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quinoa mac and cheese in a skillet
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Broccoli & White Cheddar Quinoa Mac and Cheese

The best comfort food made a little more nutritious & gluten free! Try this quinoa mac and cheese with broccoli, a creamy white cheddar sauce & a cracker crust topping!
Course Dinner, Gluten Free, Healthy, Vegetarian
Keyword quinoa mac and cheese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 313cal
Author Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 tablespoon butter or vegan butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup gluten free oat flour OR gluten free all purpose flour
  • 2 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
  • For topping:
  • 10 buttery crackers, gluten free if desired (Ritz or a similar type of cracker is great)
  • 2 tablespoons grated vegetarian parmesan cheese
  • Serve with: Hot sauce, Ketchup, Soy sauce, Red pepper flakes -- whatever you like!

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add water and quinoa to a large pot and place over high heat. Once water begins to boil, cover, reduce heat to low. 
  • After 5 minutes, add broccoli to the pot, recover and cook on low for 10 more minutes. Once done, quinoa should be fluffy and broccoli al dente. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • In a large cast iron skillet (or you can use a nonstick skillet), melt the butter over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until garlic is fragrant. 
  • Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds or until a paste forms. Slowly add in the Almondmilk, whisking away any lumps. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often, until the sauce thickens up similar to a gravy.
  • After sauce thickens, reduce heat to low and stir in white cheddar cheese until sauce is creamy. 
  • Add in onion powder, then salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Turn off heat. 
  • Very gently fold in the quinoa/broccoli mixture. If you want you can bake it in the cast iron skillet (if large enough) OR transfer to a greased large casserole dish.
  • Gently crumble the crackers over the mac and cheese, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Season with more black pepper. 
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until mixture is bubbling around the edges and topping turns slightly golden brown. Serves 8.

Notes

If you want to leave out the cracker/parmesan topping, the nutrition is as follows for 1/8th of recipe: Calories: 292 | Fat: 13.5g | Saturated Fat: 6.1g | Carbs: 30.2g | Fiber 4.6g | Sugar: 1.6g | Protein: 12.2g
Want to scale down the recipe to serve less? Simply divide all the ingredients by half, then follow directions as is. Recipe will serve 4.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 313cal | Carbohydrates: 32.4g | Protein: 12.7g | Fat: 14.6g | Saturated Fat: 6.3g | Fiber: 4.6g | Sugar: 1.9g
Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com