Description

Learn how to cook fluffy, perfectly cooked quinoa every time with my chef’s perfected recipe below! Then, use it for dinner recipes, bowls, salads, or one of our 25 quinoa recipes above.

Ingredients

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1 shallot (or 1/4 of an onion), very thinly sliced – see notes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well, and drained (rinsing removes bitterness)
1 3/4 cups water or broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
optional: 1 teaspoon cumin
optional: 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (or use 1-2 minced garlic cloves with the shallot)
optional: 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano ( dried thyme, italian seasoning, or herbs de Provence, or similar)

Garnish:

lemon zest from one small lemon
a sprinkling of fresh herbs ( pick 1) Italian parsley, dill, basil, cilantro
optional: 2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds or pinenuts
drizzle of good olive oil- optional but good.

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Instructions

In a medium pot, over medium heat, sauté the shallot in the olive oil, until golden and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Set half aside for the garnish.
To the pot, add rinsed/drained quinoa, water, salt, cumin, granulated garlic and dried herbs, and give a good stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover well, and cook for 15 minutes. Check to see that the quinoa has soaked up all the water. If not, continue cooking 2-5 more minutes. Once you see steam holes, turn the heat off and let it sit covered 5-10 more minutes.
To serve: Fluff with a fork, place in a serving bowl and toss gently with lemon zest, taste and adjust salt, adding more as necessary.
Sprinkle with fresh herbs, remaining sauteed shallots, and optional nuts. Don’t over-mix.
Drizzle with good-quality olive oil

Notes

Quinoa will keep up to 5 days in the fridge or can be frozen.

When serving this as a side dish all on its own, I like to use two sautéed shallots, half for cooking with the quinoa, and the other half for sprinkling over the top as a garnish.

If batch cooking for the week, double the recipe and you may not need any of the garnishes.

Rinsing the quinoa is imperative. It really does help remove the bitterness.

If making a smaller batch or bigger batch, my general ratio of water to quinoa is 1 cup quinoa to 1.75 cups water.

Nutrition

Serving Size: ¾ cup
Calories: 196
Sugar: 0.5 g
Sodium: 294.8 mg
Fat: 6.3 g
Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
Carbohydrates: 29.1 g
Fiber: 3.4 g
Protein: 6.3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg