Cajun Shrimp and Quinoa Casserole

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Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Total time
30 mins
Author: This Gal Cooks
Recipe type: healthy, protein, casserole
Serves: 4

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 4 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 C chopped sweet onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 1/2 C cooked quinoa
  • 1 C shredded fontina cheese
  • Fresh cilantro for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Toss the shrimp and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning together, set aside.
Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet (or any oven-safe skillet.) Cook the shrimp until opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan along with the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Cook until the onion and jalapeno are tender, stirring often. Mix in the quinoa, tomato paste, ½ tsp Cajun seasoning and tomato chunks. Top with the shrimp and then sprinkle with the fontina cheese.
Place in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, turn on the broiler to high and broil until the cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes
If you don't like quinoa, you can sub the quinoa with brown rice.
For cooking quinoa, I always use my rice cooker. I follow the instructions exactly as I would if I were cooking rice. About ½ C - ¾ C of uncooked quinoa will yield 2½ C cooked quinoa.

If you don't have a rice cooker, you can cook the quinoa on the stove-top, according to package directions.

Calorie content for 4 large (approximately 1.5 C) servings is around 410 calories per serving. For 6 (approximately 1 C) small servings, the calorie count is about 270 calories per serving.

UPDATE: If you do not have a cast iron or oven-safe skillet, after mixing in the quinoa, tomato paste, Cajun seasoning and tomato chunks in step 4, transfer the ingredients to a casserole dish and then top with the shrimp and fontina cheese.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1.5 C Calories: 410 Fat: 22g Carbohydrates: 32g Sugar: 1g Sodium: 331 Protein: 22g
3.2.2925

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