Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa

Cheesy broccoli rice casserole is one of my favorite foods. If someone makes it as a side to a meat dish, I happily make a meal out of it. There's little that can go wrong with cheese, broccoli, rice, or canned cream of mushroom soup. Fortunately, today's recipe is a tad healthier than that.

I liked the idea of a spin on a classic with quinoa instead. All hail quinoa! The original recipe was for zucchini, which people usually beg me to take off their hands this time of year. The Kansas summer was so dry, no one has done that this year. Sadness.

This cooked up so creamy with cheddar, I wasn't even sad that I didn't use Velveeta. And my experiment of throwing a tiny bag of frozen broccoli into my food processor? Violent and noisy, but successful!


Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa
modified from Closet Cooking
(serves up to 8)

2 cups quinoa
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups frozen broccoli, pulsed in food processor
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Pepper to taste

1. Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat and simmer covered until most of the broth has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 20-30 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and mix in the broccoli, cheese, and pepper
3. Allow to set up about five minutes before serving .

This reheats perfectly as well!