Quinoa Pilaf | Cathy’s Vegan Kitchen

As a side dish, entree or salad, quinoa pilaf A unique dish full of vegetables. Nutrient-dense and gluten-free, this quinoa pilaf recipe is ready in less than 20 minutes!

I love quinoa, so today, I decided to swap out the rice and make a quinoa pilaf recipe with my favorite vegetable. This quinoa pilaf recipe is a hearty meal that won’t leave you hungry. And making a side dish or meal in less than 20 minutes is always a bonus!

When most people hear the word pilaf, they think of rice pilaf, consisting of cooked rice and vegetables such as carrots and peas. This dish also has a specific cooking method, although the ingredients may vary.

Any whole grain can be used to make pilaf, although rice is probably the most commonly used.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa though Misidentified as a grain, it is a seed. In other words, it is a seed that is prepared and eaten just like a grain.

There are many types of quinoa, including red, black, and white.

Here’s a nutritional breakdown of 1 cup (185 grams) of cooked quinoa:

• Calories: 222
• Protein: 8 grams
• Fat: 3.55 grams
• Sugars: 39 grams
• Fiber: 5 grams
• Folate: 19% of Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin B6: 13% of DV
• Vitamin E: 8% of DV
• Copper: 39% of DV
• Iron: 15% of DV
• Zinc: 18% of DV
• Manganese: 51% of DV
• Magnesium: 28% of DV
• Potassium: 7% of DV
• Phosphorus: 22% of DV

Quinoa is a good source of several essential nutrients, including folate, magnesium, zinc and iron.

It is also rich in fiber And protein, a nutrient that plays an essential role in helping you feel full.

Recipe ingredients

• Red Quinoa: Red quinoa is rich in protein, fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. Also, it is higher in antioxidants than other varieties of quinoa.
• White quinoa: White quinoa is the most common variety available in the market. It has the most delicate flavor and cooks the lightest and fluffiest you will ever see.
• Grape tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are the size of grapes. They are bite-sized and contain very few seeds.
• Spinach: I buy organic baby spinach. The stems are shorter and easier to work with.
• White Onion: White onions, when cooked, caramelize and have a sweet taste when fried.
• Baby Portobello Mushrooms: Baby portobello mushrooms are firm and fleshy.
• Zucchini: Zucchini is cheap, plentiful and fresh this time of year. I love it!
• Red Bell Pepper: Red bell peppers are sweet and add vibrant color to quinoa pilaf recipes.
• Herbes de Provence: Herbes de Provence is an aromatic blend of dried Provençal herbs and spices, traditionally including thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano and bay leaves.
• Salt Pepper: Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Blanched Nuts: Blanched raw almonds are toasted in a pan for an extra crunchy taste.

Substituting recipe ingredients

• Choose any color of quinoa you like. I chose red and white quinoa, but feel free to use one color or mix it up like I did.
• If you don’t like quinoa, try brown rice, couscous, or barley.
• Cherry tomatoes are an excellent alternative to grape tomatoes. However, they have few seeds and are larger than grape tomatoes.
• Try red onion for a sweeter flavor or green for less onion presence.
• Use any mushroom available.
• Baby bell peppers have a similar sweetness to red bell peppers.
• If you don’t have herbes de Provence, make your own mixture.
• The best stand-ins for nuts are almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, and unsalted pistachios. It is better to substitute the same texture (eg cut for cut or cut for cut).

cooking vegetables

First, cook the quinoa as directed but exchange the water for vegetable broth, which gives the quinoa more flavor. Then, cook both colors of quinoa together. Since quinoa only takes 15 minutes to cook, stir-fry the vegetables while it cooks.

• In a separate, large skillet, start frying the onions until translucent.
• Then, add the mushrooms and cook until browned. Add a small amount of vegetable broth if the mushrooms and onions stick.
• Then add the red bell pepper and zucchini and cook for a few minutes until heated through.
• Finally add tomatoes and spinach. Spinach wilts instantly when combined with other hot vegetables.

• Now, add the cooked quinoa and seasonings. Finally add salt and pepper to taste.

Toasted almonds

When a nut is blanched, the skin is removed from the nut. Raw almonds are usually coated with a reddish-brown skin around the nut and when that skin is left on the nut.

It’s easy to toast wholesome almonds without using any oil. Add almonds to a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add a little garlic salt or spices of choice and stir constantly until the nuts start to brown. It takes 5-7 minutes. However, don’t walk away from the pan and keep stirring, or the nuts will burn.

Serve the toasted almonds on top of the quinoa pilaf.

Recipe FAQs

advice

• Store leftover quinoa pilaf in a sealed container. It will stay fresh for 5-7 days in the fridge. If the meat is mixed, use it within 4 days.
• Quinoa pilaf freezes beautifully! Seal it in a freezer-safe container and store it for up to 6 months. Thaw completely before reheating.
• I use a vegetable chopper Quickly cut my vegetables, the same size.
• If you need help cooking quinoa, follow the instructions in How to Cook Quinoa.
• Use vegetable broth instead of water when cooking quinoa to add extra flavor to quinoa.

Change up your pilaf by using quinoa instead of rice in this easy quinoa pilaf recipe. Serve quinoa pilaf as a side dish or main course and eat it hot or cold. You will love it!

If you like this quinoa pilaf recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We want to hear from you!

📖 Recipe

Quinoa Pilaf

Cathy Carmichael

As a side dish, entree or salad, quinoa pilaf A unique dish full of vegetables. Nutrient-dense and gluten-free, this quinoa pilaf recipe is ready in less than 20 minutes!

Q. Time 10 minutes

cooking time 15 minutes

course Entrees, side dishes

cuisine US

serving 6

calories 61 kcal

instructions

• Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a bowl.

• Bring the pot to a boil, cover and reduce the heat.

• Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat and leave covered.

• Meanwhile, fry the onion in a large pan until translucent.

• Add mushrooms and cook until browned. If the mushrooms stick to the bottom of the pan, use a little vegetable stock or water to loosen them.

• Add zucchini and red bell pepper. Stir in the mushroom and onion mixture – cook for a few minutes.

• Now add spinach and tomatoes. Stirring into hot vegetables will dry out the spinach.

• Add spices. Stir.

• Remove the cover from the quinoa pan. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and add to the vegetable mixture.

• Stir to combine.

Toasted almonds

• In a small skillet over medium-low heat, add the blanched almonds to the pan.

• Serve the toasted almonds on top of the quinoa pilaf.

Comment

• Use vegetable broth instead of water when cooking quinoa to add flavor.
• Store leftover quinoa pilaf in a sealed container. It will stay fresh for 5-7 days in the fridge. If the meat is mixed, use it within 4 days.
• I use a vegetable chopper My vegetables are quickly cut to the same size.
• If you struggle with cooking quinoa, follow the instructions in How to Cook Quinoa.
• Use vegetable broth instead of water when cooking quinoa to add flavor.
• Quinoa pilaf freezes beautifully! Seal it in a freezer-safe container and store it for up to 6 months. Thaw completely before reheating.
• I like ½ cup Super Cub Containers for frozen quinoa pilaf, soups and other side dishes.

nutrition

Worship: 6gCalories: 61kcalSugars: 11gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fats: 0.5gMonounsaturated fats: 0.2gSodium: 315mgPotassium: 143mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 381IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

Oh! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher and vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is completely plant-based vegan. I truly believe that what we eat and how we live determines our health and the preservation of our planet! 🙂