Delicious and nutritious, this quinoa with spinach, tomatoes and chickpeas is an easy, healthy, plant-forward meal. It comes together in less than half hour making it a perfect weeknight meal and with minimal dishes since it is all made in one pot. I like to top this recipe with some Parmesan cheese but if you wanted to keep it vegan, you could omit it or use nutritional yeast.
What makes quinoa with spinach and tomatoes so great?
This one-pot meal is not only super flavorful, but it is easy and healthy and make with only a few simple ingredients. You start by making a simple tomato sauce and cook the quinoa in it, then add chickpeas and spinach to make it a complete meal. For an added flavor boost, top it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This recipe is great to make towards the end of the summer when tomatoes are in season. Summer tomatoes are so flavorful and juicy, giving the dish lots of flavor without adding any type of broth. Fresh tomatoes have lots of liquid so there is no need to add more, the quinoa will absorb it and then end result is a comforting, hearty, and healthy vegan stew.
What do you need to make Quinoa with Spinach and Tomatoes
Quinoa – Often considered a grain, quinoa is actually a seed that can be either red, black, or white in colour. It is a good source of fibre, protein, B vitamins, and several minerals, including copper, iron, magnesium, and manganese. When cooked, quinoa has a nutty flavour that works well with roasted vegetables, meats, and salads.
Spinach – you can use cooking spinach or baby spinach in this recipe. Baby spinach is softer and more tender but both work well. Since you add the spinach along with the quinoa to this recipe, it has enough time to soften. You could even use half a block of frozen spinach for convenience. Spinach adds some color, texture and plant-based iron to this recipe.
Tomatoes- The quinoa cooks in the tomato liquid in this recipe so you want to use ripe, juicy and flavorful ones. This dish is perfect for the end of summer when tomatoes are at their peak. Fresh tomatoes have a lot of water in them and this dish takes advantage of that as opposed to adding vegetable broth or water to cook the quinoa. Cooked tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene which is important for our health. You can easily use a can of diced tomatoes with their juices as well for an easy and convenient option. If you use fresh tomatoes, cut them into a large dice or quarter them depending on the size of the tomato. Once the tomatoes soften, the skin easily separates and I remove most of it with a fork as the texture of the skin isn’t great. The skin does add flavor though so I like to cook with it on and then remove it after.
Chickpeas – chickpeas add plant-based protein, fibre and iron to this recipe and also a bit more texture. Chickpeas have a mild flavor and adding them to stews or salads is a great way to start eating more plant-based proteins if this is something new for you. To help absorb iron from plant-based sources, it is recommended to pair them with some Vitamin C. The tomatoes in the recipe provide that Vitamin C in this recipe to help absorption.
Onions and garlic – the base of this recipe is a simple tomato sauce and like most tomato sauces, a chopped onion and some fresh garlic are sautéed in olive oil to add some aromatic flavors.
GIve this recipe a try today and let me know what you think in the comments!
Quinoa with Spinach, Tomatoes and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, or 2-2.5 cups fresh tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 can chickpeas (2 cups)
- 2 cups fresh spinach (2 big handfuls)
- Nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion is softened.
- Add the tomatoes, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the quinoa, chickpeas and spinach. Cover and simmer on low-medium until the quinoa is cooked and most of the liquid from the tomatoes is absorbed. Season with more salt and pepper to taste if needed.
- If the quinoa looks dry, add a bit of water but there should be enough tomato liquid to simmer the quinoa in.
- Serve hot, topped with some grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for a vegan option.
