Herb and Garlic Quinoa

This easy and delicious Herb and Garlic Quinoa is the perfect side dish to accompany just about anything. What’s even better is the recipe uses pantry staples so you can throw it together whenever you are looking for an easy side dish to pair with dinner.

Herbed Quinoa Recipe

You need to keep this recipe in your back pocket because whenever you are looking for a side dish to pair with your dinner, this is the one! Nutritious and earthy, quinoa is cooked up with pantry staples to make the best flavored quinoa side dish! You have the option to either add dried herbs or fresh herbs if you have them, making this the perfect seasoned quinoa dish to make all year long.

Ingredients Needed

• Quinoa
• Oil
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Italian herb blend (or fresh herbs)

Is quinoa healthy?

Our in-house nutritionist Gabby says: Quinoa is tremendously healthy, especially for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet. Quinoa is one of the very few plant proteins that contains all nine essential amino acids that our body cannot make by itself, making it a complete protein. Not only is it a rich source of protein, it is also naturally gluten-free, safe for those with celiac disease.

There is much debate about whether quinoa is a seed or a grain. Either way it is a nutrient-dense, high-fiber substitute for things like white pasta. Quinoa is high in many vitamins and nutrients that Americans are deficient in such as magnesium, thiamin, folate, iron, potassium, calcium and phosphorus.

Do you need to rinse quinoa?

This is controversial because some people feel strongly that they prefer to not rinse quinoa. But after all of our testing we feel that this is not a step that should be skipped, even if your quinoa says “pre-rinsed”. Rinsing the quinoa gets rid of the natural powdery coating called saponin that has a strong, somewhat unpleasant flavor. To rinse it, put the quinoa in a strainer and rinse really well under cold water for 1-2 minutes. Then it’s ready to use.

If you like this side dish recipe, check out these others:

• 3-Ingredient Taco Slaw
• Easy Cucumber Salad with Lots of Herbs!
• How to Make the Best Rice Ever (Stove Top and Instant Pot)
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Herb and Garlic Quinoa

4.58 from 7 votes

This easy and delicious Garlic and Herb Quinoa is the perfect side dish to accompany just about anything. What's even better is the recipe is based off of pantry staple ingredients so you can throw it together whenever you are looking for an easy dish to pair with dinner.

Servings 3 cups

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoon oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian herb blend

Instructions

• Rinse quinoa under cold running water really well. 
• In a medium pot add all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. 
• Fluff with a fork and serve!

Notes

Check out this post, all about the different methods to cook quinoa.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Gluten-free

Author: Lexi

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