I made this for dinner last night and I am excited to share it. I have been enjoying exploring more Mediterranean recipes. However I prefer wholegrains to white, and so the idea of subbing quinoa for rissotto appeals to me- and I am glad I gave it a go. Mine is based on (but not the same as) this recipe from Not Enough Cinnamon .

I don’t think this is as difficult as making a risotto, but I did still hang around the kitchen a fair bit to stir and it definitely took a bit longer than the normal 15 minutes for quinoa to cook. However I think you could likely make it with a lid on and leave it, as well. 

This is a foundation recipe that you can make endless variations on. You can substitute the mushrooms I used last night, with: 

Prawns, shredded chicken, chopped up sausage, broad beans, leftover chopped up steak, giant beans, air-fried tofu….so many possibilities. 

I used all the parmeson and I even used butter along with the olive oil (Dave will tell you I rarely use butter but I was feeling extravagant!) but you can use substitutions for the dairy if you like, with savoury yeast flakes and just use olive oil. 

I scaled this to make 4 servings, which is perfect for Dave and I for 2 meals. 

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (uncooked)

300g of any type of mushrooms, or alternatives as above

1 tbs olive oil

2 tsp butter

2 garlic cloves

1 onion, chopped or sliced

2 1/4 cups of some sort of stock (vegetable, chicken etc)

1 small lemon or a lime juiced, and its zest

1 tbs fresh thyme 

handful of fresh parsley or chives, chopped

2 tbs of balsamic vinegar

1 tbs tamari

1/3 cup parmeson cheese

Instructions

1. In a medium skillet, saute the mushrooms in half the olive oil until cooked but not overcooked- still a bit firm. Put aside.

2. In a large pot, on a medium-high heat, toast the quinoa in the rest of the olive oil and the butter, until fragrant. Keep stirring, don’t leave the stove for this step. 

3. Add the garlic and onion and saute until softened. 

4. Turn down the heat, and add the stock cup by cup. This takes some time- let the first cup absorb before adding the 2nd cup, and let that absorb before adding the last 1/4 cup, if needed. Stir regularly and let it gently bubble away. Leave the lid off if stirring. Or put the lid on and just check on it every few minutes while you potter in the kitchen. 

5. Once the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is all cooked (no hard little balls left), add in the rest of the ingredients: the mushrooms (or alternatives), lemon juice and zest, thyme and parsley, tamari, vinegar and parmeson cheese. Stir it all in together. 

6. Taste and make any little adjustments, then serve immediately.