Better Broccoli Casserole
Broccoli casserole made better with roasted broccoli, cheddar cheese, creamy quinoa and toasted bread crumbs. This healthy broccoli casserole is delicious!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Did you know that cheddar cheese isn’t actually orange? It’s really white, and they add orange coloring to make it orange. We’ve been duped all along. I know.
I opted for cheddar without coloring, so this broccoli cheddar casserole may not look like the kind you grew up eating. It’s also more redeeming than typical Midwestern broccoli cheddar casseroles, while still being gloriously cheesy and creamy.
You won’t find mayonnaise, cream of mushroom soup, or annoying Béchamel sauce to make in this healthy broccoli casserole recipe. You don’t need it!
Casseroles aren’t my typical fare, but they do hit the spot on cold, gray winter days. Plus, they make for great leftovers. Hooray for meals that keep on giving!
Watch How to Make Broccoli Casserole
The Best Broccoli Casserole
- My broccoli cheddar version here features tons of caramelized roasted broccoli for extra flavor, plus some milk and sharp cheddar cheese.
- Nutritious quinoa magically blends into creamy oblivion while it’s in the oven.
- Top all of that with some garlicky breadcrumbs and you have one amazing dish that makes for great leftovers.
You can be fancy and call it a “grah-tahnnnn” in your best French accent, or announce it as a “hot dish” in your finest Minnesotan. Either way, it’s a stellar broccoli casserole.
Please let me know how this broccoli casserole recipe turns out for you in the comments! I always love to hear from you.
Craving more lightened-up comfort foods? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Real Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Spaghetti Squash “Pizza” Bowls
- Best Vegetable Lasagna
- Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
For even more hearty dinner recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook!
Better Broccoli Casserole
Broccoli casserole made better with roasted fresh broccoli, cheddar cheese, creamy quinoa and irresistible, garlicky whole grain bread crumbs. This healthy casserole is easy to make and tastes amazing! Recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 cup quinoa (any color), rinsed under running water in a mesh sieve for a minute and drained
- 16 ounces broccoli florets, either pre-packaged or sliced from 2 large bunches of broccoli
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, omit if sensitive to spice
- 8 ounces (about 2 ½ cups) freshly grated cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup low-fat milk (cow’s milk tastes best but unsweetened plain almond milk works, too)
- ½ tablespoon butter or 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 slice whole wheat bread (substitute gluten-free bread for a gluten-free casserole)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- To cook the quinoa: Bring the vegetable broth or water to boil in a heavy-bottomed, medium-sized pot. Add the quinoa, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 17 to 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and set aside to steam for 10 minutes.
- To roast the broccoli: Slice any large broccoli florets in half to make bite-sized pieces. Transfer the broccoli to your prepared baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, until lightly coated on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and arrange in a single layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and starting to caramelize on the edges.
- To make the breadcrumbs: Tear your piece of bread into bite-sized pieces and toss them into a food processor or blender. Process until the bread has broken into small crumbs. In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, stirring often. Add the bread crumbs and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly browned and crisp. Set aside to cool. (If you cooked your bread crumbs in a cast iron skillet, transfer them to a bowl to prevent them from burning.)
- Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. Add the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the pot of quinoa, and stir to combine. Set aside ¾ cup of the cheese for later, then add the rest of the cheese to the pot. Pour in the milk and stir until the cheese and milk are evenly incorporated in the quinoa.
- Pour the cheesy quinoa into a 9-inch square baking dish and top with the roasted broccoli. Stir until the broccoli is evenly mixed in with the quinoa. Sprinkle the surface of the casserole with the reserved ¾ cup cheese, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.
- Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until the top is golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days. Gently reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my creamy roasted Brussels sprout and quinoa gratin, which was originally adapted from The High-Protein Vegetarian Cookbook by Katie Parker of Veggie and the Beast.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I would like to make this as a freezer meal for myself (about to have a baby) and a friend who just had a baby. Any suggestions on how to freeze it. Do everything but baking or bake cook and wrap?
I haven’t tried freezing it, but I believe others have with luck! I would bake, let cool completely and then put in a freezer safe container with a a sealed lid.
Good recipe but I like to salt to the water before cooking the quinoa (same day with any pasta, rice, potatoes etc) instead of salting afterwards for a better flavor
Thanks for sharing your take!
When my daughter spoke of making this recipe, I thought, ” Oh no, nobody’s gonna eat it”. When I tasted it, I WAS HOOKED. It’s So So good, I wanted to eat it every day. Another thing,. I’m so glad there is a very tasty recipe that makes use of quinoa. This is the best recipe ever.
I’m glad everyone loved it! Thanks for your review, Pat.
This was a truly delicious meal, didn’t tell hubby I was using quinoa as I know he wouldn’t have liked it, told him it was a surprise.
He absolutely loved it and asked for a second helping, fantastic.
Thank you Kathryn for a great recipe
You’re welcome, Chris! I appreciate your review.
I made the Broccoli Casserole because I had too much broccoli and did not have a lot of ideas on what to do with them. It was excellent! I am going to make it again! I also put quite a bit more broccoli and it worked anyway. Thank you!
It is finally getting a little cooler here in the northeast so we made this. This recipe is the most delicious comfort food enjoyed by my whole family (which includes 9 and 5 year old boys). Love every recipe I have tried but this is definately a favorite of ours. Thanks for all the yumminess!
I made this dish and it was fabulous! My kids gobbled it up and one went for thirds, as did I. I’ll be adding this to my rotation. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Priya! I’m happy you loved them.
Delicious! I followed exactly, except used crushed rice cereal instead of bread to make it gluten free.
I made this last night and it was a hit. Used Israeli cous cous (larger than quinoa) as I didn’t have quinoa and it went down to rave reviews. Big thanks for sharing.
Hi,
Can you use frozen broccoli florets?
Thanks!
Sure! You will want to thaw it before baking it.
This is the 5th time I’ve made this recipe and I still absolutely love it! I made it for a few work potlucks and all my coworkers love it! Thank you for making this available to all of us!
I’m so happy to hear that!
We loved this gratin/casserole. I reduced the amount of cheese for health reasons using Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar which has a strong taste so a little went a long way. To increase veggies I roasted cauliflower with the broccoli and added a layer of carmelized onions on top of the quinoa veggie layer under the breadcrumbs. I chose tri color quinoa and the presentation when cut was lovely. My husband asked for a second serving so that says it all. Thank you for this recipe.
Thank you for sharing, Janis!
gonna try this thanks :)
Yummy! Even my husband who really doesn’t care for quinoa got seconds of this. We’re very big on cheese so I will probably up the amount the next time I make this and maybe punch it up with a little more spice but other than these minor tweaks for our personal preference, this recipe is a winner. Thanks for a new dish to add to the rotation!
I love that! Thanks so much for your review, Carly.
I made this for company last night and everyone loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re welcome, Renee!
I made this for company last night and everyone loved it. Thanks for a great recipe. I used gluten free crackers for the garlicky topping. Yum.
Thank you for sharing, Renee!
This was great! I added some mushrooms I had sauteed with a shallot and a little garlic, but otherwise followed the recipe. Seems like a great base to add in your favorite veggies. Will definitely make again!
This recipe is amazing! I just finished the last of the leftovers. My whole family loves it, we are planning on replacing the unhealthy traditional casserole with this yummy healthy one at Thanksgiving. Totally two thumbs up!
This recipe was easy and delicious! Will make again for sure!
Was feeling in the mood for a casserole and had somehow missed this recipe before. I made this tonight and it was fantastic! I almost used store bought bread crumbs because I am lazy about taking out, and subsequently having to clean, my food processor. But I’m so glad I did! Homemade bread crumbs are the bomb as was the entire recipe. Thanks, again, Kate!
I’m happy you discovered it, Jess! Thank you for your review.
Has anyone tried making this a day or two ahead?
This is great leftover! The bread crumbs might loose some of their crunch, but still delicious.
My husband and I both LOVED this recipe! We will definitely make it again!
Great to hear, Justine! Thanks for your review.
This is wonderful. I didn’t have time to roast the broccoli, so I just chopped it pretty fine and put it into the cooked quinoa before the bake. Delish!!
This is a new favourite in my family! It’s absolutely delicious. Thanks you!
Thank you! My daughter decided to try being vegetarian, and we eat dinner as a family, so we are all trying new things. I just thought of broccoli casserole as an option, and was sifting though recipes full of mayonnaise, cream of “something” soup, and butter when I saw a recipe from your site. I knew it would be the one I wanted. Your website is making it easy to support my teenager-with-a-big-heart while keeping my picky younger children well fed.
Thanks for sharing, Emily!
Omg that was so amazing!!! I make a similar dish with rice and cream of mushroom soup and this was so much better and much healthier!!! I added chicken for my husband and it was So delicious! Sesame eziekle bread for the bread crumbs for the win!!!
Thank you for sharing, Gaby!
Hello! Can this be prepped the day before (minus the breadcrumbs) and baked the next day? Can’t wait to try it, and thanks!
This is great as leftovers! I think that could be fine, although your quinoa may soak up more of the moisture prior to cooking. Let me know if you try it!
I made this dish last night and it was delicious! Easy to make and the ingredients were all things that we normally have in the fridge/pantry. Next time, I might add in bell peppers + onion – a few other veggies would make it even better!
Wondering if there is a vegan option for this dish?
Hi Deanna! I don’t think this dish would be great vegan. Although, you could try my vegan sour cream or possibly queso instead of the cheese and let me know your thoughts.
I love this dish, it’s easy and yummy, healthy too. This recipe is exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I didn’t have to change a thing. Although I did make 2 layers, instead of tossing it. Proud of my homemade breadcrumbs, tasty.
You’re welcome, Shan! I’m happy you loved it. Thanks so much for your comment and review.
Big hit with my British boyfriend who doesn’t know enough about casseroles. I personally have never really liked quinoa which my fella loves. So we both branched out for this one and it’s been added to the ‘what should we have for dinner’ list since we always have the ingredients in the kitchen. Cheers!
Hooray! I love you can both enjoy this one.
Hi Cookie and Kate! Just made this because I needed to use up broccoli asap. Used Panko because we didn’t have bread…. can you tell we need to visit the market tomorrow? LOL It was delish! BTW I’m putting together our Thanksgiving menu and all recipes are yours!
A C+K Thanksgiving, I love that!
How would you recommend making this ahead of time? Do everything except the last oven part ahead of time or cook everything through and then just reheat in oven?
This is great as left overs! You may be able to let it sit for a few hours before baking it, but I haven’t tried that.
Made this for lunch to try out as a potential Thanksgiving side and it turned out delicious! thank you!
You’re welcome!
Can I use premade seasoned bread crumbs instead of making my own?
Hi Ana, sure you could do that. I just can’t guarantee they will be as delicious as these garlic ones. I highly recommend them :)
Our new macaroni and cheese. This recipe is so good. Love everything about it, delicious, consistency, nutritious. Next time I might try adding some vegan sausage.
Perfect for a cold MN winter day.
A great dish for a cold day! Thanks for sharing, Mary.
Great dish. Kids liked it too.
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing.
My daughter-in-Law made this dish during one of my visits and oh-my-goodness! It is delicious. So much so, that I asked her for the recipe.
And she very kindly sent me the link to this recipe and your website. :)
I plan to bookmark this recipe and visit your website for other yummy recipes!
Thanks so much!
Oh, and if I am not mistaken, she substituted regular breadcrumbs with gluten free (with my allergy in mind). It’s a keeper recipe for sure.
I am sadly allergic to quinoa :( would this work well with another grain such as farro or barley? Maybe brown rice?
Hi Forest, brown rice might work. I haven’t tried it.
Mine was not creamy, the milk stayed on the bottom of the pan and it felt very much like stuff thrown together and baked. Which it is but it didn’t come together like a casserole normally would.
Hi Marti, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you mix it all together? What type of milk did you use?
I used whole! And I did, I actually mixed veg and quinoa and cheese and milk in another bowl before placing in baking pan. I used a 4 cheese mixture but didn’t think it would have much effect on the recipe apart from flavor…
It may have been the different type of cheese, but I can’t say for certain. Interesting. Sorry it didn’t work out perfect!
I made this yesterday for dinner – just thinking about how tasty it was is making my mouth water – so yummy! I found I needed to cook the quinoa for an additional 5 mins and 1/2 cup more liquid until it was cooked fully. I didn’t have enough broccoli so added cauliflower instead – i think it added to the flavours. I also found the portion sizes to be small. Your 6-8 yielded 4-5 portions for me. Its fine I will just make more next time. :) This will be made regularly in our home from now on. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Heidi! Did you let it simmer or boil? That can impact how much water at the end.
Hello Lovely Kate, thanks for your reply – I boiled but then simmered when the water was getting low and stirring often – for fear it might burn.. Have a wonderful Christmas.. PS Made your Quinoa Salad today – perfect for a Sunny Dubai Christmas Eve.
Looks yummy without the fat and calories. Going to try the broccoli casserole for a brunch for 17 people. I also subscribed. Looks like my kind of cooking. Thanks.
Can you make this ahead of time and reheat?
Sure! This makes great leftovers, Maya.
I made your Better Broccoli Casserole to take to a Christmas Dinner potluck. It was really tasty! However …..it makes way more than 6-8 servings, and the only way it would fit in a 9-inch square baking dish is if the dish were unusually deep. I baked it in a 9X12 pan, and it really filled the pan. (I did NOT double the recipe.)
But, the finished result was good, and I will make this again sometime.
Hi Norma! It worked well in my pan, but I do know pans can really vary. Thanks for your comment!
I was wondering if you know simple receipts not too many ingredients and not to many steps. For people who are not much enthusiastic about cooking but they only want a simple healthy food to eat.
For example right now I am cooking some quinoa the way you mentioned and I am going to eat it with some boiled Eggs ( organic of course ) .
Thanks
Hi Jila, Here are some quick dinner ideas! Hopefully this helps some.
Made this today for myself and my 10 month old. We added some leftover turkey and some nutmeg and instead of breadcrumbs we sprinkled yesterday’s cornbread on top. Delicious.
Can this be made with frozen broccoli florets? If so, what adjustments need to be made?
Looking forward to making it.
I’ve made this with frozen broccoli multiple times, and I just cut down the roasting time a little, to 13-15 minutes. It’s delicious!
My father in law surprised us with a visit when I just happened to be making this. Made me look like a good cook who often makes homemade meals ;-) he was not familiar with quinoa and loved it.
Hooray! I’m happy he enjoyed it and now knows what quinoa is. :)
Love this recipe. It’s a regular in our household. No leftovers and the dogs are disappointed
Sooooooo good! It’s going straight into my regular rotation. I’ve made some quinoa bakes where you can actually bake the quinoa right in the casserole dish without first cooking it on the stovetop, so I might try something like that with this next time.
Hi! I like cooking it first so you can really get the cheesy and milk mixed in.