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
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 meals also make for busy weeks. 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!
You just need a handful of ingredients for this lemon herb quinoa. Use whatever kind of cheese you have on hand or love! Melted quinoa cheese is the best.
Add your 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 spice up quinoa and offers so much flavor.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to make this a vegan quinoa recipe, go 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!
This is a fantastic quinoa recipe for kids because cheesy quinoa can be enjoyed by all. I may even need to use it 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:
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. The Pioneer Woman has some other tips!
Leftover cooked quinoa recipes can be lifesavers! Here’s what you can do:
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!
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.
Like I said, this is one 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..
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.
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.
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This is great! I usually don’t do too much to my quinoa, so I will be delighted to try this!
What a great dish! I love the lemon, herbs and cheese in it. So tasty and versatile and perfect for dinner.
I havent had quinoa in a really long time..this is a good reminder to add to my grocery list 🙂
This is a fantastic way to use up left over quinoa. I really like the lemon in here. Can’t wait to try it
Yay! I’m all for different ways to dress up quinoa–this sounds super flavorful!
Great to hear all is well with the you and baby…Any day now…..You, hubby and Tater must be so excited to meet her :-).
I adore quinoa and cook quite a bit of it. Using stock instead of water is the best! Thanks for the lovely recipe, it sounds really good and so tasty. Take care and have a great weekend.
Ooooh, this looks sooo good! We love anything with quinoa!
It’s such an easy side to have on hand!
OOHHH! Yummy. I love that you added cheese to it. That’s a way to do quinoa. 🙂
Always cheeseeee
Hey Sarah!
So glad the OB visit went well. I know a few New Englanders who cannot wait to meet Baby!!
I love quinoa as well. But I recently made a batch with chicken broth and accidentally left a good portion of leftovers out of the refrigerator overnight. It killed me to throw it out, but that was probably the best move, right?
Hope you continue to feel well these last few weeks. Hang in there!!
Thank you Bridget 🙂 We are counting down the days until she arrives, and then we’ll be excited to meet two more next!
Hmm, I probably would have done the same thing. It may not have all been spoiled, but when it comes to food safety, better safe than sorry! I hate wasting food, too.
I’m often too lazy to use chicken stock to cook my grains, but there’s really no reason not to. I’m sure it would add so much wonderful flavor.
I haven’t tried it for any other grains though now I’m curious
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Hope you like it!
Cooking quinoa in chicken broth is a total game changer. This looks like such a good side dish to a meal. I’m adding it to my list of recipes to try right now.
It gives it so much more flavor – I’ve been wanting to try it in coconut milk, too