Let’s be honest, the amount of cooking that’s been going on in our house lately has been minimal. But as life slowly transitions back to “normal” (and no, it still doesn’t feel normal if you really want to know) it feels good to do things that come naturally, to create something out of raw ingredients and nourish the body. Plus, eating take-out and snack-y type foods can only keep you going for a certain amount of time. Sometimes you just have to get in the kitchen and cook.
I didn’t grow up in a house where we ate a lot of casseroles, and consequently I don’t cook a lot of casseroles to this day. However, there is something about being able to toss all your ingredients together and throw it in the oven when hunger strikes that I find so comforting. Dinner is ready when you need it to be, cheesy and comforting and semi-healthy, too, minus the cheese part. The cheese is absolutely not healthy, but makes this dish taste amazing.
My favorite use for a casserole is to make it on Sunday and have lunches for Joe to take to work for the rest of the week. I grilled up a package of chicken breasts and made this casserole, then divided the chicken and casserole among four containers, a complete meal ready to be tossed into a lunch container when we’re busy and running out the door in the morning.
- 1 cup farro, cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups broccoli florets, blanched
- 2 cups Italian blend cheese, divided
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup 2% or full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes, if desired
- Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate or square baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the all the ingredients until well-combined. Spoon mixture into baking dish.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.
- Alternate method: If you're looking for a more traditional casserole-type dish, I would suggest substituting the Greek yogurt for a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup.