Made all in one pan with Italian sausages, marinated artichoke heats and sun dried tomatoes – this stove top Quinoa Casserole is every bit as delicious and satisfying as it is easy to make! After browning and cooking the meat and aromatics, stir in a cup of dried quinoa and top with chicken stock so that the quinoa fluffs up soaking in as much flavour as possible. You can easily keep this recipe dairy free simply by leaving out the mozzarella at the end making it a dish that’s both gluten free and dairy free friendly!

Hearty, protein packed and insanely delicious – this Italian Sausage Quinoa Casserole is just the right balance of satisfying and hearty flavours with good-for-you ingredients. Between the fluffy quinoa, the crumbled sausage and the chopped up pieces of artichoke and sun-dried tomatoes – you’ll be swooning over every bite!

How to Make this Stove Top Quinoa Casserole

1. First things first: brown the sausage. Remove the sausages from their casings and cook in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Removing the sausages from the casing and cooking them first will give you access to all of the delicious flavour inside and ensure that more of the flavour seeps into every layer of this recipe. Once cooked, remove the meat and set aside in a bowl as you prep the next few ingredients.
   • Tip: Make sure to wipe down the pan after removing the sausage. Too much excess oil from the sausage will only make for a greasy quinoa casserole at the end.
2. Next: Sweat the onion and artichoke. If you need, add a little more oil the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Sweating the onions is simply a way to draw out their natural sweetness and makes for a more mellow onion-flavour.
3. Add the garlic & tomato paste. Cook the garlic and tomato paste a couple of minutes. This will be plenty of time for both the garlic and paste to caramelise slightly making for a more intense, deep flavour.
4. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes & wine. At this point the pan might start to look a little dry. Stir in the tomatoes and wine and gently scrape all the browned and burnt on bits off the pan.
5. Next: return the sausage to the pan and stir in the quinoa. Mix everything together until well combined.
6. Add the stock, cover & cook. Once everything has been mixed and combined, cover the pan with a fitted lid and let cook about 20 minutes. Stir the quinoa every so often to keep things from burning at the bottom of the pan.
7. Finally: Cook off excess liquid and stir in cheese (if using). After about 20 minutes you can remove the lid from the pan. The quinoa should be almost fully cooked but you might notice some excess liquid near the top. Let the quinoa cook uncovered for about 5 minutes to let all the excess moisture and steam cook out or absorb fully into the dish. Stir in the cheese at this time if using and that’s it!
8. Taste, season, garnish & serve. Add a little salt and pepper if you feel like it needs it. I like adding basil and/or parsley to serve to add some light and fresh flavours to the rich dish.

Leftovers & Storage Tips

• In the Fridge: This quinoa casserole keeps well stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.
• In the Freezer: Allow the dish to cool down completely, then package it up and store in a freezer-safe container or bag. You can keep leftovers for about 3 months kept in the freezer this way. When you’re ready to enjoy, you can let the it thaw overnight in the fridge or defrost more quickly in the microwave.
• Reheat: Place the thawed quinoa casserole in a large skillet and add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable stock or water. Warm over a medium heat until totally heated through. Adding a little extra moisture to the pan along with the quinoa simply ensures that you don’t end up drying everything out the mixture too much in the reheating process.

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Recipe

Stove Top Italian Sausage Quinoa Casserole

Yield: 6 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

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Made all in one pan with Italian sausages, marinated artichoke heats and sun dried tomatoes - this stove top Quinoa Casserole is every bit as delicious and satisfying as it is easy to make! Skip the mozzarella at the end if you're looking for a dairy free friendly alternative!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian Sausage, casing removed
• 1 cup | 160 g onion (red, white or brown) diced
• 6 oz jar | 185 g marinated artichoke hearts, patted dry and roughly chopped
• 3 cloves | about 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons | 45 g tomato paste
• 3/4 cup | 40 g sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, patted dry and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup | 120 ml dry white wine
• 1 cup | 180 g dried quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups | 480 ml chicken stock
• 8 oz | 225 g mozzarella, drained of water and diced

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Heat a large 12 inch skillet or large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the sausages with casings removed. Use a wooden spoon to stir and break up the sausage. Cook until browned, about five minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and artichokes. Cook 3-4 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic and tomato paste. Cook another 2 minutes stirring the whole time.
4. Add the sun dried tomatoes and white whine. Mix everything together and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the burnt on bits. Return the cooked sausage to the pan.
5. Add the chicken stock and mix everything together. Cover the pan with a fitted lid. Cook for 20 minutes stirring every so often.
6. Remove the lid and stir in the mozzarella (if using). Let the quinoa cook about 3-5 minutes until the excess liquids have fully evaporated or absorbed into the quinoa. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
7. Serve topped with fresh herbs if desired and enjoy.

Notes

• I recommend wiping down the pan of excess oil after cooking the sausage to ensure that your dish isn't too greasy at the end.
• You can omit the white wine in this recipe by replacing it with more chicken stock or water.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Mains Cuisine: Italian

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