Instant Pot Quinoa Pilaf

Name: Instant Pot Quinoa Pilaf
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil; 1 cup dry quinoa (rinsed well); 2 cups of low sodium vegetable broth or water; 1 medium red onion (finely diced); 1 red bell pepper (diced); 1 medium zucchini ; diced; 2 cups asparagus (edges trimmed and cut into little pieces); 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder; ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder; 2 Tablespoon lemon Juice; Salt and pepper (adjust to personal taste)

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Instant Pot Quinoa Pilaf is a delicious meal full of healthy nutritious ingredients. This meatless meal is high in protein and super easy to make. One of my favorite weeknight dinners for all worthy reasons.

Recipe Highlights

It takes less than 20 minutes to make this complete meal from start to finish. This quinoa recipe is Vegan, Glutenfree and Soy free Recipe. Stove top and Instant Pot Instructions are included. This vegetarian quinoa pilaf is perfect for weekday dinner, quick lunches or meal preps. It can easily be enjoyed as a side dish or as a tasty one-pot meal.

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Eat Colorful Veggies
Simple Healthy Homemade Meals
Using Seasonal Produce
Best Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf
Quinoa Pilaf in Instant Pot
Ingredients
How to Make
Storage
Serving Suggestions
📖 Recipe

Eat Colorful Veggies

Eating colorful veggies in a one pot complete meal is becoming my new obsession I must say. I also prefer to rotate the dinner preparations amongst the various grains. We like it change it up between quinoa, white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice to name a few. It makes dinners interesting to say the least. Limiting the grains and carbs is one goal of my healthy meal planning.

Simple Healthy Homemade Meals

No more boring , same old dinners when you change things up wisely. At ProfusionCurry, feeding dense nutritional meal that incorporates rainbow colors and yet delicious is what we always striving to do.

Adding Turmeric and curry powder kicks up the flavors another notch and improve the health benefits. This is one of the recipes that does exactly that.

Using Seasonal Produce

Adding seasonal veggies like Asparagus in spring and squash in fall season also is key to meal planning. Seasonal vegetables are abundant in supply and using them accordingly helps us stay true to nature in that sense. I often make a big batch of this Superfood Curried Quinoa Pilaf for dinner and the leftovers make a great lunch option too.

Best Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf

This Superfood Curried Quinoa Pilaf gives you that pungent spicy Indian flavor you crave, only with lighter, digestive-friendly ingredients. Asparagus and other colorful veggies boast a long list of health benefits including powerful antioxidants.

I have used diced red pepper and zucchini that provide a potent dose of vitamin C. Chopped onions and garlic provide range of health benefits like cholesterol reductions and anti-inflammations. The virgin, unrefined coconut oil increases digestion, and helps our bodies to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

This satisfying, vitamin-packed Superfood Curried Quinoa Pilaf offers a complete meal by itself or you can pair it with any gravy as a side dish. It's delicious enough to savor as a weekend treat, but it also takes less than 20 minutes to cook, making it an option for a hearty weekday dinner.

Quinoa Pilaf in Instant Pot

I always used to make quinoa in regular sauce pan on regular stove top. Of lately, I have been using my Instant Pot to make quinoa as well. It cooks very quickly under pressure and without much of baby sitting.

I prefer cooking quinoa in Instant Pot since I am noticing that clean up is much easier especially if there are in spills on the stove top grids (it happens trust me 😉

To ensure quinoa and veggies don't get overtly mushy, I prefer to cook them separately. It doesn't need much more time and both veggies and quinoa keep their perfect texture. So you cook veggies first , take them out and then cook quinoa . Once done, you combine both of them and your perfectly cooked dish is ready. 20 minutes from start to finish to healthy, comforting warm meal.

Let’s get cooking this Superfood Curried Quinoa Pilaf - clean eating and allergy friendly take on fusion Indian food.

Ingredients

Oil : I used coconut oil. You can skip using oil for WFPB cooking.
Quinoa : You can use red, white or mix dry quinoa rinse it well to avoid bitterness
Liquid : Use low sodium vegetable broth or water
Vegetables : I used onions, bell peppers, zucchini and asparagus. You can use which ever vegetables you like
Seasoning : For earthy mild flavors, use Curry Powder and Turmeric Powder
Other Ingredients : Salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice

How to Make

In a mesh strainer, thoroughly rinse quinoa until it rinses clear of any foaming.

Turn the IP on Sauté mode medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil. Once heated, add in your chopped onion and garlic. Sauté for few minutes stirring frequently. Once you smell fragrance of onions and garlic, add all other chopped vegetables.

Season with salt, 1 tbsp. of curry powder and 1 tsp. of turmeric, and stir to thoroughly combine. Continue to stir the veggies occasionally for about 3-5 mins till they get tender. Turn off the IP. Remove the veggies on the separate plate.

Turn the Instant Pot back on Sauté mode Medium. Coat the bottom of the main pot with a 1 tbsp. of coconut oil. Add in your rinsed quinoa and lightly ‘toast’ your quinoa until all water has evaporated. This will help quinoa from becoming mushy.

When quinoa appears to be toasted, add in 2 cups of vegetable broth (or water) . Mix well. Cancel Sauté. Close the lid. Choose MANUAL 1 Min. Vent Sealed. IP will come to pressure and finish pressure cooking. It will beep when it’s done cooking. Wait for keep warm timer for 5 minutes and then release leftover pressure. Open the lid.

Combine the cooked quinoa and sautéed veggies. Squeeze in juice of ½ a lemon. Fluff the quinoa with fork so the grains separate well.

Adjust seasonings as needed. Enjoy your delicious creation.

Storage

Store leftover quinoa pilaf in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Quinoa pilaf will freeze nicely! Seal it into freezer bags, and store it for up to 3 months.

Serving Suggestions

Quinoa pilaf pairs well with various curry recipes. You can use it as a base for buddha bowl type of lunches too.

I also like to serve it as a side to many meals including Creamy Tomato Soup, Carrot Ginger Soup and Creamy Mushroom Soup to make it filling.

Serve it as a side to Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks for vegan dinner. You can also use it as a main meal. Add a side of Air Fryer Garlic Toast , Avocado Toast or Air Fryer Naan Pizza.

We like to spice things up at dinner table by bringing in different cuisines and flavors from around the world. Be sure to check these amazing variety of recipes. We are sure you will have a rocking , healthy home made dinners every night.

Is quinoa pilaf healthy?

The use of nutrient rich quinoa provides us with a protein rich and anti-inflammatory base in the meal. You can adjust the veggies based on what's good in the season. Seasoning used is very simple but SO flavorful and earthy. Turmeric , a known anti-inflammatory superfood gives it the perfect golden hue. Curry powder gives a balanced and deep earthy flavors without making it spicy.

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