Just wanted to let you know that this post is sponsored by my ah-MOO-zing friends over at Midwest Dairy Association!
This rice casserole only requires one pot, under 10 ingredients and has lots of cheesy, pumpkin taste! It’s an easy, gluten free, healthy fall dinner that the whole family will love!
S-I-M-P-L-E
And, liiiike, SO SO DELICIOUS.
That’s what this creamy-cheesy-fall-inspired one-pot-wonder is.
We’re talking, feeding your tummies, and your no-time-to-cook-gimme-easy-recipes needing lifestyles AT THE SAME TIME.
If you want me to be totally honest with you, I’m usually too busy making things like pumpkin spice latte vegan crepe cakes, vegan coconut curry with sweet potato noodles OR Asian Nicoise salad, and my brain glazes over the fact that few ingredients, with NOT MANY COOKING steps can actually be really delicious in your mouth.
ALSO: really really really cheap and pantry-essential-kinda-items (hey rice, why don’t I cook you more?!) can come together, meshing all their flavor profiles in one big pile of DELISH that you just want to face-plant into over and over and over for all the busy-day-easy-dinners-required happening in your life.
Really though. I’ve been equally too busy making cheesy Mexican quinoa and crock pot pizza quinoa , so rice has kinda LEFT THE BRAIN-BUILDING. It’s just been sitting in the back corner, lonely and crying over the fact that I’ve been leaving you guys out on its chewy, delicious and SO nutritious self.
Clearly, this needs to change. There’s TOTALLY a place for your creative-inner-self to come out and spend time prepping and creating recipes with all kinds of awesome ingredients.
[clickToTweet tweet=”The WHOLE family will love this #healthy One Pot Pumpkin Rice Casserole for dinner! @MidwestDairy” quote=”The WHOLE family will love this #healthy One Pot Pumpkin Rice Casserole for dinner! @MidwestDairy” theme=”style2″]BUT, there is VERY MUCH a time and place for throw-it-in-pot-and-call-it-equally-awesome-recipes you know? <–Kinda like the Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole!
This creamy chicken and rice bake is BASICALLY just one pot of PURE family-pleasing-healthy-comfort that also happens to include the perfect combination of lean protein (muscles!) and healthy carbs (keeps you FULL) annnnnd it has pumpkin.
And ooey-gooey-CHEESE.
Partially because tomorrow is National Farmers Appreciation day (thank you for making cheese!) and also because, uh,, well, CHEESE.
But, not just any old cheese my friend. We’re talking hard, salty, SUPER flavorful aged PARMESAN cheese. AKA: my “go to” cheese. The cheese that has my HEART for a 2 reasons:
- Like we just said. SO much deep, kinda nutty flavor and the P-E-R-F-E-C-T amount of saltiness.
- Like the Mozzarella cheese we used in the Thai peanut cauliflower pizza, it’s a lower lactose cheese! THIS means that me and the lactose intolerant hubs? We can enjoy this casserole of CHEESY, protein-packed YUMMINESS TOGETHER! He doesn’t have to longingly stare at my plate wishing his was ALSO covered in cheese.
Hey Parmesan. You’re a MEGA cheese win. <3
P.s did you know you can tell which cheese’s are lower in lactose by their sugar content. Just check out the nutrition label and see! If it’s zero, it contains trace amounts and people like my hubs can probably eat it! OR, look for aged cheese varieties!
The casserole ALSO has spinach. You know, to fill your daily quota of “I ate green things today so now I can go to bed feeling good about EVERY SINGLE life choice that I made.”
There really isn’t much explanation needed here guys.
Sautee up some chicken until it gets nice and golden-brown delicious, stir in some creamy-dreamy, thick pumpkin, add your rice and broth, stir-stir-stir.
Then just let it simmer, bubble and DO ITS THANNNNNG.
SRSLY. GO watch Netflix. Hang out. Chill. RELAX.
Well, until cheese. Don’t forget the cheese. Always cheese.
BOOM. Done like dinner. LITERALLY.
Then your hangry mouth gets to explode with juicy, tender chicken and chewy grains of rice. PLUS you can taste each creamy note of cozy-pumpkin, burst of zesty onion and the ULTIMATE salty bite of ooey-gooey Parmesan cheese.
Whoever invented the term KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid…
Had it RLY RLY right in life.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Cup Onion diced
- 1 Tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 Lb 90% lean ground chicken
- 2 1/2 Cups Reduced-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 Cup Long-grain brown rice
- 3/4 Cup Canned pumpkin puree
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- Pepper
- 4 Cups Packed spinach roughly chopped
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium/high heat.
- Add in the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, only about 1 minute.
- Add in the chicken and cook just until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the vegetable broth, rice, pumpkin, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Turn the heat up to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, boil 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 1 hour.
- Stir in the chopped spinach, cover and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan over top, cover and cook until melted, only 2-3 minutes.
- DEVOUR
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY MIDWEST DAIRY ASSOCIATION. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO CONTINUE CREATING GREAT CONTENT FOR YOU BY SUPPORTING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SUPER-FAB BRANDS THAT FOOD FAITH FITNESS LOVES TO WORK WITH! AS ALWAYS, OPINIONS REMAIN 100% MY OWN.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE MIDWEST DAIRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK / TWITTER / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM!
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: SMART POINTS: 11 POINTS+: 11 OLD POINTS: 9
(based on 4 servings)
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @FOODFAITHFIT AND #FOODFAITHFITNESS ON INSTAGRAM! I LOVE SEEING YOUR RECIPE RECREATIONS! 
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