Turkey Quinoa Brussel Sprout Casserole

A creamy, luscious, yet healthy turkey casserole with mushrooms, smoked Gouda cheese, quinoa, and a bit of bacon.

Even though my dad made a 17-pound bird, there really wasn’t much turkey left after our crowd got done eating this Thanksgiving. I was warned that I couldn’t take too much–and I didn’t. Just a small container full of dad’s delicious wild turkey. I should have grabbed some stuffing too, but I didn’t. My teenagers were in a hurry to get home, so I took my little bit of turkey and some fresh brussel sprouts my sister had saved for me from her garden, hopped in the car with my teenagers and prepared to head home.

But the car wouldn’t start. I wasn’t worried, since we were right here with plenty of family to help. Dad went and got his battery charger and started it charging, but it wasn’t cooperating. He had to clean off the battery terminal too because that had corroded. It took a little while before we could start it, and then we didn’t shut the car off all the way home. Dad warned me I might need a new battery, but the next day it started up just fine. The weather was awfully cold while we were up there so maybe it was just the cold and the corroded battery terminal? I’ll probably need a new battery sometime soon, but for now, it seems fine.

Anyway, back to the turkey. I was pondering what to do with my precious small stash of turkey and decided I needed to make it go as far as I could. I wanted to pair it with mushrooms in a creamy, cheesy sauce … and I thought the chewy, nutty taste of quinoa would go perfectly in a cheesy mushroom turkey casserole. The roasted brussel sprouts on top are nicely crispy and the crunchy topping adds a little more crunch. I’ll probably be eating off this casserole all week and I’m quite okay with that. It is supposed to be cold again this week and I could use a little comfort food.

Turkey Quinoa Brussel Casserole

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup UN-cooked quinoa
• 12 brussel sprouts, cut in quarters
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 strips of lean bacon
• 1 onion, peeled & chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
• 8 oz. fresh sliced button mushrooms
• 2 Tablespoons white wine
• 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour or all purpose flour (use tapioca flour for gluten free)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 oz. Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
• 2 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, finely shredded
• 1 cup chopped cooked turkey

For the top: 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs or crushed rice chex mixed with about 2 Tablespoons shredded cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x9x2 (or larger) pan with cooking spray.
2. Put the uncooked quinoa in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is tender.
3. In a small mixing bowl, toss the brussel sprouts with the olive oil, set on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until they are bright green. Set aside.
4. While the brussel sprouts are cooking, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove the bacon and pour out any excess bacon fat in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute a while longer until the mushrooms start to get tender. Stir in the wine and saute some more until the onions start to caramelize (turn brown) and the mushrooms are very tender, and the liquid from the wine is gone.
5. Sprinkle the mushrooms & onions with the flour, then stir a bit to coat the veggies. Stir in the milk and then the cream cheese in bits, stirring and cooking until the mixture makes a thick white sauce. (This will happen quite quickly.) Stir in the Gouda cheese and turkey, then add the cooked quinoa. Chop the bacon and stir half of it into the mixture in the pan, reserving some for the top.
6. Pour the cheesy quinoa turkey mixture into the prepared casserole pan and smooth out. Tuck the brussel sprouts around the top, then sprinkle with the crumb mixture and the reserved bacon.
7. Bake at 350 for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the casserole is hot throughout and the top is crunchy brown. Enjoy hot!

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Mostly Homemade Monday, Munching Monday, Treasure Box Tuesday, Tuesday’s Table, Foodie Friends Friday, What to Do Weekends, The Weekend Potluck and Hearth & Soul Bloghop.