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A little over 5 years ago, Heidi of 101 Cookbooks posted her recipe for Double Broccoli Quinoa; I’ve been making it ever since. The double broccoli refers to the crisp-tender florets that are tossed into the dish along with a creamy riff on traditional pesto that involves broccoli and almonds.

Quinoa-Broccoli-Almond-Broccoli-Pesto-Feta
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There are a number of things that I love about this dish: it’s delicious warm, cold or at room temperature; it works well with any cheese you have on hand, especially crumbly varieties like feta and goat; it’s quick – from start to finish, you’ll be sitting down to eat in less than half an hour.  Interested?

Broccoli-Pesto

There’s more. It’s also wonderful topped with pistachios or walnuts; sliced avocado and/or a fried or poached egg; sriracha or a squeeze of lemon. I think you’ll be impressed with its versatility. Give this a try, and I bet it will be you that’s still making it 5 years from now.

More Pesto Recipes

Quinoa with Broccoli Almond Pesto and Feta

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Calories: 353
Servings: 8 people
Get creative with this recipe! You can top it with about any nut or cheese combination that sounds good to you.

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 1/2 pounds broccoli cut into florets
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cup toasted almonds divided
  • 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • fine sea salt
  • 4 ounces crumbled feta

Instructions 

To cook the quinoa:

  • In a fine-mesh strainer, carefully rinse one cup of quinoa. Add rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan; stir and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cover – let sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  • Meanwhile, in a large pot with a tight fitting lid bring 1 cup of water to boil. Add broccoli, spreading it out to cover the bottom of the pot, and cover. Cook for about 3 minutes, until broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain in a colander and set aside.

To make the broccoli pesto:

  • With your food processor running, drop garlic clove down the chute. Scrape down sides and add about two cups of the cooked broccoli florets, 1/2 cup almonds, Parmesan and lemon juice. Process until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and sour cream. Pour over broccoli mixture and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

To assemble the dish:

  • Add broccoli pesto, remaining broccoli florets and cooked quinoa to a large serving bowl; gently stir to combine. Top with remaining almonds and feta. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 302mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 699IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 255mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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36 Comments

  1. Valerie Cathell Clark says:

    This is a keeper!!! Wonderful recipe!!!

    1. Marissa says:

      Thanks, Valerie!

  2. Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says:

    I can see why you love this recipe Marissa, it’s amazing AND healthy AND quick! I like crumbly cheeses so so so much. This is really perfect food for me!

    1. Marissa says:

      Awesome, thanks Paula!

  3. Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says:

    Marissa, I’m just going to get it over with and do the love dance right now. You cool with that? I’m dreaming about having a bowl of this and then just closing my eyes loving every delish moment and delightfully tasty bite! Pinned!

    1. Marissa says:

      Wow, thanks Kristi!

  4. Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says:

    This is such a clever twist on quinoa. It can be so boring sometimes, but this anything but boring. Plus, I adore broccoli and pesto, so this is definitely on my list of healthy meals to make soon!

    1. Marissa says:

      Thanks, Nicole. I’d love to hear what you think…