OMG. Really you guys. This recipe is killer and destined to be in regular rotation here at our house. Pure gold.
First of all, for the uninitiated, The Secret Recipe Club is a group of around 130 food bloggers, separated into four smaller blogging groups, each of which post at different times of the month. Every month, we’re each assigned a blog in our group to look through. We try a few recipes and chose one to post about. But all month, we keep our assignment a secret until ‘reveal day’. It’s been a lot of fun – and I’ve found some great new blogs to follow and new recipes to add to my rotation.
This wonderful recipe comes from Cathleen at A Taste of Madness blog. She's a self-described full-time math teacher, part time blogger,and lifelong dessert lover. She has a lot of wonderful sounding baked items on her blog that I really want to try, like her Apple Skillet Popover with Maple Yogurt Cream, Pumpkin Gingerbread, and Apple Cheddar Cheese Biscuits, but I was also drawn to her Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas and Kale, Quinoa, and Cranberry Salad. But when I saw this Broccoli, Cheese and Quinoa Casserole, I was sold.
I gotta mention that the photo of Cathleen on her ‘About' page is absolutely captivating. She's wearing a pink skydiving suit, and her smile invites you to join her in the fun. So do her recipes. I hope you enjoy her blog as much as I did!
Cook's Tips:
I made a few changes – mostly for things I had hanging around my kitchen. I didn't have any cheddar on hand, but figured the fontina I DID have would work as well since it's a nice melty cheese too. I add turmeric to everything because I've read so many things about how it contributes to a healthy diet, so it was added to the mix. And I added a few things to the Panko topping because it's how I do all my Panko toppings. But the heart and soul of this wonderful dish is still there.
If you want your casserole more on the soupy side, add more milk and cheese (or less broccoli). This recipe has a touch of cheese, but if you want more – you know what to do.
Wimpy Tips:
You can add roast chicken to the casserole for the meat eaters at the table, or serve it on the side. If you add it to the casserole, increase the milk and cheese by 25 percent.
Broccoli, Cheese and Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup yellow onion fine diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced, divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided
- 1/2 tsp turmeric optional
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup 2 % milk
- 1 Tbsp country style Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese or other melty cheese
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
- zest of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Prep the quinoa according to the instructions provided in the above link.
- In an ovenproof cooking pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and onions, and sauté until the onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and turmeric, and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the quinoa. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, mustard, and remaining salt. Fold in the cheese, and carefully stir into the broccoli and quinoa mixture.
- Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic, Panko bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest, and a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté until the bread crumbs turn a golden brown, and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Rachael says
I can’t wait to make this for my family!!!
Norma Chang says
Making this and it will also be a regular rotation here at my house.
sara says
Oooh, this looks fabulous! I the quinoa mixed with broccoli – don’t think I’ve done that combo. Also – I made one of your recipes this month (your flageolet bean soup) and loved it – thanks so much for a great fall recipe!
Liz says
Thank you – sounds so good. Have a great week!
Sarah says
Yum. I make something similar using rice instead of quinoa. This looks delicious!
Anna says
I can definitely see why this yummy casserole would become a regular. It looks so good!
Amanda E says
This looks great! Healthy twist on the start broccoli casserole – perfect SRC pick 🙂
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for the reminder, I should really make it again sometime.
leigh says
You sound like me – adding turmeric to everything..haha. Just gorgeous!
Katie Zeller says
I used to make a broccoli casserole years ago but lost the recipe. This looks wonderful – perfect for winter
danielle says
I need to try this ASAP – it looks fantastic!
Rita says
Susan, I can see why this will be on your routine dinner list! I love fontina cheese; you don’t often see it in recipes (except my own perhaps).
Julia Roberts says
This looks so good and inviting. So, I am going to try this for today.
AnnG says
I just finished cooking and eating this for dinner tonight, and it was very good. How can you go wrong with broccoli, quinoa and cheese? I especially liked the slight crunchiness of the panko and the hint of lemon from the zest – very nice touches. If I make any changes the next time, it would be to add more broccoli. Looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I love hearing from people who’ve tried one of my recipes! I’m so glad you liked it. And more broccoli is always a good thing :-). Thanks for the feedback!
KC says
We love this recipe! I substituted coconut milk and it was really great!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I’m so happy to hear it! Thanks so much for letting me know!!