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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.
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?
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
More Recipes with Quinoa
Quinoa with Broccoli Almond Pesto and Feta
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a keeper!!! Wonderful recipe!!!
Thanks, Valerie!
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!
Awesome, thanks Paula!
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!
Wow, thanks Kristi!
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!
Thanks, Nicole. I’d love to hear what you think…