Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
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Published Nov 06, 2019, Updated Nov 04, 2021
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Cheesy broccoli quinoa casserole made healthy! This version has protein-packed quinoa instead of instant rice, freshly grated cheddar cheese and a homemade sauce instead of canned soup.
Last year I revamped my mom’s healthy sweet potato casserole recipe. I made it vegan and gluten-free and it was absolutely delish. Everyone at our Friendsgiving loved it! Since that recreation went well, this year I decided to try my hand at making a healthier version of her broccoli rice casserole recipe — with quinoa instead of rice!
Isaac requested that I still use regular cheese so this version isn’t dairy-free, but it’s still vegetarian, gluten-free and healthier than traditional broccoli cheese casserole. Woot woot! If you are vegan or dairy-free, you can always use a dairy-free shredded cheese and vegan butter instead of the real deal.
This casserole is almost identical to my mom’s version. It’s flavorful, cheesy and loaded with big broccoli florets (my favorite part)! I’m pretty sure my family would gobble this up without even realizing that I tweaked the recipe by using protein packed quinoa instead of instant rice, organic cheese and natural soup rather than the canned condensed stuff that’s loaded with extra sodium and fat.
Ingredients in This Healthy Broccoli Casserole
- quinoa
- fresh broccoli florets
- seasoning – yellow onion, garlic, salt and pepper
- cheddar cheese – I recommend using block of cheddar cheese for this recipe to skip the added ingredients and cost that comes with pre-shredded cheese! Shredding your own cheese only takes a few minutes. I used my food processor with the slicing blade and it was super simple.
- butter, milk and flour – to make a roux to thicken the sauce.
How to Make Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Prepare the quinoa using water or vegetable broth, according to package directions. While the quinoa cooks, steam the broccoli florets until they’re bright green in color and tender. Shred the cheddar cheese and set aside. When your quinoa is fluffy and all of the liquid is absorbed, remove from the heat and place the cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add the broccoli to the quinoa.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together milk, flour and garlic powder and set aside. Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Whisk the milk mixture into the saucepan and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken while whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheddar cheese until melted.
Pour the cheese sauce over the quinoa mixture. Toss well to combine. Transfer to your prepped baking dish and top with the rest of the shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until the casserole is heated through and the cheese is melted.
More Quinoa Recipes
- Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Quinoa Risotto
- Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Quinoa Fried Rice
- Quinoa Stuffing
- Easy Quinoa Salad
Be sure to check out my guide for how to cook quinoa as well as all of the quinoa recipes here on EBF.
Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, I love Ancient Harvest
- 2 cups water or low sodium broth, for cooking quinoa
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons oat flour, all-purpose will work too
- 1 cup milk, I used unsweetened almond milk
- 8 oz block of good quality cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Lightly coat a casserole dish (I used an 8×8 square dish) with non-stick spray or lightly grease.
- Prepare quinoa using water or broth, according to package directions. You should end up with about 3 cups of cooked, fluffy quinoa. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- While quinoa is cooking, steam broccoli for 5-6 minute or until bright green and crisp tender.
- Meanwhile, shred cheese by using a food processor with the shredding attachment or with a handheld grater.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour milk mixture into saucepan with the onions and garlic. Allow sauce to simmer, whisking continuously until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese until melted.
- Pour cheese sauce over quinoa and broccoli. Toss well to combine.
- Transfer to greased baking dish and top with remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until the casserole is heated through and cheese has melted. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe over 6 months ago and loved it. I wanted to leave a review now because I JUST defrosted the frozen leftovers and the casserole is just as tasty as the day I made it! 6 months later 😋 My only tweak would be to go scant on the onion. I found the onion flavor to be a bit strong for my taste. Thanks for the great adaptation!!
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad to hear that this casserole froze well and still tasted good. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it, Natalie.
As some one who replied “casserole” when asked their favorite food, this casserole is a favorite to top the favorite list. Was expecting a broccoli/rice/chicken divan dish but this far exceeded that in texture and taste. Definitely a dish that we will make frequently!
Ahh yay! So glad you loved this casserole, Brennan. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Hey! I am making this tomorrow evening and I was wondering if I could use regular flour as I am trying to get rid of things before I venture out into other things. BTW, this looks divine!
Hey Joy! Yes, all-purpose flour will work just fine – I note that in the blog post. 🙂
This is so delicious. I’ve been eating it all week, and want to make it again for this week’s prep. I add a little grilled chicken and it is just a perfect meal. Thank you!
Ahh yay, so glad this casserole has been a hit! I appreciate you coming back to leave a comment + star rating. 🙂
I can’t wait to make this recipe for Thanksgiving! Do you think I can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until I reheat it on Thursday?
Hey Allison – I think that would be just fine! 🙂 Let me know how this turns out for you!
Super delicious! Great for a side, main course, or potluck dish. I loved how comparatively low in fat and high in protein it was. Totally deserves 5 stars!
Ahh thank you, Madeline. So glad this casserole was a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it. 🙂
This recipe was fantastic! Easy to make and so delicious!! So glad you posted it and now I have a new dish to make!! Thank you!
Loved this! I just made it for lunch. I cut the recipe down so that I wasn’t eating it all week. I could see this going well Andouille sausage. YUM!
This was my first time making a roux this way — usually I mix the flour in with the butter before adding the milk, but I liked this technique and plan to use it for my next mac’n’cheese. 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe, Brittany!
You’re so welcome, Kelly! I’m so glad this dish was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Great recipe. Love, LOVE that you list nutritional info, that’s a biggie for me.
Have made this a few times now. I’ve increased the broccoli by a cup or two and increased the sauce by half. Our family is big on the broccoli/rice casserole and we like spice so ours is made with jalapeños. Just added jalapeños to this already amazing recipe- perfection! Cannot wait to make for family gathering.
So glad you’re loving this recipe!! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
I’m pretty new to quinoa and roux but had to give this a try. I was not disappointed! I used oat milk and gluten-free flour and added in a handful of pine nuts. We aren’t big on onions, so I left them out. This casserole turned out amazing and will be a regular on our dinner table, as a side or with shredded chicken added in. Thank you!
Confession time: I liked it so much, I made it again for a second night in a row! 🙂 This time, though, I used Swiss cheese and a broccoli/cauliflower/carrot blend… it was a great switch up! It’s just me and hubs, so I split it up in 3 containers and froze 2 for later – helloooo meal prep! 🙂