
It’s tasty.
Big bites of pasta, creamy ricotta cheese, perfectly moist chicken and dark, flavorful greens. Pair it with a salad and you can feel great about what you’re feeding your family.This is a solid weeknight meal- try it soon.
(And do not fear the kale! It’s your body’s best friend, I swear.)
(And do not fear the kale! It’s your body’s best friend, I swear.)
Chicken, Kale and Broccoli Casserole
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
adapted from Martha Stewart- http://www.marthastewart.com/862208/chicken-and-kale-casserole
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- ¾ lb. large or jumbo pasta shells
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 bunch kale, stems and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
- 1 large container ricotta cheese
- zest of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain; return to pot. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale and broccoli, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta.
- Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and ½ cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with ¼ cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden, 30 minutes.
- To freeze: Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water; return to the pot. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale and broccoli, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta. Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and ½ cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch disposable baking dish (or two 8-by-8-inch baking dishes); top with ¼ cup Parmesan. Let cool to room temperature, cover with aluminum foil and freeze.
- To reheat from frozen: Bake casserole (straight from the freezer) at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes or until completely warmed through, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. You can also thaw in the fridge the day before and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.
Looks great. Freezing half of it is a great idea. Especially since there are only 2 of us!
There is so much that I love about this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
YUM this looks amazing and EASY! love that
YUM!! I am always looking for recipes with Kale in it! I definitely going to try this one, thanks girl. 🙂