Gotta love a good casserole, right? One of my husband’s favorites is “broccoli cheese rice”. But, it’s made with multiple cream of something soups & Minute rice. So, I decided to try a healthier version by making cheesy broccoli quinoa instead! The result is delicious!
This dish is great on it’s own or served as a side – you could even make it ahead and freeze it! Plus, it’s gluten free and doesn’t have any canned “cream soups” in it at all! The kids and adults all wanted seconds. So, you know it must be good! 
Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 C cooked quinoa
- 1 bag frozen broccoli florets about 14-16oz, thawed
- 1/2 medium sweet onion finely diced
- 1 T butter
- 1 C milk
- 1 T corn starch mixed with 1 T water
- 1/2 C chicken stock
- 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a large casserole baking dish (or 9x13 pan) with cooking spray.
- If you don't already have cooked quinoa, then you'll need to prepare that according to package directions.
- In a large sauce pan, heat butter. Add diced onions until they just start to brown. Stir in milk, chicken stock, and slowly add 1 cup shredded cheese. Continue stirring until well-combined.
- To thicken, add the corn starch & water mixture. For that, dissolve corn starch in water and stir into the warm mixture. For a thicker sauce, you could double the corn starch & water mixture.
- In the large casserole dish, combine 2 to 3 cups of cooked quinoa with the broccoli florets. Pour the cheesy sauce over the quinoa & broccoli and stir to combine.
- Top the mixture with the remaining cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes (just long enough for the cheese to melt and the top to just start browning).
It’s a much healthier twist on an old favorite! I love making healthy swaps where I can. And, that doesn’t only apply to recipes in the kitchen. I’ve really been trying to be more conscious about chemicals in general. So, that’s why I’m a proud member of Finish’s Alliance of Moms.
We LOVE the Finish products for our dishwasher, especially the new Finish Power & Free product line that contains less harsh chemicals than the regular formula. The chemicals aren’t as harsh, yet the cleaning power is as great as ever. With Baby Brother not yet 2, we still have a number of “baby products” in the house. You know, things like Nuk sippy cups, Gerber plastic bowls & silverware, etc. So, I love that the Finish Power & Free products are designed to be less harsh and safe for all those baby products! 
It’s yet another “healthy swap” we’re making to try to reduce some of the chemical exposure here at home! I’ll be sharing more in the upcoming months, so stay tuned for more info! Definitely let us know if you take the #CleanItForward challenge & how it’s working for you! In the meantime, you can snag some coupons for Finish products so you can try them for yourself!
What healthy swaps have you made lately?
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Disclosure: As a member of the Finish Power & Free Alliance of Moms, this is a sponsored post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
