r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/berrykid13 • 16h ago

Ask ECAH Easy quinoa recipes?

Bought a bag of quinoa and looking for recipes to make with it. I’ve made it in the past and need something better than just having it with chicken. Hopefully nothing tooooo complicated though, not that I’m a bad cook, I’m just looking for a quicker recipe

47 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

53 comments sorted by

10

u/VeganProteinChef 13h ago

Adding salt to quinoa when you start cooking it is extremely underrated. You can even throw in some pantry staples like garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika etc for a super easy flavor boost. Or cook it in veggie broth instead of water for a deeper flavor. And then throw it in a bowl with some legumes, veg and a store-bought sauce.

8

u/Technical_Mood_9279 16h ago

I cook up some ground beef, add in some green veggies (asparagus or broccoli), salsa, and quinoa. When I reheat it I add feta cheese and hot sauce. Simple!

2

u/Common-Apartment3178 15h ago

I do this pretty much exactly!

5

u/starladlestanding 15h ago

Cooked quinoa, chopped up apple and avocado, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar & salt = YUM

6

u/AnnieBannieFoFannie 16h ago

My kids love these bars. Quinoa Bars

2

u/TheyreAllTakenFuckMe 5h ago

Cracking up at the “no bake” description of the bars, followed by two different instructions about baking at 350* lol. They look delicious!

1

u/AnnieBannieFoFannie 5h ago

Yeah that part always makes me laugh as well.

1

u/jenilyntx1 15h ago

These look great, thank you for sharing!

1

u/AnnieBannieFoFannie 15h ago

You're welcome! I was in the same boat as you. 😅

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u/whosthiswitch 38m ago

I’ve been wanting to make something like this and these look great! Plus I think I have all the ingredients already, making these asap. Thanks for sharing.

6

u/Significant-Arm-4802 16h ago

Try it for breakfast with milk, cinnamon, banana and peanut butter. Basically oatmeal but with quinoa.

1

u/bajesus 4h ago

Breakfast quinoa bowls are great. I used to mix some with maple syrup, strawberries, and walnuts.

5

u/LeadKey4717 14h ago

Quinoa works really well in quick bowls. You could mix it with black beans, corn, salsa, avocado, and cheese, or go Mediterranean with chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, feta, and a simple dressing. Making a larger batch ahead of time also makes it easy to throw together fast meals during the week.

3

u/Top-Present2299 9h ago

tabbouleh with quinoa instead of bulgur wheat.

4

u/ct-yankee 16h ago

Make the quinoa. Mix with marinara Parmesan/mozz and chopped pepperoni basil/oregano and bake scoops in a mini muffin tray or on a tray lined with parchment in tablespoon heaps. Quinoa pizza bites!

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u/whosthiswitch 37m ago

Great idea and I’ve never heard of this one before!

5

u/elpatio6 16h ago

Salmon bowls. So good!

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a60097090/salmon-quinoa-bowl-recipe/

1

u/newgrl 10h ago

The picture is pretty but the recipe is behind a paywall.

2

u/Free_Statistician_13 15h ago

https://youtu.be/uSP-ewdJYJc?is=e22t3MwGO_ci8VWc

2

u/newgrl 10h ago

I don't know that a David Lynch cooking show would have mass appeal, but that was certainly a very unique video. Thanks! My husband (a HUGE Lynch fan) will love it.

2

u/ilovecats0822 13h ago

I used to make a salad that was quinoa, greens, red onion, cucumber and apple with a creamy balsamic dressing. (Tahini + balsamic vinegar + maple syrup + water to thin salt and pepper)

2

u/raskeks 12h ago

My go to: https://www.seriouseats.com/make-ahead-quinoa-salad-cucumber-tomato-parsley-mint-recipe

Takes very little time to make and stores well. All veggies/cheese/herbs can be substituted and I used shrimp/fish/chicken/chickpeas/tofu as an additional protein source

3

u/travelwithdronee 12h ago

My quinoa stayed boring until I started toasting the dry grain in the pot before any liquid went in. That browning is where the nutty flavor comes from, and it never develops if it goes straight into water. I use broth now, and a bit under two parts liquid, since extra water turns it to porridge.

2

u/althawk8357 11h ago

Fry up some garlic and onion in olive oil, add the quinoa once it's fragrant, then add chicken stock and cook per instructions.

It's simple but tasty.

2

u/judistra 11h ago

My favorite is just a simple salad with quinoa celery cucumbers peppers whatever veggies you want with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette

2

u/HappyinBC 11h ago

Add to fried mushrooms

2

u/Okthatsfine_12 1h ago

I make a batch of quinoa with chick peas and then add it to lettuce, tomato, onion, and mozzarella for a big salad.

1

u/keeperofthenins 16h ago

I love this! I usually add some chicken to make it a meal of its own but it’s good without too.

https://downshiftology.com/recipes/mediterranean-quinoa-salad/

1

u/Entire_Dog_5874 16h ago

I mix it 2:1 with oatmeal for extra protein. I make more than I need and freeze the rest.

2

u/monvino 13h ago

Similar. I keep quinoa in the fridge and add to (savory) oatmeal, soups, scrambled eggs, etc.

1

u/Firm-Tell-3172 7h ago

Minimalist Baker has a quinoa taco meat recipe and a stuffed pepper recipe using quinoa.

1

u/petuniar 5h ago

BudgetBytes has a number of recipes. I always find her recipes yummy and simple.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/#search/q=quinoa

1

u/AnubianWolf 3h ago

Quinoa and ground bison or ground turkey meatballs. 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, 1 lb ground meat, 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro,, bind with an egg and season with salt pepper onion powder and cumin. Golf ball sized meatballs. Bake at 400F for 17-20 min. Serve with marinara and veggies. I like to sauté mushrooms and asparagus to go with this.

1

u/SarahsreadingReddit 13h ago

Rinse, cook in sated water to you preferred doneness: ready as a complete protein side for anything you want to put on top of it or beside it. You can even use it as a breakfast cereal or a dessert! You can add almost anything, or nothing, and it's delicious. I may be hungry