Move over Mac and Cheese, there is a new kid in town! This Cheesy Quinoa makes a great side dish or main meal and is sure to please the whole family.
Reasons to Love this Recipe
- KID-FRIENDLY – because when you add a cheese sauce to a dish it automatically gets the thumbs up from kids, right?
- NUTRITIOUS – there is a whole head of cauliflower added to this sauce for extra goodness. This is something you may wish to add gradually but I find it a winner.
- SIDE DISH OR MAIN – Serve as a tasty side or as a main.
- MAKE AHEAD – Can be prepped and assembled ahead of time and baked when ready.
Cheesy Quinoa Ingredients (With Alternative Suggestions)
This is what you need to make this delicious quinoa side dish.
- Quinoa: In this recipe, white quinoa is used. It has the most delicate flavour and cooks up fluffier than other varieties of quinoa. You could replace with tri-colour quinoa if you prefer.
- Butter, Flour, Milk: Used to make the bechamel sauce.
- Cheese: The cheese you use can make a big difference to the overall flavour of this dish. I recommend using a strong tasting mature cheddar. This provides the most flavour and you can, therefore, use less of it in the sauce. However, any good melting cheese will work (e.g Colby, Tasty, Montery Jack). You can also mix with freshly grated Parmesan if more flavour is needed.
- Dijon Mustard: Used for flavour, can be skipped or replaced with mustard powder.
- Cauliflower Puree: Adding cauliflower puree is great for kids who like the flavour of vegetables but struggle with texture. Although visually it goes undetected the flavour of cauliflower is quite prominent. If you have a fussy eater you may wish to start with 1/4 head of cauliflower and slowly add more as your child’s taste buds adapt. Alternatively, you can blend only half the cauliflower into the sauce and add the remaining pieces of cauliflower to add texture to the dish. Another great alternative would be to replace the cauliflower puree with butternut squash puree (like in this Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese)
- Peas: Just throwing in a visible vegetable, they can be left out or replaced with a different veggie.
How to Make Cheesy Quinoa
There are four steps to making this quinoa side dish.
- Make Cauliflower Puree (if adding)
- Make Cheese Sauce
- Cook quinoa
- Mix together and bake.
The cheese sauce is made like a cheese sauce you would add to cauliflower cheese or mac and cheese.
- MAKE A ROUX: When making the roux, (mixing the flour with the butter), stir it for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavour of the flour.
- ADD MILK: Add the milk gradually. Continuous stirring /whisking and adding the milk slowly is the secret to a good sauce.
- ADD CHEESE: Remove from the heat, add the cheese and mustard and stir until melted into the sauce.
To assemble the quinoa bake…
- Stir the cauliflower puree into the cheese sauce
- Add the quinoa and stir through
- Add the peas and stir.
- Add mixture to a baking dish and top with cheese.
Serving Suggestions
You can enjoy cheesy quinoa as a meal in its own right or as a side dish with
- Steak, roast chicken, pork or fish
- Roasted vegetables (roast a tray of vegetables in the oven while you bake the quinoa)
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerating: Refrigerate leftovers, for up to 2 days, in an airtight container. To reheat leftovers you can use a microwave to warm, add a little more cheese on top and then place under the grill (broiler) until topping is bubbly. Alternatively, you can place in the oven (covered in foil) at 190C/375F until hot throughout. You may wish to add more cheese before reheating.
- Freezing: Freeze in a covered freezer and ovenproof dish (or dishes) for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as per the recipe.
You May Also Like
Have you tried this recipe? I love to receive your feedback. Please rate and leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @healthylittlefoodies
Looking for more healthy kid recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more kind-friendly inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
Cheesy Quinoa
This Cheesy Quinoa contains a whole head of cauliflower blended into the sauce; perfect for getting our kids to eat more vegetables.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves:6
Hover over “serves” value to reveal recipe scaler
Ingredients
Cauliflower Puree
- 1 Small Cauliflower (550g (1.2lb) once trimmed and chopped) * SEE NOTES
Quinoa
- 175g (1 cup) Quinoa
Cheese Sauce
- 28g (2 tbsp) Butter
- 9g (1 tbsp) Flour
- 250ml (1 cup) Milk
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 115g (1 cup) Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese Grated
Assembly
- 135g (1 cup) Peas
- 50g (1/2 cup) Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese Grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200c/395f.
Cauliflower Puree
- Remove the base and outer leaves from the cauliflower and wash. Chop into small 1.5cm (1/2 inch) pieces. Don't worry about keeping florets intact
- In a large pot, bring 3/4 cup (180ml) of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower; bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and steam for 15-1 8 minutes, or until cauliflower is very tender.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Blend until smooth adding some of the cooking liquid if needed.
Quinoa
- Cook the quinoa as per pack instructions and set aside.
Cheese Sauce
- Melt butter in a saucepan and add the flour to form a roux, stir continuously for about 2 minutes.
- Add milk a little at a time, keep stirring/whisking continuously between each pour. Stir out any lumps before adding more milk. Continue adding the milk little by little until all the milk is incorporated and the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Take off the heat and stir in the mustard and the cheese.
Assembly
- Add the cauliflower puree to the cheese sauce and stir to combine. Stir through the quinoa and peas until combined.
- Transfer to one large baking dish (or several small dishes) Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven, for approx. 20 mins, until the top is golden and bubbly.
Recipe Notes
CAULIFLOWER PUREE: More detailed cooking tips and process steps can be found on this cauliflower puree post.
Although visually it goes undetected the flavour of cauliflower is quite prominent. If you have a fussy eater you may wish to start with 1/4 head of cauliflower and slowly add more as your child’s taste buds adapt.
If you prefer more texture, you can blend only half the cauliflower into the sauce and add the remaining pieces of cauliflower to the dish.
This dish also works well replacing cauliflower with butternut squash puree.
QUINOA:175g (1 cup) of uncooked quinoa is equivalent to 380g (2.5 cups) of cooked quinoa. You can use white quinoa or tri-colour quinoa.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Refrigerating: Refrigerate leftovers, for up to 2 days. To reheat leftovers you can use a microwave to warm, add a little more cheese on top and then place under the grill (broiler) until the topping is bubbly. Alternatively, you can place in the oven (covered in foil) at 190C/375F until hot throughout. You may wish to add more cheese before reheating.
- Freezing: Freeze in a covered freezer and ovenproof dish (or dishes) for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as per the recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Cheesy Quinoa
Amount Per Serving
Calories 325
Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 9g45%
Cholesterol 43mg14%
Sodium 263mg11%
Potassium 588mg17%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 16g32%
Vitamin A 632IU13%
Vitamin C 55mg67%
Calcium 286mg29%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
*This recipe was first published in Nov 2015, it has been updated with new photos, process shots and with a new recipe. If you would like to be sent the original recipe then please e-mail me, leave a comment below or contact me via social media.
Kylie says
Can you use a milk substitute with this, like coconut, almond, oat milk etc.
Amy says
Hi Kylie, I haven’t tried substitutes but think it should work 🙂
Sarah says
How many people does this serve?
Amy says
Hi Sarah, sorry I didn’t detail this information in my old recipes (I make sure to do this in my new recipes and I am slowly going through all the old recipes to update with this information). I haven’t actually made this is a long time and can’t remember. I’d say 6 as a dish served with veggies etc.
Josie says
Loved this! Chose this recipe to convince my quinoa-hating partner that it’s actually amazing and it worked! Put a little white wine and some herbs in with the cheese sauce to make a grown-ups’ version and it went down a treat =)
Amy says
Yeah to converting a quinoa hater! I’m loving the sound of your more grown-up version, thanks for letting me know it was a success 🙂
HKS24 says
Are you able to tell me what 1 cup of uncooked quinoa equates to in grams please? Thank you. I can’t wait to try some of the recipes on your website – they look wonderful
Amy says
Hi, thanks for your kind comment! I’ve just measured it and 1 cup is 175g. Enjoy!
Abigail / Cuddles and Crumbs says
Perfect! I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate and introduce quinoa to my kids
Amy says
Thanks Abigail, I hope they enjoy 🙂
Kate, Meals and makes says
This is a great idea. I only really use Quinoa for salads so its nice to have a way to use it in the winter. I will definitely give it a go- it looks delicious!
Amy says
Thanks Kate! Love quinoa salads!
Katerina says
It is so smart to hide quinoa under cheese! I am sure the kids will love it!
Amy says
Most kids love anything covered in cheese 🙂
Nomita | Ebabee says
What a fab idea. I resisted trying quinoa as I thought I wouldn’t like it but I loved it. So I am always looking for new recipes with quinoa and this cheesy quinoa sounds perfect for a mid-week meal for all. Thanks for sharing.