One Pot Mediterranean Quinoa Recipe
I LOVE a one pot meal! If you haven’t tried any of my one pot barley or farro recipes, you must! I know many people need to avoid gluten grains, so I thought I would make a version with quinoa. Quinoa is a light, fluffy seed that feels like a grain. It’s technically a pseudo-cereal, so many people who can’t tolerate grains, do well with quinoa. You know I’ll add vegetables anywhere I can, and this recipe is so easy and so flexible. Quinoa needs flavor boosters, so I love the olives here, as well as the dried herbs. If you dislike olives, use half the amount of capers. If you dislike capers too, add some feta or another salty cheese before serving. This is a great meal prep recipe and is awesome in school lunch boxes or to bring to the office. If you decide to swap in some stock for some or all of the water, adjust the added salt in case the stock has salt. Remember, be conservative – you can always add more salt later.
Why you’ll love this One Pot Mediterranean Quinoa
- cooks in as little as 20 minutes!
- great for school or work lunch;
- add your leftover cooked veggies or canned pantry condiments;
- little clean required since it all cooks in one-pot.
Ingredients
- Quinoa – is considered a pseudo-cereal, so it’s gluten-free. You can find quinoa is three different colors (white, red, and black). I used a mix of white and red quinoa because that’s what I had. I don’t find the need to rinse it before cooking it, but you can if you notice a difference flavor-wise.
- Garlic – I often get asked if I have a garlic press and the answer is no. I much prefer to use a microplane to mince garlic because it’s easier to clean and I can use it for other things, not just garlic.
- Tomatoes – I usually have jarred roasted tomatoes in oil (I love Divina) on hand and I like adding those here. Fresh tomatoes are great when they’re in season or even sun-dried tomatoes.
- Onion – I use a small amount of onion here so it’s not so strong. Shallots are great when you only need a little bit of onion in a recipe.
- Sweet bell pepper – you can use fresh sweet bell pepper or try a fire-roasted red pepper for a flavor boost.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – even though quinoa has protein, I like to add cooked beans for a little extra protein and fiber. I like garbanzo beans here, but you can use another cooked bean of choice.
- Olives – I love olives and I find they add a nice saltiness to this dish. Capers would also work. Hearts of palm have a brininess that may also be nice here. Another option would be to add some feta or another salty cheese before serving.
- Seasoning blend – I use a combination of garlic powder, dried thyme, crushed red pepper and dried oregano. Feel free to use an equal amount of your favorite spice blend if you have one.
- Spinach – If you know me, you know that I love adding vegetables whenever I can. I add a handful of spinach after the quinoa is fully cooked. Since the quinoa stays warm after cooking, it only takes a minute or two for the spinach to wilt at the end.
How to make one pot mediterranean quinoa
- In a medium-size pot, add in all of the ingredients, except for the spinach and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the water has absorbed. Drag a spoon across the bottom of the pot to check.
- Stir in spinach until wilted. Taste for seasoning. Garnish with herbs before serving. Serve hot, warm, room temp or cold. Will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips
- if you double the recipe, only do 1.75 times the liquid
- rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh sieve before cooking if you typically find quinoa bitter
- feel free to make substitutions. If you’re not sure what works, start by swapping likes with likes.
Substitutions
- Chickpeas – another cooked bean of choice such as pinto, white or black beans or frozen peas
- Olives – capers, hearts of palm, salty cheese like feta (for serving) or omit
Other recipe you may like
*Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill
*One Pot Farro with Cauliflower and Golden Raisins
If you give this one pot mediterranean quinoa recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes, updates and things I’m loving lately. If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class! Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!
- 1 cup quinoa (uncooked, rinsed if desired)
- 2 cups water (you can swap in some veggie stock or chicken stock)
- 1 Tablespoon unrefined olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup jarred roasted tomatoes in oil (I love Divina) or chopped fresh tomatoes or ½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped onion or 1 large shallot, chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped sweet bell pepper or fire-roasted red pepper
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas or another cooked bean of choice, such as pinto, white, or black beans
- ½ cup green olives, pitted and chopped or ¼ cup capers
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper or more if you like spicy
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Handful of fresh spinach, chopped
- Optional: fresh herbs for garnish, such as basil, chives, dill, mint, or parsley
- In a medium-size pot, add in all of the ingredients, except for the spinach and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the water has absorbed. Drag a spoon across the bottom of the pot to check.
- Stir in spinach until wilted. Taste for seasoning. Garnish with herbs before serving. Serve hot, warm, room temp or cold. Will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
6 Comments
Just finished making this dish. It is so easy, healthy and delicious and you literally use what you have on hand. Topped with feta, yum! Thank you Pamela.
Yes! Once you have the basic formula down for ratios and timing, it can go in a million directions!
Could you sub a different grain for the quinoa? My family boycotted quinoa a while back 🙁
I have a few one pot recipes similar to this. Just search one pot barley and one pot farro. They take a smidge longer to cook. You can likely do rice too. White rice would take about 20 min and brown rice closer to 45/50.
Hi,
Any other suggestions for protein other than beans? are there other proteins other than the obvious, chicken?
thank you
frozen green peas, cooked lentils; different cheeses work nicely; grated hard boiled egg; canned tuna or sardines or salmon; cooked sausage