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This One Pot Mediterranean Quinoa is easy, super healthy, fresh and crazy delicious too!
This One Pot Mediterranean Quinoa is light, lean and a perfect antidote for enjoying too much of the wrong kinds of food.
Life is settling back into a normal routine here at The Café after a wonderful three week visit with family in London. It's good to be back home, wonderful to sleep in our own beds, cook again in my little Carolina kitchen and catch up with family and friends.
Despite the fact that we walked a zillion miles each day in London and burned lots of energy cross-country skiing in France, both Scott and I came home with a few extra pounds.
I would say it isn't fair, but I know the truth - we enjoyed way more than a lion's share of croissants, chocolate, baguettes, pain au raisins, etc. (we are food bloggers, after all!). Consequently, the jeans are fitting a wee bit snug...
So, we're increasing our activity, limiting snacking to rabbit food (that's what Scott calls my veggie snacks) and trying to generally eat lighter, leaner and healthier. This One Pot Mediterranean Quinoa fits the bill and is a perfect antidote for the three weeks of indulging.
It's easy to make, full of fresh, healthy ingredients, keeps you satisfied for hours and is super delicious as well! That makes it a win-win-win-win for us!
Several months ago, my daughter-in-law, Lindsay kindly offered to test some of my recipe creations. I love this because it's super helpful to see how a recipe performs in another kitchen; with a different stove, oven, cookware, etc. Lindsay and Nick (our son) not only enjoy good food but are very honest critics, so I know I'll be sure to get a constructive evaluation.
I emailed Lindsay the recipe for this One Pot Mediterranean Quinoa several weeks ago and she decided to try it out one Saturday for lunch. She wasn't sure if three year old Emmy would like it and figured she'd probably need to prepare something different for her.
Lindsay texted after lunch that day:
Think we might have a little foodie in the making?
To make the salad prep super simple and quick, I use one of my favorite kitchen tools, this wonderful little chopper.
I can have all the ingredients chopped into a perfect dice in minutes!
It's inexpensive and, to me, worth it's weight in gold since it saves me a ton of time in the kitchen.
Once the veggies are chopped, this dinner comes together quickly - the quinoa is rinsed, drained and toasted (this keeps it from getting soggy - read more about how to cook perfect quinoa) for a few minutes in a large, oven-safe pan, then tomatoes, garbanzo beans, dry herbs and a scoop of pesto are added.
A slow simmer for 20 minutes comes next.
After a 10 minute rest, all the good fresh ingredients (peppers, red onion, avocado and cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado) are added along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Finishing touches? Diced Feta cheese and finely chopped fresh rosemary.
That's it - a super healthy, flavorful, one pot dinner, ready to enjoy! Add a loaf of warm crusty bread and you've got a delicious vegetarian dinner. Or serve it as a side with grilled or roasted chicken, pork, beef, seafood, etc. You could add shredded rotisserie chicken or sautéed shrimp for a heartier meal. And if you have any leftovers, this salad would make a great lunch to take to work or school.
Your jeans are probably fitting just fine. Nevertheless, put this One Pot Mediterranean Quinoa in your menu plans sometime soon. It's always good to have a few easy, healthy, quick dinner recipes up your sleeve that most everyone will love. If Emmy were at your table, she'd be sure to tell you, "It's good for the blog!". At our house, that's translated to mean it's REALLY good!
P.S. If you're not a huge fan of garbanzo beans, this recipe might change your mind. I like them in hummus but I'm not super fond of them right out of the can. They're too hard and not very flavorful to me but I love them in this dish. After being cooked with the other ingredients the beans soften and transform into melt in your mouth deliciousness. Try it, you'll see what I mean!
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 14 ½- ounce can petite diced tomatoes*
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 15 ounce can chick peas drained
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow bell pepper
- ¼ medium red onion
- 1 medium avocado peeled, cored and halved
- 1 medium English seedless cucumbers**, or three mini cucumbers
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, red, yellow or a combination, halved
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces Feta cheese**** diced or crumbled
- 1 tablespoon fresh finely chopped rosemary***
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Fill a medium size bowl about half way full of fresh water. Add the quinoa and stir or swish with your hand for about 30 seconds. Drain quinoa and allow to sit in strainer for about 10 minutes while prepping veggies.
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Dice peppers, red onion and cucumber into ¼-inch pieces. I like to use my veggie chopper for this.
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Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add drained quinoa and cook, stirring constantly until all liquid is evaporated and you begin to smell a nutty aroma, about 2-3 minutes. (Don't skip this step. This will keep your quinoa from being soggy and clumping together.)
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Add tomatoes (undrained), pesto, broth, drained chickpeas, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low (maintaining just a slight simmer). Cook for 20 minutes then remove cover and turn off heat. Cool, uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir with a fork to fluff.
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Dice avocado into ¼-inch pieces.
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Add diced peppers, red onion, avocado, cucumber and halved tomatoes to quinoa. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Stir gently to combine.
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Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Top with Feta cheese and chopped rosemary. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 6
* If you can't find or don't have petite diced, regular diced tomatoes will work just fine. Fire roasted, diced tomatoes also work well and give nice deep color.
** you could also use a regular cucumber, just scoop out the seeds before dicing
*** 2 tablespoons fresh basil also works well in place of the rosemary
**** I prefer to purchase block Feta, as I think it has better flavor and adds to the presentation, but crumbled will also work.
James King says
Hi, found this page Googling for one pan quinoa recipes and this looks really tempting! Can you tell me if this will freeze well? I like to do meal prep for the week and typically freeze meals to eat later in the week. Thanks!!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi James, I've never frozen quinoa so I can't say for sure.
Beverley says
Chris your little kitchen produces so many amazing recipes and you have encouraged me to purchase a food chopper, thank you and credit to the photographer as always xoxo
Kathy says
I made this and it was great. But the recipe does not list the little grape tomatoes. I just omitted them because I didn't buy them , and the recipe still tasted great.
Margaret Pearson says
Chris you forgot to list thr tomatoes in the recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Margaret, I think it's in there now.
Sandra says
The colors are amazing in this dish! I've yet to make the leap to quinoa but I think I'm ready.
Debra Eliotseats says
The one-pot had me here!
Wendy says
Beautiful colors and flavors! No wonder Emmy was won over by this dish! How wonderful to have this to indulge in after your European adventures!
Abby (@ No Fail Recipes) says
This looks amazing and I'm so excited to try it. I love kalamata olives so I will have to add a few at the end. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
You're very welcome Abby!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
You had me at one pot and all those Mediterranean flavors. This is just the salad I'm craving!
Vicki Bensinger says
Chris this looks fantastic and so easy and healthy. I love quinoa and it lends itself to so many dishes. Whether you add an extra protein or not it's vitamin rich and can stand perfectly on it's own. Beautiful!
Susan says
We always come home from vacation carrying a little extra 'baggage' , so to speak 🙂 This looks so light, healthy and delicious!
Chris Scheuer says
Ha Ha Susan! So true!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
I adore quinoa and veggie dishes - and this one not only sounds delightfully tasty but with that chopper, it sure would be delightfully fun to make too!
Chris Scheuer says
It really makes chopping large amounts of veggies so much easier Shashi!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
I have a friend who swears by the chopper! Haven't tried it yet, but it looks interesting. More interesting, though, is this terrific recipe. So much flavor and texture! Great color, too. My kind of dish -- thanks.
Chris Scheuer says
Scott always says it sounds like I'm beating something (or somebody!) when I get it out - but it saves so much time and gets everything I chop so uniformly sliced and diced - it's worth the noise!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
I bet this would be good for any meal of the day. The colors are wonderful! I love having taste testers that will be honest. It's so nice to have confirmation - especially for those blog-ready recipes! Have a great week Chris.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Tricia, you too!
Liz says
Welcome home! I loved seeing the snaps of your fabulous trip!! And I'm also loving this quinoa dish---I'd be happy with a big bucket of it in my fridge for my lunches this week. Seriously tasty combination!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Liz! We are very glad to be back, but our "to-do" list is a mile and a half long - yikes!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Wonderful dish and always good to have in the rotation. Feel good food and good for the jeans, too 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
It is Jennifer!
Maureen says
That's really lovely. We call them chickpeas down here and I heard on TV the other day that they have the best fibre you can eat, Don't leave them out. 🙂
I'm in love with the chopper. I'm off to Amazon.
Chris Scheuer says
You're a girl after my own heart Maureen!
cheri says
Hi Chris, this is beautiful and so full of flavor, a dish my whole family would love. Looks delicious!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your sweet comment Cheri!
Kathleen says
This looks really delicious and the perfect meal for summer. I absolutely need one of those choppers!!!!
Chris Scheuer says
You could take a lot of tools out of my kitchen Kathleen, but you'd have to fight me for this one!!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook says
I remember walking so much in London that my feet hurt! Welcome back and glad you had another fab trip! Thanks for the fab salad, too!
Chris Scheuer says
You bet Abbe! London definitely is a walkable city. So many fun streets, mews and park paths to take!
Lori says
This looks divine and I can't wait to try it. My husband is not a fan of pesto (I know-what is wrong with him?) so I am wondering is there anything I could substitute?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lori,
Honestly, I don’t think he would know there was pesto in here. It’s just an easy way to add flavor. That being said, you could add two cloves of minced garlic and a couple tablespoons of fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon of dried basil) for a similar flavor. Hope that helps!
Lori says
I made this last weekend and he loved it - pesto and all! The flavors worked so well together. Have you ever tried adding some chicken or shrimp? OMG - it was so good! I look forward to your posts each week and know I better be ready to try yet another fantastic recipe. Thank you for all you and Scott do to help us want to be better in the kitchen. You inspire me!
Monique says
DEEELICIOUS looking!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Monique!
Cheryl says
Scott's pictures of your recipes inspire me to try things I don't normally eat--case in point. Don't forgot the spiralizer for getting those jeans looser.
Cheryl says
meant "forget"
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much Cheryl! I'm already thinking about some spiralizer recipes! Can't wait to try it out!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
Glorious! What a nice thing to come home to, and those extra trip pounds were sure worth it, I'm sure 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
They're just so darn hard to lose Sue!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I love one pot meals! This looks so colourful and appetizing!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Angie, it is really delicious!