Since both of us agree that the quinoa is a great thing to include in our diet from a nutritional standpoint, we still eat it a fair amount in our house. Earlier this month, I took some time in the kitchen to prepare a quinoa-based dinner that I thought Ryan would actually enjoy quite a bit since the quinoa flavor was all but hidden thanks to the delicious cheesy flavor from a handful of Swiss cheese wedges.
We ended up enjoying this dish so much that I’ve made it two times since: Once as a side dish and I made another batch to have on hand in the refrigerator so I could scoop some out for lunch or as an easy snack option that’s a little more substantial and yummy than my typical snack fare.
Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa
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Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: dinner, recipes
- Cuisine: dinner
Description
I took some time in the kitchen to prepare a quinoa-based dinner that I thought my family would actually enjoy quite a bit since the quinoa flavor was all but hidden thanks to the delicious cheesy flavor from a handful of Swiss cheese wedges.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 cups broccoli, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 wedges of The Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring constantly until the onion is soft and translucent. Add quinoa to pot and toast for 90 seconds, stirring quickly and regularly.
- Add broccoli and broth to pot and bring temperature up to a medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow everything to simmer, stirring every other minute or so, until most of the broth is absorbed.
- Add The Laughing Cow creamy Swiss light cheese wedges and stir until the cheese is melted and the quinoa and broccoli are coated.
This recipe is rather versatile when it comes to what veggies you wish to incorporate. If you aren’t the biggest broccoli fan, perhaps spinach or cauliflower might be a better fit? Play around and change it up a bit! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do in our house!
Question of the Day
- What is one of your favorite ways to enjoy quinoa?
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I made this during the summer, thanks to a recipe I found on pinterest! I absolutely LOVED it. Instead of laughing cow cream cheese, I used cheddar and cottage cheese! The “curds” of the cottage cheese melt completely so that you don’t get any funky texture too 🙂
Oooh — I’ll definitely try that! Great tip!
YUM! Can’t wait to try this as a dinner side next week! I’m always looking for new quinoa recipes and this one looks delicious!
Quinoa is not always a favorite of mine, but I feel with the right flavors it can be very tasty. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Yum, this looks delish! My fave Quinoa recipe is a Quinoa Kale salad with dried cherries, roasted pine nuts, cheese, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing =).
From my experience it seems like guys = no quinoa. Girls = obsessed with quinoa.
Quinoa is great in the morning as an alternative to oatmeal!
I bet Ryan will become a quinoa convert after this recipe. I’ve been loving quinoa for breakfast – I just mix in almond milk, cinnamon, and dried cranberries. Perfect for a cool morning!
I like quinoa for breakfast, too! I need to make a batch for the mornings to have on hand for a quick heat-and-eat breakfast!
I’m surprised how light and fluffy this recipe looks despite using quinoa. 🙂 Usually the things I make are really grainy just because of the nature of the grain but I see how the laughing cheese helped.
I hope this sealed the deal for Ryan on liking quinoa!! I’m preparing some tonight for dinner actually. I love it as the base to bowls with a ton of veggies and a dressing!!
I can’t get my husband to eat quinoa at all unless covered in cheese, so this would be perfect for him. I like to use quinoa instead of brown rice, so as a mixture to stir-fry or even on a salad. Great pictures! 🙂
Quinoa is my favorite! I’m in the Whole 30 diet now so I can’t have it, but once I’m off I will be trying this subbing the cheese for cottage cheese. It’s my favorite!
I love this idea! I know I need to eat broccoli, but I just do not love it so any dish like this that kind of wraps it up in something else I enjoy eating is great. Thanks for sharing!
My husband didn’t care for quinoa’s earthy flavor either, so now, the only way we make it is “pilaf” style. Definitely going to try yours but our favorite way is in Veganomicon’s Cashew, Quinoa, Pineapple stirfry (you can google for the recipe). Its fantastic and reheats well for leftovers. Even if you aren’t vegan, this recipe is great as a side dish for shrimp, chicken or fish.
Another way we do it is to use chicken broth (always always cook quinoa in broth, plain water = yuck!), and we chop up mushrooms, carrots, onions, and add peas to the mixture and let it all cook. <–my husband's genius brain child 🙂
Typically I try to avoid grains (paleo), but I have some health improvements to make, so I'm considering bringing gluten free whole grains back in like brown rice and quinoa. Yummmy.
I make a sweet version of quinoa with cinnamon, maple syrup, and topped with nuts (toasted for extra flavor) and whatever fruit I have on hand!
I have mixed feelings about quinoa. Love it for the health benefits, but I kind of think it’s too bland (unless I really dress it up, like for breakfast with dried fruit, maple syrup, etc.). As a broccoli and cheese lover, this might be the savory recipe that changes my opinion. Looks yummy!
YUM! I cannot wait to try this!
My husband isn’t 100% sold on quinoa either, he always gives me a hard time about it looking like fish eggs lol. I on the other hand really like it and your recipe looks so yummy!
Great minds think alike! Yesterday I cooked up a very similar recipe. I love quinoa casseroles. Super easy and last me a few days for work.
this casserole is the only way my husband will eat quinoa — it is TDF!
I know what I’m making for lunches next week!
Adding cheese always helps something taste better! 🙂 My husband thinks quinoa is pretty bland (which it is) but he likes it when I spice it up with different seasonings. This looks like a great recipe!
This looks delish! And easy, which means I will actually make it. I love quinoa, but the little bits that come off when cooked get stuck in my throat sometimes (I’m in my late 20s, but I have old people problems!). I started using farro because of this, and it’s super yummy. It’s almost like a pasta texture even though it’s a grain. Awesome in cold salads with crunchy veggies, garlic, and vinegar. Hopefully it will work for this dish too! Thanks for all your lovely posts, Julie. You make me want to start blogging!
This sounds and looks so yummy! I have been meaning to buy quinoa and try it! Definitely on my list plus if the hubby will eat this when he comes home then I’ll be sold! 😀 Probably will be anyways!
This looks so great, will definitely try this! Love me some quinoa! Do you rinse your quinoa really well? I find that if I ever forget to, I can tell right away once I taste it. Much more earthy/dirty taste, haha!
Quinoa is delicious and such a good option for vegans or anyone who reduces their animal product intake and wants a complete amino acid. I like to mix mine with beans and throw in spices, especially tumeric. Double the protein. I’m hoping to try a new variation this weekend!
So funny–my boyfriend says the exact same thing about quinoa!! I always thought it was weird because I don’t think it tastes that way at all but apparently it’s not weird haha.
I make lemon quinoa (add lemon juice and lemon zest after cooking) which my family loves. I also use it any time I’m making a saucy dish in place of rice.
I’m not a HUGE fan of quinoa, but I LOVE broccoli and of course cheese! The swiss ones are super good! My favorite are the blue cheese triangles!
This looks really delicious! I love broccoli and quinoa so I’ve saved this recipe! I’m a big fan of making dishes that keep well that I can have for lunch/dinner during busy weeks.
Other ways I like quinoa:
* in a warm salad with roasted beetroot, edamame, baby peas, brocolli, spinach (really, any vegies you like!), feta, mint, walnuts and a honey dressing
* with berries, nuts and seeds for breakfast
🙂
This sounds AMAZING! My favorite is when I make a brown sugar and cinnamon quinoa with chopped bananas for when I have a sweet tooth. I find that quinoa is nice and filling as well.
Do you rinse your quinoa first? Personally, I don’t notice a difference when I rinse vs. when I don’t rinse, but apparently some people do: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2013/03/rinsing-quinoa-do-i-really-have-to-do-that.html
Maybe rinsing would eliminate some of the “earthy” flavor that Ryan tastes?
I don’t but I will try it next time!
This looks so good! I will definitely be making this. I may add some chicken breast to it too. Thanks for sharing!
I make something similar all the time and love it, I add apple chicken sausage to it and make it like a mac n cheese :). My husband isn’t really on the quinoa train either but every now and then I don’t give him a choice.
This looks delicious! Quinoa is a favorite in my house, for my kids, too! The key for us is always cooking it in chicken or veggie broth. Simple but adds so much flavor!
This looks amazing! I am definitely making this next week!
Broccoli and cheese are such a beautiful combination! I enjoy quinoa oatmeal recipes, when they taste like maple & cinnamon 🙂
This looks delish!!! I need to try for sure! 🙂
Broccoli and cheesy things are my favorite! Such a great idea to incorporate quinoa. I’m gonna have to try this out some day when I’m not in a dorm stuck with just a microwave 😉
Looks delicious! I never thought of adding laughing cow wedges like this. I usually put them on sandwiches or as a snack. Such a great idea! And broccoli is my absolute favorite so I will definitely have to try this!
My favorite is a quinoa, sweet potato and black bean chilli – my husband loves it, too! Topped with some avacado and plain Greek yogurt. It’s a fall staple in our house!
Yummm, can’t wait to try this, it looks delicious! I love making quinoa with chicken, and then red pepper/basil flavors! Quinoa for breakfast (with coconut water, brown sugar, strawberries and bananas) is also yummy!
I love adding quinoa to crockpot soups! Also saw the comment about rinsing – I used to never rinse it and then someone I know told me they got horribly sick from not rinsing – scared me bad enough to now rinse it 🙂
I make a batch of plain quinoa at the beginning of the week and add a few heaping spoonfuls to salads to help stay full. I’ve also made a recipe of black bean, roasted sweet potato quesadillas- that’s delicious too. They say you should rinse quinoa before cooking bug I’ve never found a strained that I can do that with the fine grains. But maybe that would help with that earthy quality?
This looks so easy and delicious!
I love quinoa and how versatile it is. It actually is one of the things I can get my OH to eat.
I have made cheesy quinoa dishes in the past and they are WONDERFUL! I can’t wait to make this one!
This looks delish! Can’t wait to try it!
My husband is the exact same! He wouldn’t touch the stuff with a ten-foot pole until I cooked it in chicken stock, and added in a can a chopped green chiles and feta cheese! SO good 🙂 Kinda has a Mexican flare to it!
I had to do the 10 times tasting it like a little kid to finally find a liking for quinoa, I really found it had that “earthy” taste until I finally got used to it. But I still find every once in a while, it’s not rinsed enough or something, and it will taste like swamp to me.
I look forward to trying this recipe out.
My favorite quinoa recipe is the Quinoa Waldorf Salad. You cook the quinoa in apple juice, mix in chopped celery, nuts, and dried cranberries. You serve is with a cinnamon yogurt sauce. I love this stuff!
Sounds wonderful!!