Cheesy Quinoa

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 ¼ 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.

1. Make Cauliflower Puree (if adding)
2. Make Cheese Sauce
3. Cook quinoa
4. Mix together and bake.

 

The cheese sauce is made like a cheese sauce you would add to cauliflower cheese or mac and cheese.

1. 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.
2. ADD MILK: Add the milk gradually. Continuous stirring /whisking and adding the milk slowly is the secret to a good sauce.
3. ADD CHEESE: Remove from the heat, add the cheese and mustard and stir until melted into the sauce. 

To assemble the quinoa bake...

1. Stir the cauliflower puree into the cheese sauce
2. Add the quinoa and stir through
3. Add the peas and stir.
4. 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

• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
• Chicken Quinoa Bake
• Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Have you tried this recipe? I love to receive your feedback. Please rate and leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @healthylittlefoodies

*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.