Cheesy Quinoa with Lemony Herbs

Cheesy Quinoa is a light, gluten-free nutritious meal option packed with flavor or makes for a great use of leftover quinoa. This Lemon Quinoa Recipe comes together quickly as an easy side or can be a canvas for other additions to serve as a main meal.

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Are you someone who never knows what to do with leftover quinoa? I used to be so indecisive with leftover quinoa because it was often a boring leftover.

But then, this lemon quinoa recipe came to me and solved all of those problems.

This easy cheesy quinoa is a great side dish for so many meals, and a great, nutritious way to spice up your weeknight meals. Swap this in for a Wednesday night dinner side dish!

Best of all, cheesy lemon quinoa is ready in minutes and full of protein, fiber and several micronutrients.

Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and is one of few grains that have all the essential amino acids, like meat. Quinoa also offers 8 grams of protein per 1 cup.

Why You’ll Love Cheesy Quinoa

• Great for meal prep – Quinoa is such a great option for meal prep because it pairs with so many things, which is why it’s one of my main pantry staples. Quinoa with vegetables and a protein is one of my easy weeknight meals and this lemon quinoa recipe fits the bill.
• Easy use for leftover quinoa – Don’t throw our your leftover quinoa if you don’t know what to do with it. We can reuse it! I like to cook a big batch of plain quinoa and then use it as I see fit – Adding the cheese and lemon to this cheesy quinoa makes it so much more flavorful.
• Pairs well with anything – Cheesy quinoa is a wonderful side dish for nearly anything! Serve it with baked cheesy chicken breasts or air fryer turkey burgers. While it can be a great plant-based protein option, I still recommend pairing it with something else (like beans or lentils) to get sufficient protein in a meal.
• Kid-friendly – Quinoa can actually be a great food choice for kids because it takes on so many flavors and textures. This lemon herb quinoa is of my favorite quinoa recipes for toddlers because most it easily resembles a quinoa mac and cheese for kids! We also love these quinoa pizza bites.

Gather Your Ingredients

• quinoa – I buy quinoa in bulk from Costco or Thrive Market
• Greek yogurt – this helps make everything creamy and also adds some extra protein and nutrition .
• broth – Your choice! You can use chicken broth, vegetable broth or I love bone broth for extra nutrients!
• cheese – I used cheddar and mozzarella, but use whatever kind of cheese you have on hand or love!
• herbs – parsley and basil – best right from the garden.
• salt and pepper, to taste

How To Make This Easy Cheesy Quinoa Dish

While the quinoa is cooking, grate your cheese, so once the quinoa is done, you can add in your cheese and herbs. If you’re looking to make this a vegan quinoa recipe, opt for coconut milk or water (and substitute the cheese with nutritional yeast).

Making Fluffy Quinoa

Making your quinoa fluffy (rather than hard and overcooked) makes a big difference in flavor and enjoyment. Make sure you don’t overcook it.

To make this lemon and herb quinoa fluffy, I always bring the water and quinoa (normally, 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa) to a boil slowly, and then turn the heat down slowly with the top on and let the quinoa absorb the liquid and heat.

Mine took about 8-10 minutes.

What Can I Do With Leftover Cheesy Quinoa?

Leftover cooked quinoa recipes can be lifesavers! Here’s what you can do:

• Use it as a base for a buddha bowl, like this vegan buddha bowl
• Make a big salad with fruits/veggies! We love this mango and lime quinoa salad
• Throw it with other veggies into a breakfast scramble, like this sweet potato breakfast scramble
• Mix it in with another protein and veggies (like sheet pan salmon or sweet potato turkey burgers).
• Save it for a ground turkey quinoa bowl
• Mix with black beans, cumin, cheese and salsa for a Mexican inspired bowl! Warm up in a medium saucepan or throw in a casserole dish and bake in the oven and top with more cheese.

Did you know you can also make quinoa in the instant pot? Try this instant pot quinoa with vegetables if you’re curious!

Store this cheesy quinoa in the fridge after cooling in a tupperware for up to 5 days!

Servings 4

Simple Cheesy Quinoa with Lemon and Herbs

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

Cheesy Quinoa is a light, gluten-free nutritious meal option packed with flavor or makes for a great use of leftover quinoa. This Lemon Quinoa Recipe comes together quickly as an easy side or can be a canvas for other additions to serve as a main meal.

4.41 from 5 ratings

Print Pin

Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 13 minutes mins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth or bone broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup grated cheese I used cheddar
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp parsley, diced
• 1 Tbsp basil, diced

Instructions 

1. Add clove and butter to small pot over low heat.
2. Add in quinoa, chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring liquid to a boil and then turn heat down to low and cover. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes, or until quinoa is soft and fluffy and absorbs water. 
3. While quinoa is cooking, grate your cheeses.
4. Once quinoa is done cooking, add the cheese and yogurt and stir in the herbs. If desired, add extra cheese and herbs to top before plating.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Equipment

Terrasoul Superfoods White Quinoa (Organic), 4 Pounds

bone broth

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 386kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 22gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 368mgPotassium: 311mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 533IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 347mgIron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?Let us know how it was!