Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bars
Healthy and hearty! These Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bars are gluten-free, toddler tested and loved, and are filled with tons of broccoli and protein, fiber-rich quinoa so they’re Mom approved, too!
I have been meaning to post this recipe for you guys for months because it’s one of my favorite snacks to make for my little M. Not only is it incredibly healthy (hello broccoli and quinoa), but they are super tasty, too (hellooooo cheddar)! And when I say tasty, I don’t mean to just my little vegetable loving toddler, but these Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bars have been loved by even super picky toddler palettes!
I was that mom that brought these Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bars as a treat to share with her class. And when I dropped them off and gave the list of ingredients to her teacher, she gave me an “Uh… ok. I hope the kids eat them…” Ouch.
So I left feeling like I was a total mom fail by dooming my poor child to be that kid of the totally uncool mom who doesn’t send chocolate. Until I picked M up later that day and the same teacher RAVED about how good the bars were and how all the kids LOVED them and the moms were asking for the recipe! Healthy Mom win!
Ingredients Needed
Just 5! Does it get much easier? And so delicious we can’t keep little hands out!
- Broccoli – Fresh is our preferred, but you can also use thawed frozen.
- Cooked Quinoa – Helloooo nutrition! We love this recipe to use up some leftover quinoa.
- Cheese – Parmesan and Cheddar
- Eggs – To bind it all
- Salt and Onion Powder – For a little added flavor.
So Easy to Make
I these Broccoli Cheddar Qunioa Bars because they’re basically just throwing everything in a bowl, mixing, and then baking. It doesn’t get much easier for a health homemade kid snack!
Step 1: Chop the broccoli. To do this, we just use a knife to cut off the top of the broccoli into super small pieces, then give another little chop for good measure. This’ll ensure that the broccoli is well distributed and if you won’t get big chunks throughout your quinoa bars, which can deter some little ones.
Step 2: Add everything except the whisked eggs to a bowl, mix, and then add the egg to mix.
Step 3: Add to a well greased pan and then bake!
And done! Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bars! Thanks to the quinoa, these are great served as a meal (I’ll often pack them for lunch with fruit for M), or they make a delicious hearty snack!
For moms that are looking for ways to sneak in those greens to a cheesy snack, this is a perfect way. Especially since you’re also getting in all the fiber, iron, magnesium, and protein from the quinoa, and all of the calcium, zinc, and potassium from the broccoli!
Other Healthy Toddler Friendly Snacks
Healthy Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
Peanut Butter Chocolate Engery Balls
Oatmeal Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies
I hope you moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunties, uncles, and other caretakers or loved ones of little ones try these! If you do, be sure to let me know on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Also, be on the lookout for mom and toddler-approved, nutritious snacks and meals!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 3 cups broccoli chopped
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or Romano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 8 X 8 baking pan.
- Add quinoa, broccoli, cheddar, romano, onion powder, and salt to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add the whisked egg to the bowl and mix everything together until it's all well coated.
- Add mixture to the pan and smooth with spatula.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely then cut into squares and serve!
- Store in an airtight container in fridge for 4-5 days.
Oh what a great win on the Mom front, yay! So glad you got your props from the teacher and of course it’s the kids that really win. These look so interesting. I’m going to have to try these, thanks for sharing these!
Broccoli is my all time favorite vegetable! I absolutely love that you turned a classic (broccoli + cheddar) into bars with quinoa! This recipe is just epic and genius! I CANNOT wait to make this!!
I am SOOOO making this as soon as possible! Possibly today even! My baby used to love broccoli, it was her favourite food but over the past couple of months she barely eats it, so I hope I’ll be able to get her to eat more of it using these bars. Hopefully she’ll like quinoa also, she didn’t like it when I added it to a soup a few times.
Quick question, the broccoli is raw when mixed with everything. Is this correct? or did I misunderstand the directions?
OK, I just made these! Really yummy! I actually remembered that I have a similar recipe but yours is better 🙂 I tagged you on Instagram stories 🙂
Oh awesome, thank you Julie!!! I’m sorry I didn’t see your question about raw broccoli until now. SO glad you liked them – will check out your Instagram story now! <3
I never had to hide vegetables from my daughter either. — they were always “loud and proud” on our dinner table. I know she would love to try these quinoa bars — that touch of cheese gives it that “treat” aspect. Well done, healthy Mom!
These bars sound so healthy and filling, I must make them for my husband and son, I’m certain they’ll love them!
These sound delicious and so hearty and filling. What a great meal, and what a great way to get the kiddos to eat their veggies Can’t wait to try this out!
Well I know they would be gone in a flash here. So many great ingredients in these tasty little squares. These are the prefect side….and I would just eat a bunch of these for lunch.
I love how simple and healthy these are! I am always looking for healthy snacks that I feel good about feeding the kids and these are perfect. They are yummy for me to snack on too!
This looks extremely healthy and very tasty. I am trying to eat healthier this year than I have other years so this is definitely going to be on my menu.
I’m kind of fascinated by these- I love broccoli cheddar soup, so this should be delicious! I want to taste test one!!! And then you know, maybe taste test a lot of them. (And go you- being the healthy mom!!!)