Sometimes you just need a great tasting side like Herbed Lemon Quinoa with Spinach { Quinoa con Erbe, Limone e Spinaci} to go along with a fantastic entree such as Spicy Baked Sea Trout in Lemon Sauce. We wanted a light and healthy starch in a co-starring role certainly not upstaging the delicious entree.
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Why you'll love this recipe
The taste of this recipe is made subtle and bright by the combination of the sweet sautéed shallots, lemon, parsley, and thyme. This grain quickly absorbs the delicious juices from whatever meat and sauce you serve with it, deepening the flavor of the puffy seeds.
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are in the recipe card below.
- uncooked Quinoa -- this Quinoa seed and it has a natural coating on it called saponin, which protects it from pests, and it tastes soapy and bitter. Be sure to rinse it thoroughly.
- fresh lemon zest and lemon juice -- gives the dish a light bright taste.
- red pepper flakes -- adds to the flavor and spice.
- shallots - may also use red onion.
🗒Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Bring the chicken broth or stock to a boil in a saucepan.
- Stir in the quinoa, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and cook covered until liquid is absorbed.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet and add shallots until soft.
- Stir in zest and juice and simmer for 1 minutes.
- Add the cooked quinoa, baby spinach, thyme, parsley.
- Stir until combined.
🔪 Equipment
These are the items that you'll need to make this lemon herb quinoa and spinach recipe.
- saucepan -- this is for cooking in the broth or stock
- fine sieve -- for rinsing
- skillet -- sautéing the quinoa, spinach, lemon and herbs
- sharp knife -- chopping and slicing the vegetables and herbs
- cutting board -- a solid surface for cutting the spinach, onion, and herbs
🤔 FAQs about this recipe
Quinoa, botanically a seed and not a grain, is an excellent source of protein and is lower in carbohydrates than most grains. Another plus for it is that people who are gluten intolerant can turn to these seeds for their starch alternative.
You can make salads out of it like our Orange Quinoa Salad , stuff tomatoes and peppers with it, add it to veggie burgers, meatballs, skillet sautés, and make crispy patties out of it.
Using broth, stock, and garlic powder adds a nice savory note to grain. You can also use a bit of diced onions and minced fresh garlic. Herbs such as dried or fresh oregano adds flavor and a Mediterranean touch. Adding kosher or sea salt with quinoa. One of the biggest mistakes people make is they don't add enough seasoning.
First of all, it contains fewer calories and carbohydrates than white rice. Secondly, unlike rice, its fibers help to lower cholesterol and control blood sugar levels. Third, it reduces your blood fat levels after a meal called triglycerides. For more information, this article is excellent.
We buy this grain in big bags at Costco. Not because it is a health food, even though it is. Not because it has extra anti-oxidants because it does. We buy it in huge bags because it is so versatile and we simply like the taste and texture. Just think, you can add it to breakfast bowls, cookies, and granola.
👩🏻🍳Tips
It's easy to make quinoa taste good. All you need to do is add aromatics and vegetables you like. Try fresh garlic or rosemary or even throwing in a bay leaf or fresh herbs such as oregano, thyme, or basil into the pot with your quinoa.
Mix in some chopped onions or other vegetables and quinoa will soak up their flavors too. The easiest tip to follow is to use stock or broth as the cooking liquid.
🥫Storage
You can serve this dish hot, warm or cold. Quinoa can keep in the refrigerator from three to five days. This is an fantastic recipe to make ahead. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
📗 RELATED RECIPES
We love making quinoa recipes as a great base with spinach like this lemon quinoa. But we also enjoy it as a salad such our delicious Fennel Orange Quinoa salad.
You can even make the quinoa toasted and plain then use it as a sauce absorber as we did with our Chicken Saltimbocca.
If you like stuffed vegetables, Quinoa makes a great substitute for the pasta in this Orzo Stuffed Pepper Italian Style
🍽 SERVE WITH
Quinoa pairs well the Crispy Fried fish with the Spinach Tomato Sauté. The lemony sauce in the Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe compliments the light herby taste of this Quinoa recipe. And a tomato based sauce such as in the Baked Flounder Italian Style sauce highlights the versatility of this delicious grain.
You'll find so many scrumptious ways to serve Quinoa and you'll find yourself dreaming up more ways to serve it.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
📝 Recipe
This is a light yet flavorful quinoa dish that pairs well with fish, chicken, or pork. If you'd like to bring out the nutty flavor of quinoa, toast it after rinsing it.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Herbed Lemon Quinoa with Spinach
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups quinoa - rinsed and drained
- 2 ¾ cups chicken low-sodium broth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 medium shallots finely chopped or red onion to equal ½ cup
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 cups baby spinach sliced
- 1 teaspoon thyme fresh
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper
Instructions
- In a fine sieve rinse quinoa in cold water.
- Bring 2 ¾ cups chicken broth to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan. Stir in quinoa, salt, and pepper; reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, until liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; let sit 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with fork; keep warm.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat; add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in zest and juice and simmer for 1 minute; remove from heat. Add the quinoa, baby spinach, thyme, parsley and stir until thoroughly combined. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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Susie
DELICIOUS! Healthy, fresh and easy! Great side and leftover for lunch. Thanks, for another delicious recipe.
Marisa Franca
Thank you for your sweet comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it!! I always welcome comments.
Ciao Chow Linda
I rarely think to use quinoa, but seeing your recipes gave me an idea. I've got oranges in the fridge and quinoa too, so I think tomorrow's menu will include your salad. I'll save the spinach recipe for another time.
Marisa Franca
The orange and fennel really tasted good with the quinoa.
Simply Suzannes at Home
Hi Marisa!
I always smile when I read the comments that you leave on my posts, especially your most recent one. I hope that your family enjoys the Triple Coconut Pie as much as my husband and friends do :0)
Ok, so I don't prepare quinoa very often. I love couscous, and prepare it the same way that you prepare your quinoa side dishes.
This recipe sounds so yummy though . . . and I know that the health benefits are great.
I think I might need to pick up a bag from TJ's tomorrow, and give this recipe a try.
I've been loving asparagus lately, so I think I might need to add a little of that too :0)
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes!
I hope you're having a great week,
Suzanne
Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen
Hi Marisa, would you believe I have just started to see quinoa in the stores here, and I actually bought a bag, thanks now I know what to do with it! Sounds delicious.
Marisa Franca
You wouldn't believe all the recipes for quinoa -- even desserts. Well, they make rice pudding, right? I'm sure you'll come up with some good combinations.
Jovina Coughlin
I rarely make quinoa but mixing in spinach certainly adds an ingredient that I like and one that would give this grain lots of flavor. Your recipe looks delicious. I'll have to give it a try and see if I like quinoa better this way.
Marisa Franca
Put the flavors and veggies you like in it. We always think it needs something else in it to give it punch. Let me know if you try it.