Start the year off right with this nutritious Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables that’s packed with color and flavor!
This blog post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill but all opinions expressed are my own.
One of the first posts that I ever put up on The Foodie Physician blog was an “Ingredient 911” post about quinoa. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost exactly seven years ago to the date that I put up that post! I was a culinary student at the time and quinoa was a hot new ingredient that was all the rage in the culinary world.
I was so fascinated with quinoa that I even used it in my recipe just a few months earlier when I competed at the National Beef Cook-Off in Sonoma, California. My dish was “Pomegranate Steak with Quinoa.” I distinctly recall the interviewers at the cook-off asking me more questions about the quinoa than the beef because they had never heard of it. Quinoa has certainly come a long way since then!
Quinoa is so Versatile
As a doctor and a chef, quinoa is one of my favorite ingredients to work because it not only has a stellar nutritional profile, it also has amazing culinary versatility. You can use quinoa in a wide variety of dishes, both savory and sweet. I’ve posted recipes on my site for Strawberry Almond Breakfast Quinoa, Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers, Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Strawberries and Goat Cheese, and even Spiced Apple Skyr Quinoa Cookies!
Quinoa is a superfood
Now that we’re well into the New Year, many of us have healthy eating on our minds. Quinoa is the perfect ingredient to incorporate into your diet if you’re looking to make smarter food choices and lead a healthier lifestyle. Quinoa is a real superfood for many reasons. It’s a whole grain, which means that it’s packed with fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. It’s also gluten-free and easy to digest. Plus, it’s one of the few vegetarian foods that’s a complete protein. That means it contains all of the essential amino acids. This makes quinoa an excellent option for anyone following a plant-based diet.
The @foodiephysician's Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables is the perfect gluten-free, vegetarian dish!Click To Tweet
Quinoa is easy to make
Do you ever feel rushed to get a nutritious meal on the table in the evening? The good news is that quinoa is also really easy to prepare. It only takes 15 minutes to cook! One of my tips is that I like to cook my quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock because it infuses it with great flavor.
If you haven’t cooked with quinoa a lot, a good place to start would be to substitute it into any recipe that calls for rice or couscous. You can use it in pilafs or salads or even add it to soups, stews and chili. You can use it as a filling to stuff vegetables like bell peppers or acorn squash. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, try using it in a dessert like rice pudding.
One of my favorite ways to prepare quinoa is my Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables. Roasting vegetables at a high temperature caramelizes their sugars and brings out their natural sweetness. As the vegetables roast, they brown on the outside, become buttery soft on the inside and their flavors intensify. Whenever I’m trying to get more veggies into my diet, I make several large trays of my Perfect Oven-Roasted Vegetables and store them in the fridge to snack on during the week.
How to make Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
For my Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, I roast some of my favorite vegetables like colorful carrots, zucchini, red onion, and bell peppers along with whole cloves of garlic until they become soft and sweet. Then I toss them with tri-color quinoa that I cook in vegetable stock. I love the extra color that you get from this mix of white, red, and black quinoa.
For a final pop of flavor, I tossed everything with a simple dressing made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Bright, boldly flavored, and beautiful to look at plus it’s super nutritious to boot! This dish makes an excellent vegetarian entree or side dish or can even be topped with grilled chicken or fish, if desired.
WATCH THE VIDEO TO SEE HOW EASY THIS RECIPE IS!
Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion, thickly sliced
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced
- 2 bell peppers (yellow or red), sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 6-8 whole cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided use
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place the onion, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, and garlic on a large roasting pan. Drizzle with 1½ tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle the thyme on top and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Roast in the oven until vegetables are softened and caramelized, 30-35 minutes. If using two baking sheets, rotate the pans halfway through.
- While vegetables are roasting, make the quinoa. Place the quinoa and vegetable (or chicken) stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer until cooked, 12-15 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Remove from heat and transfer quinoa to a large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl.
- Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the quinoa and vegetables and toss to combine. Serve warm or cold.
Nutrition
Click Below to Pin!
Looking for more quinoa recipes? You may like these:
Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers
The only thing better than a big bowl of roasted veggies is making it a more complete meal with quinoa!! Great way to pump up the protein and I need to go get some in the oven now!
amanda -runtothefinish recently posted…13 Easy Ways Eat More Vegetables Everyday
I love this! All those delicious roasted veggies and the beautiful tri-color quinoa. This is a meal right up my alley!!
Jenn recently posted…Easy Vegan Pesto Tortilla Pizza
Wow, that dish is gorgeous! I’ve never tried the tri-colored quinoa… and I want to dive headfirst into those roasted veggies! I bet even my kids would go for this!
Laura recently posted…How to use cut back weeks to get stronger
I love, love, love quinoa! I could easily make a meal out of your quinoa with roasted vegetables!
Taylor Kiser recently posted…50 Meal-Prep Ideas From Breakfast to Dinner
Wow Sonali – 7 years – that’s amazing!! It’s hard to believe quinoa has been the ‘hot superfood’ for so long – but I certainly can’t imagine it ever going away – especially with delicious recipes like this! Will be having this for dinner soon 🙂
hehehe, I made a slight variation to this a couple weeks ago, but in my slow cooker (and then in my rice cooker last weekend)! Your version looks amaaaazing though! I’m gonna have to try it out! <3 I love Bob's Red Mill!
What a lovely dish! I just got some of the tri-color quinoa, but haven’t made it yet. I think I see how I need to use it!
Alisa Fleming recently posted…The GoodBelly Reboot: A Dairy-Free Probiotic Challenge!
YES! I love how easy it is to cook quinoa too! It’s so much faster than rice and packs a much better nutrition punch! You can always find me tossing roasted veggies in mine too! 😉
Yum! I love roasted veggies AND quinoa 🙂 This recipe looks so fab (and so do all the other quinoa ideas you pictured/linked to!!)
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen recently posted…Simple Baked Chicken
I just love all the veggies you packed in there! It looks so good I wish I had a big plate of it in front of me for lunch!
Our favorite ‘grain’ other than rice, is quinoa. I have tried every quinoa recipe that you have put out since the beginning, except the cookies. You make it so simple to follow.
The dish looks so colorful. Thanks.
I love Quinoa! I could eat it at every meal! This recipe though! I am in love with the flavors and all the veggies!
Meg @ With Salt and Wit recently posted…Healthy Meal Plan Week #77
This looks like the perfect dinner! We love anything with quinoa or roast veggies – but together is SO much better!
Kristy from Southern In Law recently posted…Recent Things: Public Service Announcements, Discoveries and Antics
wowww. so many vegetables. I like it. Thank you for sharing.
Jio HD recently posted…Comment on How to download Jio TV app for PC (Windows XP/7/8/8.1/10 XP and Vista, Mac, Linux) by cadino
I’m amazed they didn’t know a out quinoa in Sonoma / Bay Area / California? Stanford was where I first was introduced (what is this kin -oh – ah? dish). This looks so colorful and yummy
NATALIE @ OBSESSIVE COOKING DISORDER recently posted…Almond Banana Smoothie Bowl
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Used all the veggies suggested plus cauliflower and broccoli, but only balsamic for the dressing and it was fantastic. This great recipe has been added to our “standards” folder!
This is how my perfect lunch would look like! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Abby recently posted…How Does a Smokeless Grill Work?
Just made this. Was delicious. So dank. Thanks for posting.
I love this recipe! It makes a lot. So tasty and good for you. I like it warm and room temperature. Thank you!
Excellent healthy meal!