This casserole-inspired Instant Pot quinoa with broccoli and melted cheese is a one-pot, dump-it-all, vegetarian and gluten-free dinner recipe you can make in 10-15 minutes with your pressure cooker. This is a guest recipe from Chhavi of Yellow Thyme food blog (read more about the author below the recipe).
If you like the classic combination of broccoli and cheddar, you must try this delicious creamy Instant Pot quinoa casserole. It’s a perfect weeknight meal which is equal parts healthy and indulgent!
This is the kind of recipe you make when you want to eat something healthy but also something comforting. Of course, you can skip the cheese or swap it out with nutritional yeast to make this dish vegan-friendly.
Ingredients YOU NEED FOR THIS CASSEROLE
You will need super simple pantry ingredients and some fresh produce:
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (you can use any color you like)
• 1 cup broccoli (or any other vegetables)
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup cheddar cheese or mixed grated cheese
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
How to Make Instant Pot Quinoa Broccoli Casserole
Step 1: Prep- Wash the quinoa in water, this removes the bitter coating on the quinoa making it tastier. Also, cut the broccoli into florets and wash it under running water.
Step 2: Dump it all in the Instant Pot – Add water, quinoa, pepper and salt in the inner pot. Give it a mix. Top with broccoli florets. Select MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK for 1 minute. Quick Release.
Step 3: Add cheese, close the lid for 5 -10 minutes to let the cheese melt into the quinoa. Open, stir and serve immediately.
HELPFUL TIPS
Following this recipe will give you a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, cheesy quinoa with bits of broccoli mixed in. Though if you prefer your broccoli with more body, add the broccoli before the cheese, let the instant pot go into Keep Warm for 5-10 minutes.
Alternatives
- You can use 1-minute rice instead of quinoa.
- Use cauliflower instead of broccoli. You can also use carrots and peas. Mushrooms are also nice to add.
- Vegan Quinoa Casserole – Make this dish vegan by swapping cheddar cheese with nutritional yeast flakes.
MORE VEGETARIAN INSTANT POT RECIPES
- One-pot Kale & Quinoa Pilaf With Feta
- Rice Pilaf With Chickpeas (also by Chhavi)
- Mexican Quinoa With Cilantro & Lime Dressing
- Vegan Risotto With Green Veggies
- Butternut Squash Risotto With Blue Cheese
Instant Pot Quinoa With Broccoli & Cheese
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy and delicious Instant Pot quinoa with broccoli and melted cheddar cheese is a nutritious vegetarian and gluten-free meal. Serve as is or with a side salad. This can also be a side dish with extra protein.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1–2 cups broccoli florets (as much as you prefer)
- 1 cup water or broth (you can use vegetable stock)
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: you can add a dollop of butter or a little olive oil and a drizzle of lemon juice.
Instructions
- Wash the quinoa in cold water and strain. Set aside.
- Cut the broccoli into florets and set aside.
- Add the quinoa, water, half a teaspoon of salt and a little pepper in the inner pot. If using vegetable stock, add the salt once the quinoa is cooked. Mix and place the broccoli on top.
- Select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL for 1 minute on HIGH. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will start to build up the pressure (the cooking process starts now). Once the timer stops, quick release the pressure.
- Open the lid carefully. Top with the cheese, then close the lid and wait for 5 minutes, till the cheese has melted. Give it a mix .
- Top with more cheese, freshly cracked pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
If you like your broccoli el dente: Add the broccoli before the cheese, let the Instant Pot go into Keep Warm for 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup of cooked quinoa dish with 1 tbsp grated cheese on top
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 846.1 mg
- Fat: 17.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 58.4 g
- Fiber: 7.2 g
- Protein: 22.2 g
- Cholesterol: 37.3 mg
About the recipe author: Chhavi is the founder of Yellow Thyme food blog. She is a mommy to a small little boy, an unapologetic foodie, a self-taught cook and food photographer. Yellow Thyme is Chhavi’s little culinary corner, where she shares Instant Pot Indian recipes, healthy Indian cooking for modern living, nutritious desserts, menus and more. You can find Chhavi’s creations on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Love this recipe, been making it atleast once a week for several weeks. reminds me of cracker barrel broccoli rice casserole, but higher in protein and healthier with the quinoa! I add maybe double the amount of broccoli just because I don’t think you can go wrong with adding more. I also use a chicken or beef bone broth instead fo water for extra flavor. Will keep making over and over again!
★★★★★
So if you like your brocolli al denote, you leave it for 5-10 mins on keep warm….. so after cooking for 1 min on high is the brocolli then still basically raw??
No the broccoli is not raw after a minute, it’s actually quite soft and falls apart. If you want the broccoli to be more crisp and a bit raw, add it after the pressure cooking time is over, layering it before the cheese to “keep warm” for 5-10 minutes.
Made this and it was great for a quick and healthy meal, but I looked at the other reviews and decided to modify water and cook time.
I used 2 cups of rinsed quinoa with 3.5 cups of water (so 1.75 cups water per cup of quinoa), frozen broccoli (thawed in microwave for a minute) and gave it 2 minutes of cook time. Was perfect and will definitely make it again! Thank you 🙂
If you use organic quinoa, it requires 2 cups of liquid to cook 1 cup of quinoa. So when I made the recipe, I used the amount of liquid called out in the organic quinoa instructions and it turned out perfectly. I even doubled the recipe and everything still came out right.
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
This was yummy and I’ll make it again but FYI for others – I had to add a LOT more liquid than it called for because the IP kept saying “burn food” and stopping b/c there was not enough liquid. It did burn on the bottom some but ended up coming out fine. I’ll make again but just with lots more broth/water!
Delicious! My second Instant Pot recipe, both from Instant Pot Eats. Easy, simple directions. I went heavy on the broccoli florets and added the butter for flavor.
But there is either a typo with the amount of cooking time or I am just an amateur. One minute cooking time didn’t cut it. I went with 5 additional minutes and it came out fine.
★★★★★