Creamy Chicken, Tomato, Asparagus Quinoa Bake

Is the weather cooling down where you are? Are you able to to turn your oven on without bursting into a million pieces? It's finally under triple-temps here in Arizona, which immediately prompts me to get baking. The end of good summer produce, plus the lower temperatures are the perfect excuse to make this quinoa bake. I grabbed a fresh bundle of crisp asparagus, some perfectly ripe tomatoes, and got to cooking. While the photos may not do this dinner justice (sorry, but something about creamy tan food just doesn't like the camera), the flavor is anything but lacking. 

Creamy Chicken, Tomato, Asparagus Quinoa Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 lb. uncooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 2/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a medium casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat the broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour until almost no lumps remain. Slowly whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper and then simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the asparagus, tomatoes, chicken, and quinoa to a large mixing bowl. Once the milk has thickened, pour into the bowl and toss until combined, making sure all of the chicken, asparagus, quinoa, and tomatoes are covered in the sauce. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, cover loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, top with the shredded cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the quinoa is fluffy, the chicken is cooked through, and the cheese has melted.