One of my favourite side dishes has to be cheesy broccoli rice which is a quick and easy dish where with the amazing broccoli and cheddar cheese flavour combo! Ever since I discovered quinoa I have been trying my favourite rice dishes with the rice replaced with the healthier quinoa and it was finally time to try a cheesy broccoli quinoa! This dish is super easy to make and you pretty much just cook the quinoa with the broccoli and then mix in the cheese once the quinoa and broccoli are cooked. Some of the things that I like about this recipe are that it is a one pot dish and that it is a stove top dish which is great for holiday dinners where there never seems to be enough oven space or time. I think I now have a new favourite side dish!
Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa
The classic cheddar cheese and broccoli combo served in quinoa.
ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 2 cups broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup cheddar, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Bring the quinoa, broth and broccoli to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat and simmer covered until the broth has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender,about 13-17 minutes.
- Mix in the cheese, let it melt and season with salt and pepper.
what a great, simple recipe! i have never cooked quinoa before – maybe i can start with this 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Yum! I was planning on making something almost identical to this in the next week or two. I guess we're on the same wavelength! 🙂
Kevin,
that looks yummy! Thanks for sharing the great recipe, I never would have thought of using quinoa in place of the rice! Quinoa's become a favorite of mine, but not of my teenage son and my husband. :O(
Three of my favorite ingredients all in one recipe!!!! It's a win win.
What a fabulous dinner idea! Looks lovely!
Love this idea, I may try to make this light!
I have to try this.
Thanks for sharing, I love quinoa and brocoli.
Love from Spain
Marialuisa
This sounds like a fabulous idea. Loved it, great one.
Mmm this would definitely be a crowd pleaser!!
This looks delicious! Perhaps with a few soft-boiled eggs, it would be a great protein-packed dinner! 🙂
Super easy, YES. But something strange happened with my quinoa. It has disintegrated into mush. Cheesy, chickeny, broccoli yummy mush. Except for the bits that haven't finished cooking, which are hard and crunchy. O_o
I suspect it is totally operator error. I am making it in an electric skillet, an ancient electric skillet. I don't even have a closet to cook in, I have a table to cook on. No storage and no stove so I'm doing the best I can. I can't wait to move out of my studio and into a place with a kitchen. Woof!
I am new to quinoa and have been experimenting with it quite a bit lately. This sounds so good and simple. Going to try it soon!
Do you ever use a rice cooker, Kevin? I do my quinoa in there too. I just love that you can leave it and not have to worry. I will try this recipe in there, though I may half it as my cooker is a smallish one.
Thanks for the recipe!
I had quinoa I bought for another recipe I never used. I thought I would try this recipe. I had all the ingredients except the brocoli. Instead I used zucchini as the recipe said you may substitute it for the brocoli.
I did everything the recipe said, but unfortunately I didn't like it at all. The vegetable stock and cheese together tasted absolutely awful. I'm not a picky eater, but this is by far the worse thing I've ever tasted.
ExPat_Riot: What kind of broth did you use? Is it one that you have used before? These are the exact same ingredients and flavours that are in broccoli and cheddar soup and the broth and cheese combo should not be a bad one.
Jody K.: I have never tried with an electric skillet but it sounds like it is cooking unevenly.
Kevin I used a can of Swanson vegetable broth for this recipe. I've never tried the cheddar soup so I cannot comment on the flavors being the same.
Kevin I used a can of Swanson broth. I cannot comment on the flavours being the same, for the broccoli and cheddar soup, I've never tried it.
This makes me want to go out and buy some broccoli! Looks yum.
Soooo good!! Thanks for a simple one-pot recipe!!
can i use red quinoa with this?
Like Jody k, my quinoa turned into mush, too. 🙁 Still tasted fine though.
Anonymous: Red quinoa will definitely work and so will black. Enjoy!
Yazmin: I am glad that you enjoyed it! Was the quinoa mushy right when you opened the lid after cooking? Was there still water in the bottom of the pan? Did you rinse the quinoa or was it pre-rinsed? Thanks!
I make quinoa all the time in my rice cooker with diced vegetables and vegetable broth (better than boullion brand concentrate >not< canned broth, but there is a vegetable boullion cube I've been wanting to try that is supposed to also be very good – Rapunzel brand), and add either cheddar or reggiano, and it's always delicious. To the person who said it was the worst thing they ever tasted, I wonder if they bought uncleaned quinoa, which would need to be soaked (for a few hours in cool water), cleaned and rinsed before cooking to remove the bitter coating. I buy it pre-washed organic from Costco, just give a quick rinse, and it never tastes bad. Might want to back off on the liquid by a few tablespoons – 1/4 cup to compensate for the moisture from the vegetables, but I always add green onion, diced red pepper, and mushrooms to mine.
Anonymous: I used to use my rice cooker to cook quinoa all the time as well but then it died so I am back to the stove top. Excellent point about the quinoa possibly being un-rinsed. If it was not pre-rinsed it should definitely be rinsed before being used.
Sounds yummy thanks for posting 🙂 can't wait to try it soon.
Hey Kevin,
I made this yesterday and me and my husband loved it. I just had a problem though, mine didn't look as good the one that you have in the picture. It looked more like mash potato but it still tasted great. I was wondering where I went wrong in the procedure or does it have to do with the quinoa that I am using.
Vedette: Glad you enjoyed it! It sounds like it was over cooked. How long didi it take for all of the liquid to be absorbed? More than 17 minutes? Did you rinse the quinoa or use pre-rinsed?
Kevin,
This looks great! I am going to make it vegan–thanks for the idea:)
Noelle
Yummo! I love quinoa and broccoli & cheese in anything, so I'll definitely be trying this ASAP. A very happy new year to you, Kevin!
Thanks Kevin for the recipe!! I used my rice cooker to make the quinoa… Delish, easy andflling!
Anonymous: Glad you enjoyed it! It is good to hear that the recipe works in a rice cooker! Mine died a while ago and I need to replace it!
I made mine with chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, since its what I had. When it came time to add the salt and pepper I added about a tsp of ground mustard too.. just like when you make mac n cheese from scratch… so good!
laura: Glad you enjoyed it! The mustard would be a nice addition, I know that I like to add some grainy mustard to my broccoli and cheddar soup!
This was great! I doubled this and just dumped everything (cheese included!) into the rice cooker and it turned out fabulous. And I liked it better later on when it was cold, too. Will be making this many more times. Thank you!!
Oh, and I added chopped ham to it, also. Great addition!
Barbi: Glad you enjoyed it! A rice cooker is perfect for this making it even easier easy! Ham goes so well with broccoli and cheddar and the addition turns this into a meal rather than just a side dish!
Just tried this and we loved it! My 4 year old loves it too! It's the first time she's trying quinoa. This is a keeper!
I made this last night and it turned out great! I added some chicken and ate it as a main dish. The only thing I did differently was used 2 cups of water/broth and used low sodium chicken bouillon cause that is all I had.
What would you serve this with?
I made this for my family about a month ago. First time any of us had ever had quinoa. The guys tolerated it; my daughter and I liked it. In a completely surprising twist my daughter just asked me to make it again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Quinoa is actually a complete protein so this isn't just a side dish, it's also a vegetarian main course!
Looks delish! Found you via Pinterest! I will be featuring your recipe in my PINASTIC Friday post, tomorrow, May 2! Swing by and see!
Cindy
crazyloucreations.blogspot.com
This dish was delicious!My husband and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing 😀 I used 50/50 water and veggie broth and it was perfect!
As for the quinoa, I don't care what anyone says I ALWAYS rinse it thoroughly. Then I'm sure the bitter coating is gone.
If it doesn't taste good, it's my recipe (or my cooking;).
So I made this tonight, weary from the negative reviews saying it was bland. I used chicken broth since that's what I had, I sauteed onion and garlic in the pot before adding the quinoa and broccoli, I added a dash of red pepper flakes and cayenne, and I saw in the comments to add ground,mustard. I had a cheese blend not strictly cheddar. It was DELICIOUS, definitely a keeper. My toddler asked for seconds and thirds. The biggest mistake I made was cutting the recipe in half, I figured it's just us two tonight so half will be enough, ! We both were left wanting more. Simple and delicious, thank you!
Hi Kevin,
I have so many of your recipes in my printed favorites recipe book (all have the Closet Cooking logo on them). I was wondering if I could substitute white rice for the Quinoa? We are not a fan of quinoa but this sounds yummy with rice. Was wondering about the liquid ratio for the rice.
Kilyena: Yes white rice would work in this! Use a 2:1 liquid to rice ratio.
I just made this and it was great. It was my husband's first quinoa experience and he really liked it. Thank you! (Only adjustment I had was cooking on simmer/low for 20 minutes instead of 15).
First attempt with Quinoa
Delicious.. so Quinoa good
I made this tonight and it was delicious!! I also add some Parmesan and mozzarella cheese to it, yummm!! Thanks! 🙂
Just made this tonight and served simple seasoned cubed chicken on top. I love quinoa as is but this was outrageously good. My boyfriend said I need to add cheese to quinoa all the time from now on. I did however burn the quinoa a bit. I thought that the water was too low considering one dry cup of quinoa is cooked in two cups of water and it should have been increased if anything due to the addition of the broccoli. Everyone has different stove tops and pots though. I know next time to use 2 cups of liquid. Thanks again!
Anonymous: I am glad that you enjoyed it! I tend to use a slightly less that 2:1 ration (1 3/4 cup liquid to 1 cup quinoa) in order to ensure that the quinoa does not turn mushy. If you rise the quinoa first then it is already going to have water in it so you need even less. The broccoli in this dish is also going to release liquid.
This recipe was delicious, but one word of caution for those who care. I personally hate overcooked broccoli (I would rather eat it raw than overcooked). I intentionally cut it a bit larger and put it in after two minutes of cooking the quinoa (15 minutes total cook time) but it was still overcooked for my taste. Next time I will try waiting until approximately the 5-7 minute mark before I put the broccoli in. Also, be aware that broccoli may continue to cook from carry-over heat unless you remove the lid and serve the dish quickly. Don't consider reducing the overall cook time, as the quinoa needs at least 15 minutes to become nice and fluffy. Also, to achieve that nice fluffy texture, see Kevin's post on December 3, 2013 at 7:48 PM, regarding the liquid ratio and vegetable of choice possibly releasing extra liquid. I would definitely make this again. Kevin, thank you for the wide variety of quinoa recipes you have posted. I look forward to trying many more of them.
I made this tonight using cauliflower since that's all I had, and it came out great. Thanks for the recipe!
I loved this when I tried it out after finding it on Pinterest a couple of months back I looked and tasted great, I used a vegetable stock cube. I forgot to come back leave a comment last time. making it again today cant wait till dinner time! Thank you for your lovely recipes.
Jen: The cauliflower version would be great!
Hi Kevin,
Do you think any other cheeses would work well in this recipe? I have a large block of monterey jack.
Delicious! And so easy to make! I recommend cooking the quinoa for just 12 minutes.
Anonymous: Monterey jack will work! It won't have that cheddar flavour but it will be nice and creamy and good!
What would you think about using frozen broccoli in this recipe? I have a ton in my freezer that I'd like to use up.
Erin Despain: That should work once thawed.
I had never had quinoa before, and my family and I were excited and nervous to give it a try. I made this the other night with a pork chop dinner, and it was fantastic! Very different from anything else, and I look forward to using the quinoa in the future too. Thanks is much for the recipe. 🙂
VinGirl: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this…. as always a great recipe!
Just made this… as always a great recipe!
Michelle Kotarac: I'm glad you liked it!
My mom just made this as a side for dinner and it was really good!!!
I only had couscous on hand and it was really good. So simple to make.
I love quinoa and this recipe is my new favorite side dish. I like the idea of adding chicken that is next. I used a whole can of chicken broth and it turned out perfect.
LOVE IT!!!!
Pretty nice recipe, thank you! I do it than meal in Redmond 4502 multicooker for my children, it is much faster and gets on time when children are at home. The similar recipe is in cook book, but your changed.
Sorry, I wanted to say "I do that meal" 😉
I use quinoa all the time, as a lo-carb substitute for rice. I followed this recipe exactly as written, and absolutely loved it. The taste, the consistency. A definite keeper, and go-to dish. Thanks
Just made this and it turned out pretty good. We added mashed avocado to our bowl and it made the dish creamy adding that extra fat from the avocado. Minus the salt, great for baby led weaning!
Could I make this with Israeli couscous instead?
This is really nice with Israeli couscous!