Quinoa Vegetable Pilaf (Print version)

Vibrant quinoa pilaf with roasted seasonal vegetables and aromatic herbs, ready in 45 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
02 - 2 cups vegetable broth or water

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 small zucchini, diced
05 - 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
06 - 1 small red onion, diced
07 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Aromatics & Seasonings

09 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Fresh Herbs & Finish

14 - 0.25 cup chopped fresh parsley
15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, optional
16 - Juice of 0.5 lemon

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
02 - On a large baking sheet, toss bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, red onion, and cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
03 - Roast vegetables in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden and tender.
04 - Combine rinsed quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
05 - Fluff quinoa with a fork to separate grains.
06 - In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cumin, thyme, and smoked paprika.
07 - Add cooked quinoa and roasted vegetables to the skillet. Toss gently to combine and warm through.
08 - Remove from heat. Add parsley, mint if using, and lemon juice. Toss well and adjust seasoning as needed.
09 - Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The vegetables caramelize while you're handling the quinoa, so everything finishes cooking at exactly the right moment without any stress.
  • It tastes even better the next day cold, which means you've actually got lunch sorted before you realize it.
  • Fresh herbs and lemon at the end wake everything up so it never feels heavy or one-dimensional.
02 -
  • If you skip rinsing the quinoa, the whole dish gets a slightly bitter finish that's impossible to fix, so don't skip this step even though it seems unnecessary.
  • The vegetables must roast long enough to caramelize because that's where the actual flavor lives, not in steaming them gently.
  • Adding the fresh herbs and lemon at the very end makes the difference between forgettable and genuinely delicious, so resist the urge to add them earlier.
03 -
  • Don't crowd the baking sheet when roasting vegetables because they need room to caramelize, not steam in a pile of crowded heat.
  • Taste as you go with seasoning because everyone's salt tolerance is different and it's easier to add more than to fix oversalted.
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