Broccoli Cheddar Baby Quinoa Bites
Servings 40 to 45 mini cups
Looking for a new way to try out quinoa? These broccoli cheddar quinoa bites are a cute and healthy snack, appetizer or side dish that the whole family will love! They're super kid-friendly and make a great recipe for lunch boxes, toddler snacks and baby-led weaning! {Gluten-free & vegetarian}
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked quinoa (or one cup dry)
- 2 cups finely chopped broccoli florets (about one small broccoli crown)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 teaspoon each onion powder and paprika
Optional add-ins:
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray or use a silicone muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, mix the cooked quinoa, broccoli florets and cheese together.
- In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs. Add the garlic, onion powder and paprika (and salt, if using). Mix to combine.
- Add the egg mixture to quinoa mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Divide mixture evenly among the mini muffin cups, pressing down with a spatula to pack it all down.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for several minutes before removing from the muffin tin to allow the quinoa to set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Make up a batch of quinoa ahead of time to minimize prep time. Cook the quinoa in reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth to incorporate more flavour into the quinoa.
- I recommend cutting the broccoli pieces for these quinoa muffins into really small pieces so that one piece doesn't take over the whole cup. Instead, you get a more equal distribution of mini broccoli bits. Also, by chopping the broccoli into fine pieces, it also helps the quinoa cheese mixture bind together better.
- I find it's best to use the broccoli florets rather than too much of the stem. If you do incorporate the stem, make sure that you chop it finely so that there aren't large chunks of stem throughout the cups.
- I chose to leave out the salt when making these cups for baby-led weaning, but if making these for older children or adults, you might want to add some in to incorporate a bit of extra flavour.
- If using a regular mini muffin tin, spray or grease it well to prevent the quinoa cups from sticking to the pan. Better yet, try using a silicone mini muffin tin to avoid the tough clean up!
- I also recommend pressing the quinoa mixture down firmly into the the muffin tin cups to help them bind together while baking. I like to use a mini spatula for this purpose. And here's a quick tip! Run it under some water before pressing down on each cup to prevent the mixture from sticking to the spatula.
- Allow the cups to cool for at least 10 minutes in the muffin tin to allow them to set before removing. Use the tip of a knife to help nudge them out of the pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 39kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 46mgPotassium: 45mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 83IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag me Today! Mention @hauteandhealthyliving or tag #HauteandHealthyLiving!