Veggie Loaded Quinoa Fried “Rice.” A delicious gluten-free, vegetarian dinner full of vegetables and flavor!
I usually hate to use words in a title that aren’t even ingredients in the recipe (hence the quotes around “rice”), but simply calling this fried quinoa just sounds weird!
But yes, the idea of this dinner is that of a vegetable fried rice, but with the rice replaced with quinoa.
Did you know quinoa is one of the few plant sources of a complete protein?
A complete protein means that it provides adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids that we need.
Complete proteins deserve another conversation later I think, because we all know the number one question for vegetarians and vegans is, “how do you get your protein?”
If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that.
But for now, this quinoa fried rice.
Fried quinoa. Sorry.
Similar to buddha bowls or some salads, you can throw whatever vegetables you have on hand in here!
It’s easy to tend to go a little overboard if you’re cleaning out your fridge (which is why this is called “veggie-loaded”), but you can always add more soy sauce to cover whatever veggies are overflowing.
My personal favorites in a fried rice are broccoli, peas and carrots.
I also threw in some zucchini, bell pepper and mushrooms.
Add a few eggs in there and you’ve got yourself some dinner.
What are your favorite veggies to have with fried rice/quinoa?
Veggie Loaded Quinoa Fried Rice
Veggie Loaded Quinoa Fried "Rice." A delicious gluten-free, protein-packed vegetarian dinner full of vegetables and flavor!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (or butter), divided
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 lb. zucchini, chopped
- 12 oz. broccoli florets
- 10 oz. mushrooms (I used white button), sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup peas
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari sauce for gluten-free) more as needed to taste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional
Instructions
- In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add whisked eggs and cook until scrambled. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, until onion is translucent and carrots are soft.
- Add zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms and bell pepper and cook for about another 5 minutes, until veggies are tender.
- Stir in peas and quinoa and cook for a few more minutes until quinoa is heated through. Add in eggs and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- Top with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil (if using) and toss to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add more soy sauce to individual servings if desired.
Notes
*Can add whatever vegetables you want, and it doesn't have to be all of these! Recipe makes a lot (8-10 servings) so use less vegetables or halve the recipe if you'd prefer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 233Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 68mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 10g
Nutrition information is calculated automatically by an online tool at Nutritionix. It is not always accurate. Please use your own tools to check if you rely on this information.
