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Here are the best quinoa bowl recipes to make eating healthy a breeze! This tasty whole grain is perfect for easy lunch and dinner recipes.

Quinoa Bowl
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Looking for healthy, easy lunch and dinner recipes? Try a quinoa bowl! A quinoa bowl has a lose definition: it can really have anything inside, as long as one of the ingredients is quinoa! But it’s a great way to eat plant based meals with lots of vegetables and quinoa as a filling protein.

The best quinoa bowls are the ones that have a loose theme, and are filled with color and texture contrasts. Like a Mediterranean bowl with chickpeas and a tangy tahini sauce, or a bibimbap bowl with gochujang sauce and a fried egg. Anything is better with quinoa, right? We think you’ll love these different ways to eat this filling whole grain.

And now…our best quinoa bowl recipes!

How to make quinoa: 2 ways!

Here at A Couple Cooks, we have two go-to methods for how to make quinoa. Here are links to both:

  • How to Cook Quinoa Here’s our master recipe for how to make quinoa: complete with a video of us making perfect quinoa in our kitchen!
  • Instant Pot Quinoa (Pressure Cooker) Did you know you can cook quinoa in a pressure cooker? The Instant Pot method works every time, and it’s a convenient hands off method.

Quinoa nutrition

And finally: what’s the nutritional breakdown for quinoa? This superfood is loaded with nutritional benefits and is part of a healthy diet. Here’s a breakdown (data source: Quinoa Nutrition):

  • Quinoa is a plant-based protein powerhouse. 1 cup quinoa has 8 grams protein or about 16% of your daily value.
  • It’s loaded with fiber. 1 cup quinoa has 5 grams fiber, or about 20% your daily need.
  • Quinoa is a good source of antioxidants and minerals. It provides more magnesium, iron, and zinc than many common grains.

How does quinoa stack up against rice? See Quinoa vs Rice: Which is Better?

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Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls

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This Mediterranean quinoa bowls recipe is a fast weeknight dinner! It features this filling whole grain with chickpeas and a creamy tahini sauce.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: !0 minutese
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

Scale

For the quinoa

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

For the chickpeas

  • 15-ounce can chickpeas 
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the bowl

  • 1 recipe Best Tahini Sauce
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 8 cups salad greens

Instructions

  1. Make the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa using a fine mesh strainer, then drain completely. Place it in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer where the water is just bubbling for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the water has been completely absorbed. (Check by pulling back the quinoa with a fork to see if water remains.) Turn off the heat and let sit with the lid on to steam for 5 minutes, then fluff the quinoa with a fork. When done, stir in the olive oil, kosher salt, and chopped parsley. Taste and add additional salt as necessary.
  2. Make the chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a medium bowl, stir them together with the olive oil, cumin, and kosher salt.
  3. Make the dressing: Make to Best Tahini Sauce
  4. Assemble the bowls: Peel and chop the cucumber. Slice the tomatoes in half. In a large shallow bowl, place the greens, then top with quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, and tomatoes. Drizzle with tahini dressing (about 2 tablespoons per bowl). Serve immediately. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for a few days: keep all components separate for maximum freshness.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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