15 Best Quick and Healthy Quinoa Recipes - Damn Delicious (2024)

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So easy, nutritious and hearty. Best of all, they don’t even taste “healthy”!

15 Best Quick and Healthy Quinoa Recipes - Damn Delicious (1)

To compensatefor all those non-diet-friendly recipesI started posting since the start of January – particularly that lemon butter chicken and the easy creamy mushrooms – I thought it would be best to redeem myself by rounding up some of my favorite quinoa recipes. After all, life is all about balance, right?

1. Quinoa Enchilada Casserole – A lightened-up, healthy enchilada bake chockfull of quinoa, black beans and cheesy goodness. [GET THE RECIPE.]

2. Kale Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette – Perfect as a light lunch or even a meatless Monday dinner option. [GET THE RECIPE.]

3.Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers – These stuffed bell peppers will provide the nutrition that you need for a healthy, balanced meal. [GET THE RECIPE.]

4.Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa – Start your day off right with this protein-packed breakfast bowl. [GET THE RECIPE.]

5. Roasted Shrimp Quinoa Spring Rolls – Quinoa is a wonderful protein-packed substitute for rice noodles in these easy peasy spring rolls. [GET THE RECIPE.]

6. Whole Food’s California Quinoa Salad – A healthy, nutritious copycat recipe that tastes 1000x better than the store-bought version. [GET THE RECIPE.]

7. Garlic Mushroom Quinoa – An easy, healthy side dish that you’ll want to make with every single meal. [GET THE RECIPE.]

8.Strawberry Quinoa Salad – A healthy, filling salad tossed in a sweet and tangy balsamic vinaigrette, creating the perfect blend of flavors. [GET THE RECIPE.]

9. Quinoa Chicken Parmesan – With an amazingly crisp quinoa crust, you’ll never guess that this is actually so healthy and packed with tons of protein. [GET THE RECIPE.]

10. Black Bean Quinoa Salad – A light and refreshingsalad tossed in an orange vinaigrette, loaded with plenty of fiber. [GET THE RECIPE.]

11. Asian Quinoa Meatballs – Perfect as a light dinner over brown rice and a side of roasted vegetables.[GET THE RECIPE.]

12. Quinoa Fruit Salad – This protein-packed salad is balanced with a tart vinaigrette and refreshing mint. [GET THE RECIPE.]

13. Broccoli Quinoa Casserole – Healthy, cheesy comfort food without any of the guilt. [GET THE RECIPE.]

14. Asian Quinoa Salad – A quick and easy healthy salad dressed in sweet and tangy Asian flavors, loaded with tons of vibrant veggies. [GET THE RECIPE.]

15. One Pan Mexican Quinoa -Wonderfully light, healthy and nutritious. And it’s so easy to make – even the quinoa is cooked right in the pan. [GET THE RECIPE.]

posted on January 14, 2015under round up
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19 comments
  1. Chi Laigo Vallido February 29, 2020 @ 12:35 PM Reply

    Your quinoa recipes are so yummy. It has been difficult making a switch from eating rice. Asians without rice? What’s up with that right? But my lab results showed that I am pre-diabetic so I need to make changes while I still have time to reverse my condition. Thank you for this. I will now be a regular follower.

  2. MaryAnn Kazmierczak January 12, 2018 @ 3:48 PM Reply

    Would love to see nutritional values of your recipes.

    • Chungah January 12, 2018 @ 3:49 PM Reply

      Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps, MaryAnn!

  3. Susanne January 12, 2018 @ 12:45 PM Reply

    Wow, what a bunch of great recipes! Thanks, Chungah. I really like quinoa & make it a lot — but never even *thought* of putting it in spring rolls or using it as “breading”! I’ll be making the quinoa garlic mushroom dish for supper tonight because I have a bunch of mushrooms I want to use up. My usual “go to” for quinoa is either a cold salad or a hot veggie dish, both made the same way: I dice raw carrot, celery, bell pepper & green onion and toss them into cooked quinoa. Add some lightly steamed broccoli, olives, feta and/or blue cheese. In the summer, I sprinkle that with some balsamic & olive oil & eat. In winter, I toss it all into the microwave & nuke it for a minute or two & eat it hot, sometimes adding cooked peas, corn and/or black beans. Delicious either way. And I always toss a spoonful or two (uncooked) into my ancient grains’n’seeds porridge. Good, and good for you — how can you not love it?

  4. Amanda September 5, 2017 @ 7:51 AM Reply

    The one pan Mexican quinoa is my new go to dish. Everyone who’s tried it has asked for the recipe so I’ve sent them to your website. It is so easy and so delicious!

  5. Taylor (Utah Health) July 30, 2017 @ 7:11 PM Reply

    I tried the Kale salad with Lemon dressing and it’s fantastic! I’ll try the Blueberry Quinoa breakfast bowl next, and I can’t wait! Thanks so much for the recipes.

  6. Nicole G March 2, 2017 @ 3:17 PM Reply

    OK, so this week I made the one pan mexican quinoa…OH.MY.GOD!! I hardly have words. My husband and I just kept looking at each other. I could eat that every day for the rest of my life – no joke!
    Tonight I made the Cheesy broccoli casserole, and again it was another hit! We were eating salads for dinner and if I eat another salad, I’ll upchuck. These are delicious, healthy and easy.
    Thank you so, so much!

  7. Abigail Murdock May 19, 2016 @ 8:50 PM Reply

    Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa sounds my type, healthy and yummy, thanks Chungah for sharing your 15 best recipes for quinoa.

  8. Mary M. Martinez March 16, 2016 @ 8:09 AM Reply

    LOVE this post! And your pictures are beautiful!

  9. Chelsea Love February 24, 2016 @ 9:38 AM Reply

    I purchased quinoa on a whim a few months ago but have been unable to find any toddler/boyfriend-friendly recipes until this list. Thanks for putting it all together!

  10. Rebecca January 17, 2015 @ 2:12 PM Reply

    These look great! I’ve had a hard time finding a variety of good quinoa recipes. So many yummy options here!

  11. Simple Green Moms January 16, 2015 @ 10:23 AM Reply

    I have always been more of a rice kinda gal, BUT some of these recipes just changed my mind! =) PINNED. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Chels January 16, 2015 @ 9:35 AM Reply

    Mmm, I love quinoa and am always looking for more ways to use it. Pinned!

    • Tina Coulombe January 12, 2018 @ 1:01 PM Reply

      I have never tried quinoa Could give me some ideal what its like Thank you

  13. Jules @ WolfItDown January 15, 2015 @ 2:28 PM Reply

    Mmm I love the flavour of quinoa, and these are all such great recipes! I would never have thought to use them in spring rolls – clever 😀 Thanks for the round-up, I’ll be sure to stock up on quinoa 😀 x

  14. Abigail January 15, 2015 @ 10:10 AM Reply

    Nom nom nom!! These look amazing

    Do you think I use botched soggy quinoa for any of these recipes and if not could you provide ideas on what I could do with it, because of my new years resolutions is not to waste food so it will be used for something even if I have to make a foot scrub out of it lol? I was going to make some fried quinoa and some barbeque chicken quinoa and I ruined two cups of dried quinoa. I’d never cooked that large an amount before, I should have stuck to making each batch separately like I had in the past lol. I did use one cup in a broccoli and cheese casserole so I chuckled a bit when I saw that recipe.

    • Chungah January 15, 2015 @ 10:18 AM Reply

      Unfortunately, I don’t have much experience using “botched soggy quinoa” before in any of my recipes! Although this quinoa veggie fried rice might be worth trying out – you’ll be adding in a ton of other veggies so it may balance out the botched quinoa!

    • kelsey August 17, 2016 @ 9:57 PM Reply

      If you over cook your quinoa chop up some herbs and jalapenos mix in some egg and panko and turn them into patties…you can freeze them and store for a later time

  15. Olivia - Primavera Kitchen January 15, 2015 @ 4:41 AM Reply

    Wow so many delicious quinoa recipes in here!

15 Best Quick and Healthy Quinoa Recipes - Damn Delicious (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to quinoa to make it tastier? ›

Serving suggestions: I love to stir a drizzle of olive oil and clove of garlic into warm quinoa for extra flavor. Other options include chopped fresh spinach or arugula, or massaged kale. Fresh herbs and/or dried spices are nice, as well as grated or crumbled cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, pitted and sliced olives, etc.

How to make restaurant quality quinoa? ›

Once you've measured both, follow these easy steps:
  1. Combine the quinoa and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes more.
  3. Then, remove the lid and fluff with a fork!

Why do I feel better after eating quinoa? ›

Quinoa is a nutritious choice for people looking for plant-based protein sources—it's a complete protein, containing all nine of the essential amino acids. Plus, its dietary fiber may help improve your digestion. Likewise, its fiber and protein content can help make you feel more satiated than other grains.

What makes quinoa better? ›

Higher in fiber than many grains

Another important benefit of quinoa is its high fiber content. A 1-cup (185-gram) serving of cooked quinoa contains 5.18 grams of fiber. That's about 18% of the current 28-gram DV ( 4 ). Quinoa contains more fiber than several other popular grains, like brown rice.

What happens if you don't rinse quinoa? ›

It wasn't a huge difference in texture, but definitely noticeable. Rinsing quinoa definitely starts to hydrate the seeds. Flavor – In terms of flavor, the unrinsed quinoa definitely had a nuttier, earthier flavor, but I didn't find it bitter at all. The rinsed quinoa was definitely milder and the flavors more muted.

Why do you soak quinoa in vinegar? ›

For people who still find quinoa difficult to digest, soaking your quinoa can help release the phytic acid (which binds to certain vitamins and minerals and keeps us from absorbing them) and activating phytase, the enzyme that helps us digest them. What you'll need: Quinoa. Lemon juice or white or apple cider vinegar.

Why should you soak quinoa before cooking? ›

*Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time. To soak: Rinse quinoa thoroughly then add to a large mixing bowl or pot and cover with twice the amount of lukewarm water (2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa).

Is quinoa good for you to Lose Weight? ›

Compared to other popular carbs, such as corn or rice, quinoa has more protein and fiber. These nutrients can help you lose weight and are critical for weight loss and weight maintenance. Quinoa has a lower GI score and is expected to have less impact on your blood sugars than other similar carbs.

What to eat with quinoa? ›

Quinoa's got the carbs covered, so you'll likely want to add some additional protein (eggs, lentils, beans, tofu, chicken), a fat (olive oil, nuts, butter, cheese), and, ideally, some kind of fruit or vegetable (broccoli, berries, squash, spinach).

Why is quinoa so expensive? ›

While the cost of planting and sowing quinoa is not that expensive, the bulk of the cost for good quality quinoa goes into removing saponin, which is a toxic layer that protects the grain and gives it a very bitter taste.

How do you activate quinoa? ›

Activate the quinoa by soaking overnight in cold water. The next day, drain and rinse the quinoa through a fine sieve (the grains are so small that they will wash through a coarse one).

Which color quinoa tastes best? ›

White, red, or black? They're pretty much all the same nutritionally—so go with what tastes best to you, says Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, owner of Nutrition Starring You, LCC. White quinoa is the least bitter of the three, while red and black have a chewier texture that holds up better in cold dishes like salads.

Is quinoa better for breakfast or dinner? ›

Yes, quinoa is a great choice for breakfast as it provides a good amount of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals to start your day. Try using a quinoa recipe for porridge or adding cooked quinoa to your favourite smoothie recipe for a nutrient-packed breakfast.

What is best to eat with quinoa? ›

Quinoa's got the carbs covered, so you'll likely want to add some additional protein (eggs, lentils, beans, tofu, chicken), a fat (olive oil, nuts, butter, cheese), and, ideally, some kind of fruit or vegetable (broccoli, berries, squash, spinach).

Is quinoa meant to be eaten hot or cold? ›

Whilst quinoa may well be considered on-trend, it is still far too often underestimated. Quinoa can be used for everything from a complete hot dish to a quick cold recipe! As a pioneer of the sacred seed, Priméal reveals all the grain's secrets for a healthier diet.

How do you get the bitter taste out of cooked quinoa? ›

Saponin is also what tastes bitter: rinse away the saponin means rinsing away the bitterness. Clear-running water is an indication that the saponin coating each grain has been fully rinsed away. You can also taste a raw grain or two to make sure you've reached a zero-level bitterness.

Should I toast or rinse quinoa? ›

Toasting brings out the oils and rich nuttiness of grains, lending depth of flavor to a variety of dishes. 1. Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse under running water until the water runs clear, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the quinoa into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.

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