This easy quinoa and kale recipe is perfect for a quick and healthy vegan lunch or a side dish to go with any meal! You can whip up this dish in just 1 pot in about 15 minutes. It tastes great warm or served cold as a quinoa salad!
Quinoa and Kale is…
- Super quick and easy!
- Gluten-free, vegan, and soy-free clean eating!
- Packed with healthy mushrooms, kale, and quinoa of course.
- Great for meal prep, easy weeknight meals, or packed lunches.
- Delicious warm or cold!
Quinoa just seems to go well with kale, and adding mushrooms to the mix makes the combo even more delicious. Quinoa can be a little boring on its own, but it has a delicious nutty flavor and interesting texture that you don't get from other grains.
This is one of my family's favorites! We add tofu or vegan chicken strips to make it a meal or simply serve it as a side. It keeps well in the fridge and can be served hot or cold as a quinoa kale salad, so it's perfect for meal prep too!
How do you cook quinoa?
There are plenty of recipes out there for cooking quinoa, but I find many of them to be too wet. Especially for recipes like this one where you fry the quinoa in a skillet after it has cooked, you want a light and fluffy quinoa. I cook my quinoa with a 1:1.25 ratio - so, add 1 cup of quinoa to 1 1/4 cup water or broth. This recipe from The Pioneer Woman always comes out with the dryer fluffy texture that is ideal for skillet quinoa recipes.
How can I make this recipe easier?
If you don't have the time or don't want to cook the quinoa yourself, many grocery stores sell pre-cooked quinoa in the frozen food section, usually near the frozen vegetables. Aldi sells frozen pre-cooked quinoa and kale made by Season's Choice that is delicious! Costco also sells a similar frozen quinoa and kale mix too. This will allow you to skip the quinoa and kale prep and make this in just minutes!
How to make quinoa and kale
- Pre-cook quinoa by adding 1 cup of washed quinoa to 1 1/4 cup salted water or vegetable broth. Heat until boiling, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit for another 20 minutes. (This will yield 2 cups cooked quinoa).
- Slice mushrooms and wash and chop kale into small pieces.
- Saute mushrooms in 2 tbsp of olive oil for about 3 minutes over medium heat.
- Wash and chop kale into small pieces. Rub the chopped kale with your hands until it becomes bright green and shiny.
- Toss in the kale and stir fry the kale with the mushrooms for another 2-3 minutes. (Omit this step if you are using frozen quinoa with kale already in it).
- Add the pre-cooked quinoa or a bag of frozen quinoa. (If using frozen quinoa and kale, omit the steps of cooking the quinoa and preparing the kale).
- Fry for another 5 minutes until the quinoa is fairly dry and gets slightly crispy.
Pro Tips for perfect quinoa
- Make sure to use quinoa that is light and fluffy.
- Some recipes call for a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water when cooking. This will make quinoa that is very wet. This may be good in other recipes, but not when frying quinoa.
- Some frozen quinoa gets very wet when thawed. You can thaw it first and then squeeze out the water before adding it to the skillet.
Variations
- Saute vegan chicken strips along with the mushrooms and kale for a more filling meal.
- Toss in some vegan pesto and cherry tomatoes towards the end of cooking for a burst of flavor and pretty color.
- Add crispy tofu on top for a delicious protein-packed meal.
- Top with green onions and/or toasted pine nuts for extra flavor
More easy weeknight meals
- Vegan Goulash
- Southwest Spicy Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Risotto
- Easy Vegan Stroganoff
- 15 Bean Soup
- Simple Vegan Tomato Pasta
Subscribe to my email list to get my free eBook “The Beginner’s Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples” or if you are ready to fully dive into making your own vegan cheese and other vegan staples, check out my cookbooks.
Sauteed quinoa and kale with mushrooms.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup mushrooms washed and sliced
- 1 cup kale finely chopped
- 2 cups quinoa cooked (or replace with frozen pre-cooked quinoa)
- 2 tablespoons green onions chopped (optional for garnish)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
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Pre-cook quinoa by adding 1 cup of washed quinoa to 1 1/4 cup salted water or vegetable broth. Heat until boiling, then cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit for another 20 minutes. (This will yield 2 cups cooked quinoa).
-
Slice mushrooms and wash and chop kale into small pieces.
-
Saute mushrooms in 2 tbsp of olive oil for about 3 minutes over medium heat.
-
Wash and chop kale into small pieces. Rub the chopped kale with your hands until it becomes bright green and shiny.
-
Toss in the kale and stir fry with the mushrooms for another 2-3 minutes.
-
Add the pre-cooked quinoa or a bag of frozen quinoa. (If using frozen quinoa and kale, omit the steps of cooking the quinoa and preparing the kale).
-
Fry for another 5 minutes until the quinoa is fairly dry and slightly crispy. Salt to taste.
-
Garnish with green onions and serve either hot or cold.
- Make sure to use quinoa that is light and fluffy.
- Some recipes call for a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water when cooking. This will make quinoa that is very wet. This may be good in other recipes, but not when frying.
- Some frozen quinoa gets very wet when thawed. You can thaw it first and then squeeze out the water.
Variations:
- Saute vegan chicken strips along with the mushrooms and kale for a more filling meal.
- Toss in some vegan pesto and cherry tomatoes towards the end of cooking for a burst of flavor.
- Add crispy tofu on top for a delicious protein-packed meal.
- Top with green onions and/or toasted pine nuts for extra flavor.
