I've been trying to come up with more pantry-friendly, simple dinner recipes for you all to enjoy during this time. This one-pot cheesy vegan quinoa with broccoli and chickpeas is a healthy comfort food that can easily be made with pantry and freezer ingredients. It's creamy, gluten-free, hearty, and so easy to make!
This dish is made by simple cooking the quinoa in a savory broth, flavored with aromatic onion and garlic. Then we add nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor, and a quick homemade cashew milk for creaminess. Then we add chickpeas and broccoli, and the veggies get steamed as the flavor marinates throughout the dish.
As I'm cooking a lot during quarantine, the dishes just seem to pile up. And since we don't have a dishwasher, I love anything that minimizes the amount of dishes used during the process, which is why this one-pot meal is the perfect cozy dish for these nights.
Ingredient rundown:
Ingredient rundown:- Cashews: serve as the creamy sauce base. I love to buy them bulk online here, since I use them for so many vegan recipes.
- Quinoa: quinoa simply soaks up the delicious flavors and quinoa goodness in this dish, as well as adds protein!
- Chickpeas: add protein and texture
- Broccoli florets: fresh or frozen both work!
- Vegetable broth: a flavorful liquid to cook the quinoa.
- Garlic + onion: add savory depth of flavor.
- Nutritional yeast: the ultimate vegan staple, giving so many recipes a cheesy flavor! I love to buy it in bulk here.
- Lemon juice: boosts the cheesy flavor!
Why you'll love this cheesy vegan quinoa dish:
Why you'll love this cheesy vegan quinoa dish:- One-pot: this means less dishes and effort- woohoo!
- Pantry friendly: This recipe consists of ingredients I always have in my pantry, and I tend to also have frozen broccoli florets. But if you don't, feel free to get creative and add the veggies that you do have.
- Easily customizable: The broccoli and chickpeas can easily be switched out for other veggies and legumes, as the quinoa can be switched out for another grain. Read on for serving suggestions!
- Hearty: The protein in the quinoa, chickpeas, and broccoli make this a complete, filling meal.
- So delicious: This vegan cheesy quinoa is garlicky, creamy, and comforting.
Serving suggestions:
- Spinach or mushrooms would be delightful in this dish
- Chickpeas could be substituted for another bean such as white beans
- Broccoli can be substituted with peas or another green veggie
- Quinoa can be substituted with rice or a similar grain- just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly
- I love to add chopped chives or green onions on top for garnish
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Recipe
One-Pot Cheesy Vegan Quinoa with Broccoli & Chickpeas (GF)
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup diced onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoon oil or water
- 1 ½ cups quinoa
- 3 cups vegetable broth or 3 cups water + 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon
- 12-14 oz. fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15 oz. can chickpeas
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste, depends on saltiness of bouillon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- chives or green onions chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté onion in oil or water in a pot over medium high heat until translucent, 3-5 mins. Then, add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 more mins.
- Add in quinoa and toast lightly for 1-2 mins, before adding in vegetable broth or water and bouillon. Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer on medium low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed, 8-12 mins.
- Meanwhile, make your cashew cream by blending 1 cup cashews and 2 cups water until smooth; it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Once quinoa is cooked, add in cashew cream, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, garlic powder and chickpeas. Stir to combine, and then add the broccoli florets. Cover with a lid to steam the broccoli and cook until tender, 3-5 mins.
- Check with a fork to see that the broccoli is tender, add lemon juice, and stir to combine. Serve topped with chopped green onions or chives. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Anna says
Made this for me and my boyfriend. We loved it, it was easy and I followed the recipe to a T. I have even shared this with a few people who also loved it. Thanks, keep it up!
Anna says
Made this for me and my boyfriend. We loved it, it was easy and I followed the recipe to a T. I have even shared this with a few people who also loved it. Thanks, keep it up!
Zena | Zen and Zaatar says
I'm so happy to hear that you guys loved it, thanks so much for sharing with others! 🙂 Cheers! <3
June says
hi! i'm vegetarian, not vegan and was wondering if you had any suggestions for a substitution for the nutritional yeast? i don't have any in my pantry and was hoping to avoid a grocery store run 🙂
Zena | Zen and Zaatar says
You can simply omit it and add extra flavoring such as garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. If you are vegetarian, I would recommend that you could also replace it with parmesan cheese or a similar cheese!
Brooklyn says
Will it be ok to omit the cashews and just add water? ^_^
Zena | Zen and Zaatar says
The cashews and water blended together are what makes the cashew cream to create a creamy and flavorful dish. You can replace it with 2-3 cups of creamy plant milk instead!
Jensen says
Definitely one I’ll do again!