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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? That used to be me.

I was constantly searching for how to make quinoa taste better, especially as boring leftovers.

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

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

Ready in minutes and full of protein, fiber and several micronutrients, who wouldn’t want to add this lemony quinoa to their plate?

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. And, quinoa with vegetables is one of my easy weeknight meals. Quick meals, like this lemon and herb quinoa, are staples for us!
• 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 – and one of the ways is always to make this lemon and herb quinoa.
• 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.
• Kid friendly – While it may not come top of mind, quinoa can be a great food choice for kids. This lemon herb quinoa is of my favorite quinoa recipes for toddlers because most kids love butter and cheese (like mac and cheese). So, this is sort of like a quinoa mac and cheese for kids!

Ingredients

You just need a handful of ingredients for this lemon herb quinoa.

• quinoa – I buy quinoa in bulk from Costco or Thrive Market
• butter
• garlic
• chicken broth, vegetable broth or bone broth for extra nutrients!
• lemon juice
• grated cheese – I used cheddar, but sse whatever kind of cheese you have on hand or love!
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
• herbs – parsley and basil
• salt and pepper, to taste

How To Make Cheesy Lemon and Herb Quinoa

Add your garlic clove and butter to a small pot over low heat.

Next, you’ll add in the quinoa, chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and cover.

Let it cook for 5-10 minutes, or until quinoa is soft and fluffy and absorbs water. 

If you’ve never tried cooking quinoa in chicken broth, it’s a great way to add more flavor and spice up quinoa!

Alternatively, if you’re looking to make this a vegan quinoa recipe, opt for coconut milk (and substitute the cheese with nutritional yeast).

While the quinoa is cooking, grate your cheese, so once the quinoa is done, you can add in your cheese and herbs. Your quinoa cheese dish is almost ready!

How To Spice Up Quinoa

This is a fantastic quinoa recipe for kids because cheesy quinoa can be enjoyed by all.

I may even need to test this as a base for a quinoa casserole or lemon quinoa salad. 

Quinoa can be kind of bland on its own and I’m always wondering what can I add to quinoa for flavor.

The lemon juice here works magically because it’s subtle and not too overpowering but enough to notice a difference. 

These are my main suggestions for adding more flavor:

• chicken, vegetable, beef broth or bone broth for cooking
• coconut milk for cooking
• lemon or lemon juice
• butter
• cheese
• season with herbs and spices 

Also, making your quinoa fluffy (and not hard and lifeless) makes a big difference!

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 it down with the top on and let the quinoa absorb the heat.

Watch it though, it can burn quickly. Mine took about 10 minutes.

What Can I Do With Leftover Quinoa?

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

• Add some spices or cheese and make quinoa pizza bites!
• 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.

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

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.

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

What Kind of Cheese Should You Use For Cheesy Quinoa?

I had bought a block of sharp cheddar cheese because I love snacking on plain cheese.

Cheese is delicious in pretty much anything, so naturally, that made sense for cheesy quinoa.

Other delicious suggestions include mozzarella, parmesan, creamy goat cheese or even feta cheese.

I like to make a big batch at the beginning of the week (like 3-4 cups worth), and then just pair it with whatever protein I cook for the week.

Servings 3

Lemon Herb Cheesy Quinoa

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

Lemon Herb 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
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup grated cheese I used cheddar
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 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 cheese. 
4. Once quinoa is done cooking, add cheese and stir in herbs. If desired, add extra cheese and herbs to top. 
5. Enjoy!

Equipment

Terrasoul Superfoods White Quinoa (Organic), 4 Pounds

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 332kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 17gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 1019mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2g

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