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This Healthy Quinoa Veggie Bowl is the perfect wholesome lunch or dinner bowl. Fluffy quinoa simmered with hearty mushrooms, aromatic leeks, and then served with a hearty side of roasted vegetables. It’s the perfect recipe for seasonable produce any time of year.
Table of contents
Quinoa has been a popular super food for several years now, but for good reason! It’s not only packed with nutrition, but hearty and versatile. In addition to using it in these veggie bowls, it can also be used to make a breakfast bowl, tater tots, stuffed peppers, chili, even burritos!
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Quinoa Veggie Bowl
- Perfect for the beginner cook. Learning how to cook a pot of quinoa from scratch is much easier and full-proof than it seems. If you’re a new chef or new to cooking plant-based recipes, this quinoa bowl is the perfect easy recipe.
- Ideal for healthy lunches. Make yourself lunch bowls for the entire week in just 35 minutes! Simply cook and divide into individual lunch containers that are easy to grab on the go.
- Very customizable. Just like this Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl and this Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Lime, this harvest bowl can be made with practically any veggies of choice.
The Ingredients
Quinoa Medley
- Leeks: Use fresh leeks (and reserve additional leeks for the roasted veggies!).
- Mushrooms: Any type of mushrooms will work. I used cremini, but you can also use portobello, baby bella, shiitake, or white button mushrooms for a milder flavor.
- Quinoa: I typically use white, red, or tri-color quinoa. Black quinoa will work, but is more difficult to find.
- Spices: This quinoa bowl is simply spiced with paprika, turmeric, and black pepper.
- Balsamic vinegar: A drizzle of balsamic vinegar adds depth of flavor and bold sweetness. Use additional balsamic vinegar drizzled on top of the final dish!
Roasted Veggies
- Beets: Use a large, thinly sliced red beet or golden beet. Pickled Beets would also be great.
- Asparagus: This recipe uses fresh asparagus, but can be a great recipe to make when repurposing Sautéed Asparagus.
- Leeks: Freshly sautéed leeks add a sweet and mild onion flavor.
Veggie Substitutions
This quinoa veggie bowl can be made with virtually any veggies of choice. Here are a few additional roasted vegetables to consider adding:
- Sweet potatoes
- Brussels sprouts
- Red peppers or green peppers
- Roasted cherry tomatoes
- Fresh spinach or other leafy greens
- Fresh herbs
Additional Add-ins
- Add a crunch: Try adding slivered almonds, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds.
- Add vegan cheese: Vegan feta cheese would be delicious! And if you like vegan cheese, make sure to try this Cheesy Quinoa Bowl.
- Drizzle with dressing: Change up the flavor with this Easy Miso Tahini Dressing or this Basil Salad Dressing.
How to Make This Healthy Quinoa Veggie Bowl
- 1) In a medium-sized pot, heat a tablespoon of oil until warmed through. Add the chopped leeks and sauté until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more.
- 2) Next, add the quinoa and water and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is fluffy and the water has been absorbed.
- 3) While the quinoa simmers, prepare the additional veggies. In a cast iron skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil. Once warm, add your beet slices. Sprinkle them with sea salt and let cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until tender. Once cooked, transfer the beets to a plate and set aside.
- 4) Next, snap the bottom 2-3″ off of the asparagus stalks and discard. Add the asparagus tops to the skillet and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover the pan, and let cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bright green and tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- 5) Lastly, sauté additional leeks with a sprinkle of sea salt, cover, and let cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bright and fragrant.
- 6) Once the quinoa is fluffy, season with balsamic vinegar, sea salt, paprika, turmeric, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then serve immediately while warm with the pan-seared veggies. Drizzle with extra balsamic vinegar, if desired and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Can the quinoa be cooked ahead of time?
Yes, the quinoa can be cooked ahead of time and is a great recipe for a healthy meal prep. Cook a full batch of the quinoa and mushrooms mixture, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve with your favorite veggies.
What protein sources can I add to a quinoa veggie bowl?
Quinoa is naturally a complete protein and contains all of the essential amino acids. If you’d like to add extra protein, add this Quick, Crispy Pan-Fried Tofu, Crispy Breaded Tofu Sticks, or add Instant Pot Pinto Beans or black beans. You can also serve with a protein side such as this Grilled Tofu Steak recipe or these Vegan Kabobs!
How do I store leftovers of a quinoa bowl?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Before covering and storing, allow the quinoa and veggies to cool completely to room temperature.
Top Recipe Tips
- Rinse the quinoa before cooking. If you’ve read my Guide to Quinoa, you may already know this tip. But if you’ve tried cooking quinoa before and found it bitter, it’s possible the saponins on the quinoa wasn’t fully removed before cooking. To help, make sure to wash the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer until it’s no longer foaming. This is a sign that the saponins have been removed!
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Once the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid and the grains are tender, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for a few minutes. Then, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains.
- Avoid opening the lid as the quinoa cooks. This will allow the steam to escape and can disrupt the cooking process.
More Healthy Quinoa Recipes
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Southwest Quinoa Salad
- Vegan Lemon-Garlic Mediterranean Quinoa
- Quinoa Tater Tots
- Cozy Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Healthy Quinoa Veggie Bowl Recipe
This Healthy Quinoa Veggie Bowl is the perfect wholesome lunch or dinner bowl. Fluffy quinoa simmered with hearty mushrooms, aromatic leeks, and then served with a hearty side of roasted vegetables. It's the perfect recipe for seasonable produce any time of year.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of chopped leek
- 2 crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup of quinoa (white or red)
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric
- Black pepper to taste
Roasted Veggies:
- 1 large beet, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon of med-high heat oil (canola, grape seed, avocado, etc)
- ½ pound of asparagus ends trimmed
- 1 leek, sliced crosswise into ½' rounds
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, saute 2 tablespoons of chopped leeks in a bit of olive oil over medium heat. When browning add slices of mushroom and stir to coat. Let cook for 2 minutes more. Add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and water is absorbed.
- While quinoa is cooking, prepare your veggies. In a skillet (cast iron is great) heat a teaspoon of med-high heat oil and add your beet slices. Sprinkle them with sea salt and let them cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until starting to brown in spots and tender. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Next the asparagus. Simply break off the bottom 2-3' of asparagus (it's woody) and discard. Add the rest to the same skillet. Sprinkle with sea salt, cover, and let cook for 2-3 minutes until bright green and tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Lastly, slice your leek into ½' rounds, starting at the base and working all the way up to the bottom of the green section (save green tops in your freezer to make a vegetable broth another day). Keep the leek rings intact in their concentric circles. Place them gently in the same skillet, with a bit of med-high heat oil, sprinkle with sea salt, cover them and let them cook for 2-3 minutes until browning on the bottom and bright green and fragrant. Leave in the pan, until ready to serve.
- When quinoa is fluffy, add balsamic vinegar, sea salt, paprika, turmeric, and black pepper. Stir and serve with pan-seared veggies. Drizzle with extra balsamic vinegar if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Rinse the quinoa before cooking. If you’ve read my Guide to Quinoa, you may already know this tip. But if you’ve tried cooking quinoa before and found it bitter, it’s possible the saponins on the quinoa wasn’t fully removed before cooking. To help, make sure to wash the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer until it’s no longer foaming. This is a sign that the saponins have been removed!
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Once the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid and the grains are tender, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for a few minutes. Then, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains.
- Avoid opening the lid as the quinoa cooks. This will allow the steam to escape and can disrupt the cooking process.
Nutrition
Calories: 507kcalCarbohydrates: 83gProtein: 18gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 1319mgPotassium: 1354mgFiber: 14gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 2149IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 135mgIron: 9mg
Additional Info
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Easy to make… healthy and flavorful
Right?! So healthy and delicious!
So healthy and delicious!