Chicken, Kale and Broccoli Casserole

Let's start this with a .. YUM.

Reasons to try this recipe:

 It's full of healthy greens. 
Dark, beautiful, curly kale and a little family-friendly broccoli. I like greens on their own, but when you add pasta and cheese? That's a win.

It's freezable.
I made the full recipe; baking up half of it for our meal and freezing half of it for a future dinner. I love that I only had to cook once, but I get to eat it twice (and not as leftovers).
 
It's tasty.

Big bites of pasta, creamy ricotta cheese, perfectly moist chicken and dark, flavorful greens.  Pair it with a salad and you can feel great about what you're feeding your family.

This is a solid weeknight meal- try it soon.
(And do not fear the kale! It's your body's best friend, I swear.)

Chicken, Kale and Broccoli Casserole
by Oven Love, adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. large or jumbo pasta shells
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 bunch kale, stems and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets 
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
• 1 large container ricotta cheese
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain; return to pot. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale and broccoli, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta.

Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden, 30 minutes.

To freeze: Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water; return to the pot. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale and broccoli, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta. Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch disposable baking dish (or two 8-by-8-inch baking dishes); top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Let cool to room temperature, cover with aluminum foil and freeze.

To reheat from frozen: Bake casserole (straight from the freezer) at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes or until completely warmed through, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. You can also thaw in the fridge the day before and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.