Quinoa is a great alternative to rice - it's lighter, and cooks in about half the time.

Quinoa Side Dish

butter

quinoa

vegetable broth

garlic

parsley

thyme

salt

onion,

lemon juice

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.


In a bowl, toss quinoa together with garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and onion. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve.


I loved this.  I used organic quinoa, so it had to be thoroughly rinsed so that it wouldn't be bitter.I sauteed the onions and garlic before toasting the quinoa, then threw it into a rice cooker with the broth and seasoning to finish. Amazingly good.

I had never heard of quinoa before yesterday. I heard mention of it on TV, so I thought I would learn more about it from the Internet. Everything that I learned pointed toward quinoa as the most nutritious grain out there, so I had to try it. I followed the direction of others and really enjoyed this dish. I began by melting the butter and sautéing the onion and garlic for two minutes. Then I added the quinoa and returned to the recipe. I chose to use chicken broth instead of vegetable and decided to add some shrimp seven minutes into the simmer. Once I got past the strange texture of this grain, I really enjoyed it. I will make this recipe again. Trust me, you don’t have to be a health nut to enjoy this recipe. (By the way, it took about 25 minutes or more for the grain to incorporate all of the liquid.)

Very good.  Made a few changes.  Cooked the onions when i was toasting the quinoa.  Also added in diced red pepper.  Before simmering I added in all the spices except the parsely.  After simmering I added in parsely and lemon juice.  But VERY good!

3 out of 6 of us are gluten intolerant.  I happened upon this recipe and it has forever changed our life!  My husband (who is not a celiac) LOVES this recipe and has requested I find as many recipes as I can about quinoa because it's so healthy.  I do sautee the onion and garlic with the quinoa and I use water and GF ckn. bouillon instead of the vegetable broth.  Love, love, love this recipe!  Thanks for the great rice alternative for my whole family.

Nice alternative to rice. Used low sodium low fat chicken broth - there was no need to add additional butter or salt to make it tasty. The texture is similiar to wild rice, which my son doesn't like so he wasn't a fan, but the rest of the family and the neighbors loved it. Will definately make again.

This recipe is excellent!  I watch the glycemic index of foods I eat, and quinoa is a low GI food (35.)  I've been looking for recipes for quinoa to include in my diet, and this was a great addition!

Difficult to find tasty quinoa recipes, but this is a good one!  I didn't have vegetable broth, so substituted chicken broth instead and omitted the onions (husband hates them).  I have made this countless times and passed the recipe on, too - always turns out delicious!

My first time trying quinoa. This dish had great flavor! I sauteed the onion and mushrooms (which I added) before browning the quinoa, and it was a good move. Update: I've tried this same recipe with bulgur and it was fabulous!

Very good, but I'm confused about the rinsing.  I've looked at other recipes that involve toasting the quinoa first and they don't mention rinsing.  I checked out a site that sells it and they say they pre-rinse so the consumer doesn't need to.  Guess it depends on the kind you buy?

This was delicious!  I halved the recipe because I 'thought' it would be just me eating this.  I too sauteed the onions (red because that was all I had on hand) and garlic before adding the quinoa.  I made this as a last minute thought...so I had to use dried parsley and didn't even have thyme on hand.  Used chicken broth and instead of lemon juice I used a couple of good shakes of a lemon seasoning blend.  When most of the broth was absorbed I just kept it covered and off the heat heat and it was a perfect combination of creamy and crunchy.  I can see the possibility of adding lots of different veggie combos...peas, carrots, etc. to make pilaf.  Very versatile.  And I should have made the full recipe because my 12 y.o. tried it, loved it, and ate most of it.  Thanks so much for sharing!  (oh yeah...I rinsed the quinoa well before adding to the butter by putting it my cone shaped mesh coffee filter and running lots of water over it...easy!)

I love this side dish.  I've made it as least 3 or 4 times now. If I don't have either fresh parsley of fresh thyme, I've used dried and barely noticed the difference.  I think it is better with fresh lemon juice, but I used bottled lemon juice when I don't have lemons on hand.  I like my onions cooked, so I cook them in the pan before I add the quinoa.  I did notice that the cook time for the quinoa seemed a little short to me. I ended up leaving it on the stove for at least 5 more minutes until it was tender and the quinoa had at least doubled in size.  Thanks for the delicious recipe!

The taste and ease of this recipe deserves 5 stars- I marked it down just because I changed it a tad, and it took a bit longer than 15 minutes to cook...  I rinsed my quinoa first, then "toasted" it with the butter, garlic &amp; onion.  It never really toasted though, probably because I had to rinse it first. I used Chicken broth and think that if you are rinsing your quinoa- 2 cups of broth is definitely too much- I will make this again with 1-1/2 cups.  I added the Thyme, Parsley, Lemon juice, salt &amp; pepper at the end and it tasted amazing!  My hubby even went back for 2nds! :)  Thank You!

I sauteed the onions and garlic before mixing them into the cooked quinoa.  I also added dried cranberries.  Soooo delicious!

My first experience with quinoa and I wanted to try it because it is suppose to be a "power" food.  I was not impressed.  It is fairly expensive and is so tiny it's hard to keep track of--measuring, cooking and eating.  This recipe did not have much flavor.   There are better things out there.

A great intro to Quinoa!  This was my first time cooking quinoa.  I used red quinoa and it worked great.  I took some external advice and soaked the quinoa in water with a TBSP of apple cider vinegar for about 15-20 minutes before rinsing it.  I also cooked the onion and garlic with the quinoa before adding the broth.  DELISH!  I will definitely be eating this stuff more often!

Simple, great side dish.  MUST rinse quinoa before toasting!

you should mention rinsing quinoa well. It has a natural insecticide that will taste bitter if not rinsed.

This was out first time trying Quinoa.  We really, really liked it.  This recipe is a very good one, and we will be eating this more often, as it is a low glycemic index food which is good for diabetics.  Thanks for this terrific recipe.

Delicious!  A great way to cook quinoa.  By the way, if you're not eating quinoa yet, you are seriuosly missing out on this delicious, healthy treat!

I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and I sauteed the garlic and onions. I didn't have fresh thyme or parsley so sprinkled a little dried. I skipped the salt. The result was very delicious, even my kids loved it!

I didn't care for this, but it could be just because I don't like quinoa - it's the first time I've tried it. I cooked the garlic and onion before mixing it in the quinoa, maybe that was the problem? I found this recipe didn't have much flavor.

This is quickly becoming my go-to side dish. It's fast, inexpensive, and healthy! Plus, it's a lot easier to make than rice, I've never messed this up.

My second quinoa experience, and this turned out very good!  I didn't have fresh parsley or thyme, so I used dried (1/3 of the amount).  I didn't add the salt, either, because my broth was salty enough.

Just made this dish and it was great!  We love quinoa.

I made this dish on Sunday night and was very impressed! I've never had Quinoa before but seen it on the Dr. OZ show (he highly recommends Quinoa) and thought I would give it a try. Found your recipe, made it and loved it.  Just saved the recipe to my box so that I never lose it. Thank you for sharing!

This is wonderful.  Quinos is a seed and not a grain.  Dr.Oz, thanks for the info.

This is very nice.  I started with the butter, and added the onions and spices along with the quinoa- sauteed for about 10 minutes.  Quinoa never did brown.  I didn't have fresh thyme so used 1 tsp of dried and a generous pinch of dried rosemary.  Then I used low sodium beef broth because that is what I had on hand.  I cooked it exactly 15 minutes then let it set for about 5, still covered but off of the heat.  I liked it then, so I added a can of sliced mushrooms.    Re: rinsing- I covered it with cold water, as I had read elsewhere, but the liquid was clear- so I just rinsed it a couple of short rinses with cold water then cooked it.  I'll try it again and probably add carrots to the sautee pan for color.

We LOVED this and will be making it again and again!  We are still pretty new to eating Quinoa and I was almost giving up on finding a good recipe when I found this beauty.  I followed the recipe and tweaked it just a bit after reference to other comments and using up veggies from the fridge. 1 c quinoa, 2 c vegetable broth (I will use 1 3/4 cups of it next time as its a bit too soft for my liking with 2 cups), 1 diced med carrot, 1/4 red pepper, 1/2 orange pepper,  1 packed cup of fresh spinach, 1 small shallot, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp dried thyme. I cooked the veggies w/garlic &amp; shallot and lightly toasted the quinoa, it really adds a nice flavor to toast it. I then added it all into rice cooker with veggie broth, lemon &amp; thyme &amp; a bit of salt. You might want to make extra just to have leftovers with this one!

This was our family's first time trying quinoa. All but our 6 year old daughter loved it. The only changes I made were instead of tossing the onions in after cooking, I sauteed them with the quinoa. I also added the herbs while simmering, and I substituted the parsley for sage, and the vegetable broth for chicken broth. It turned out wonderfully... I can imagine if I had followed the original recipe, it would have been equally as delicious, as this is as quinoa is as versatile as rice. DELISH!

It was my first time trying Quinoa.  I used Red Mill Quinoa so I did not rinse it.  I thought it sounded strange to add the ingredients at the end after cooking the quinoa so I sauted the onion and 2 cloves of garlic before browning the quinoa.  When it was simmering I tossed in the salt &amp; thyme.  Only when it was finished did I add the parsley and a quick squeeze of lemon.  (I used Turkey broth leftover from Thanksgiving).  My result was a very bland quinoa.....maybe throwing in uncooked onions and garlic as recipe states would have helped with favor? However I cannot imagine eating it with raw onions and garlic. I will not make this again, however I will continue to experiment with quinoa.

This was our first time eating Quinoa and it was amazing, I will continue to use it especially for its health benfits. The garlic explodes in your mouth and definately do not leave out the splash or more of fresh squeeze lemon juice, it gives it a tangy flavor giving it a boost. I used the dry herbs and it came it great my family wanted more. This will be our new side dish. Thanks Sal this is a great recipe

A note to all those who ask, yes you can use a rice cooker. Same proportions and everything. And a note to the Quinoa commentator, grains are seeds, just like Quinoa. I couldn't imagine not frying the onions first on this recipe, but it is a recipe that you can change however you like. I added in Pine Nuts!

Excellent!! Very, very tasty. The only think I did different was after I added the broth to the quinoa I also added the onion and garlic so it would soften up.  Just a preference.  My husband loved it!  Will be making again soon.

First time trying quinoa and I'm in love. I cut the oil in half and sautéed the onion with the quinoa, like someone suggested, then added the garlic with the broth. Making this again...

I used chicken brother because I had it on hand and no thyme because I had none. I cooked the garlic and onion with the quinoa and added the parsley and lemon at the end. Turned out great!

This was okay.  The flavors just didn't go well together. No one in my family liked this recipe.

While I liked it a lot, my family thought it too bland.  I think next time, I'll sautee the onions &amp; garlic &amp; maybe add some mushrooms.

I make Quinoa on a regular basis but some of my dishes are quite cumbersome and time consuming, so as an Easter side dish where I needed a large portion I though this recipe would fit the bill  Conceptually, it's great.  Veges, Quinoa, seasoning.  But there's just something about the combination that doesn't work.  I followed the recipe to a T, only adding some finely chopped red bell pepper for color, but it was a flop.  The bites tasted good but there was an after taste that was terrible.  I think it was the thyme, though it's odd because I generally like time.  Can't pinpoint it but put it this way, no one could get enough of my other dishes and this one was left with barely a dent taken out (by regular quinoa eaters)

As others I sauteed onions, garlic and mushrooms and also added prawns.  Instead of 1 Tablespoon of butter, I used one teaspoon of olive oil to make it a bit healthier... Delish and a definite keeper in our household.

My husband and I both enjoyed this.  I stir fried the onions and garlic and some sweet bell pepper along with the quinoa.  I used chicken stock instead of vegetable stock the cause that was what we had in the house and omitted the lemon juice.  My only difficulty was that it required considerably more cooking time than the recipe stated.  I checked it after 15 minutes and found that the water was only 2/3 absorbed and the grain was too crunchy for my taste.  I simmered it another 10 minutes and it tasted good, but there was still considerable water in the bottom of the pan.  As it happened, I let it sit covered for another 20 minutes before it was time to serve.  After all that sitting, the water was all absorbed and it was delicious.

I followed the recipe to the T and it was delicious. Light and nutty flavored and good.

This is a great recipe.  The flavors meld very well together.  I didn't saute my garlic and onion first and glad I didn't.  The onion gave the dish a mild crunch.  The heat from the hot quinoa cooks the garlic and onion anyway.  The combination of textures is what makes this recipe great.  I did however make this with no-chik stock (vegetarian) and also put lemon zest instead of lemon juice.  The zest gave it a nice look and also the freshness that lemon is used for.  I will make this over and over again.

Simple and tasty. Will make again. Definitely lots of lemon.

This was so good!  I never thought of cooking the quinoa in chicken broth.  The only thing I might do differently next time is saute the onions before adding them.  I will definitely make this again!

Like others, this was my first time trying quinoa.  The bag said it was prewashed, so I didn't rinse it.  Maybe I should have and it wouldn't have tasted so bitter to me.  Or maybe I just don't like quinoa.

This was my first time making quinoa. It was very good. I added jalpeno pepper along with the onions. Very good

We really enjoyed this simple and healthy side dish!

I love this dish!  Only difference I made was using dried herbs instead of fresh and putting everything in while cooking the quinoa instead of at the end.

Fantastic!  I sauteed the garlic and onions, removed from pan, then browned the quinoa.  The thought of raw onion and garlic were not appealing.  I used ckn broth so no salt was needed.  Can't wait to try this same recipe with buckwheat groat or spelt.

This was delicious!  I've been disappointed with other quinoa recipes, and I thought this one would turn out similarly, but boy was I wrong.  I didn't have vegetable broth so I used water instead, and it still turned out amazing.  Ate this with "Zucchini with Pecans" from this site and it was fantastic.  I will definitely be making this again!

very good!  I sauteed the onion and garlic in the butter first for digestibility and then put in the quinoa and water.

I sauteed the onions in butter first, then added the quinoa to toast, followed by chicken broth (didn't have vegetable).  Tasted wonderful, but added strained/diced tomatoes for an extra kick.  YUM--kids even liked it!!  Excellent recipe Sal, thank you!!

Delicious!! My 12 year old loved it, too!

I wanted a little more excitement from this recipe, so I made some changes and it came out really well: I used olive oil instead of butter.  1 cup broth, 1 cup water.  Skipped the parsley cuz I hate parsley.  I add about a 1tsp curry power to the liquid before it boils.  Then add about a 1/3 of a cup frozen peas with about 5min left to cook.

I loved this recipe but I found the thyme a little overpowering.  I followed other reviews to saute the onions at the beginning and I added some orange pepper to the onions.  I tasted it to see whether it was done and loved the flavour.  Once I added the thyme, garlic and parsley and tasted again though, it wasn't as good.  I will definately make again but leave out the thyme.

A great quinoa side that would complement many different main dishes. I used dried spices (on hand) and added them when it was simmering. The kids ate it without complaining, which is rare with quinoa.

My first time making and eating quinoa. I took it to a family gathering. Those who tried it liked it. The dash of lemon really brightens it up. It's a keeper and so simple and quick. The only changes I made, I used chicken base and dry minced onion. :)

this is a wonderful side dish.  My husband loved it and so did I.  I will make this often.  It is not straight  carbs, but loaded with protien.  And so yummy.

This was pretty good, but it had waaaaay too much onion in it!  When I make it again, I'll use at least half the onion.  Maybe even less.  Otherwise, it was a good recipe.

I'm so glad I finally discovered Quinoa and this recipe made me love it even more.

My husband and I are not naturals in the kitchen.  However, we were able to create this delicious side dish easily!  Easy to make, a healthier side dish option, and packed with great flavor!  I think next time I make it, I will add the onions in early to brown up with the quinoa.

My first time making quinoa.  WOW!  This one is a keeper!  I used chicken broth instead of veg broth and olive oil instead of butter.  Delicious.

First time trying quinoa.  Everyone liked it.

I think thyme is too strong for this dish.  I gave it one star as is.  Will try this again without the thyme.

Wonderful recipe!  Used chicken broth instead of veggie broth b/c that's what I keep on hand, and toped with a little drizzle of olive oil before serving.  So good my husband has asked for it again!

Wow!  I made quinoa last year and didn't really like it, but I had half the box left so decided to try this recipe.  It is amazing.  I added fresh basil, and lots of diced veggies (tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, bell pepper, and zucchini).  It was a huge hit, and I'll be buying quinoa again and again just to make this recipe.

So simple.  I threw in some finely chopped carrot to simmer with the quinoa.  I do not, however, use the dash of lemon use.  Instead, I add a pinch of Emeril's BAM.  Very tasty and looks like you went through more trouble than you did to prepare this.  This is a go-to side for me, suitable for any protein or just by itself.

very tasty! Although i think the chopped onion should be minced or maybe fryed till soft before mixing with the Quinoa becuase the chrunchy onion texture over powered the soft Quinoa i thought. Otherwise, exellent flavor!

This is a delicious recipe and my whole family loved it.  I took the advice of other posters and sauteed the onion and garlic while toasting the quinoa.  It also tastes great without the lemon.  Since it's winter, I used all dry herbs and added them with the liquid.  This has gone into regular rotation at my house.  Thanks!

I just couldn't get past the weird texture and flavor of quinoa.  I'm sure this recipe is fine otherwise.  I did find it weird to put raw onions and garlic in here, so I sauted it.   I cooked mine exactly for 15 mins and it seemed done to me.  Anyway, I was also worried about the sodium content of the veggie stock along with the added salt so I used water.   All in all I'll probably give up on quinoa.

Very tasty.  I used chicken broth, by mistake actually but liked the result.  Great reheated as well.

Fabulous!! I added chopped baby bella mushrooms, red pepper, red onion, and jalapeno. Everybody loved it!

Was my first time making Quinoa - loved it!

I cooked the onion and garlic with the quinoa to add some extra flavor. There was just a flavor that was missing from this dish. When I warm it up tomorrow I'm going to try adding some cumin to it to spice it up.

I did not care for this recipe.  I followed the recipe to a 't' and this was flavorless.  All I could really taste was the broth which was not good standing just as it was.  Disappointed.  I'll try not to take it out on the quinoa.

I also sauteed the onions and garlic. Used chicken broth, dried parsley, sea salt, and mixed in a large tablespoon of apricot jam (this was a side dish with apricot and honey glazed chicken). I guess I totally changed the recipe but I'd never made quinoa before and was very excited with how well it turned out.

Good recipe.
Quinoa is a Gluten Free grain, making it a nice change from rice. Also doesn't over cook as easily as rice. It can be used in just about any recipe as a substitute grain. Try it in Tabouleh instead of bulgur wheat.

Wow!  I had never eaten quinoa before and since I am trying to eat healthier I thought I'd give this recipe a try.  I subbed olive oil for butter as a healthier choice and did add more lemon at the end just because I love lemon.  I also followed the advice of others and sautéed the onions and garlic first before adding the quinoa.  I followed the rest of the recipe and it was amazing.  Thanks Sal for such a great recipe I am hooked on quinoa now!

Actually we liked it. My picky wife even ate it.

We enjoyed this. It was the first time either of us had quinoa and I was glad I chose this recipe. It's easy to prepare and has great flavour. I will definitely make it again as it is a nice change from rice. I sauteed the garlic and onion in the butter with the quinoa as some of the other reviewers said to do as I wasn't keen on the idea of raw onion.

Our first time trying quinoa.  My four and seven years olds both LOVED it!

Fantastic!! A quinoa side that even my kids will eat!! Have tried many other recipes before and none were tasty enough or too complicated for a Monday night side. Only change was that I sauteed the garlic and onions before toasting the quinoa! Thanks!!

I thought there was far too many flavours in this and it honestly just tasted gross

My new favorite way to prepare quinoa... the veggie stock (or chicken stock) really adds a nice flavor to the quinoa. Will become my new go-to side dish.

This was a nice change from rice.  I changed the method by including the onion while toasting the quinoa.  Raw onion in the pilaf didn't appeal to me.

I just made this for dinner, and it was a hit! Super delicious. I cooked the garlic and onion (until softened) in a separate pan with olive oil, then I added salt, pepper, crushed dried thyme and rosemary to it, then when the quinoa was done cooking, I added the onion "mixture" to it and it turned out great!

Very nutty, and delicious! So very easy to make. The crunch of the onion made it very nice. I will add carrots, and celery next time. YUM.  :)

Love this! I did add the onions and garlic while browning the quinoa because I don't like raw onions. I also added some fresh basil instead of the thyme only because it was all i had on hand. Great recipe!

I was initially nervous about how this one would turn out being that it has raw onions and garlic in the dish. I thought it may have overpowered the dish. However, to my delightful surprise, it was amazing. I will be making this recipe again! Thank you for sharing!

If I were to make this again, I would sautee the onion and garlic, then add in the spices and parsley, and cook it all together with the quinoa. Adding it all in at the end didn't work well in my opinion. The raw onion and garlic were too overpowering. The recipe should direct to rinse the quinoa first (if it is unpolished, which it typically is). If you don't, this dish will be awfully bitter.

I did not care for this recipe.  And I'm considered a health food junkie.  Couldn't handle the aftertaste or texture.  IF..I ever make this again I'll have to hide the taste with more seasoning.  Perhaps stirring in hummus or salsa or pickle juice.(?)

I almost forgot: I paired this dish with the highest-rated ratatouille from this site- yummy

I've had Quinoa before but never toasted it.  What a difference!  This is definitely a side dish that is now permanent in my recipe box.  Thank you!

This was my first time making quinoa, and I can easily say that this is probably my new favorite recipe!  I added the chopped garlic to the butter and sauteed some broccoli, shiitake mushrooms and sliced carrots instead of the onion before toasting, and it came out fabulous!  I also added some black pepper and garlic powder to the broth before cooking in addition to the parsley and thyme.  This one is a keeper!

This was a really great recipe.  I didn't have thyme though, so I decided to add fresh basil instead.  It still tasted great to me!  I also added the suggested lemon juice.

My favorite way to cook quinoa.  I sauteed the onions and a bellpepper with the quinoa.  I read some complaints on the bitterness and to fix that you soak it in water for about 30 minutes

Remember to rinse Quinoa several times before cooking. Helps to eliminate the natural bitterness.It has a natural coating of saponin. I found some organic brands to be less bitter. to use as fresh sprouts soak in warm water for 35-40 minutes. Yum.

A quick, simple, sensational side dish that’s out of the ordinary.

quinoa side dish

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $7.02 /serving

Author : sal

Ingredients

Instructions

Top Similar Recipes from Across the Web

Asparagus Side Dish

Asparagus Side Dish

Cauliflower Side Dish

Zucchini Side Dish

Zucchini Side Dish

Charred Broccoli Side Dish

Broccoli-Pasta Side Dish

Korean Zucchini Side Dish

Zucchini Casserole Side Dish

Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas

Butternut Squash Side Dish

Colorful Vegetable Medley Side Dish

Sautéed Korean Cucumber Side Dish

Summer Squash Side Dish Casserole

Spinach Side Dish (Siguemchi Namul)

Mu Namul (Radish Side Dish)