Healthy Quinoa Stew recipe filled with all your cozy favorites like tender beef, vegetables, protein rich quinoa, and savory spices. Sprinkle with fresh dill for a flavorful comfort meal!

We also love chicken chickpea stew and Mediterranean ground turkey stew during the cooler months.

Beef  stew in Dutch oven with wooden spoon.

I grew up with grandma’s steaming bowl of stew. It is an Eastern European traditional dish that fills your house and clothes with a stew smell.

I had all intentions to make traditional beef stew with potatoes, just to find out I was out of potatoes. Quinoa stew it is and it was amazing! Originally posted in 2015, this recipe is even easier now. Updated with new photos, tips and tricks as well.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • One pot meal: Quinoa stew with beef is easy to make, ready in 1 hour, and made in one pot!
  • Gluten free: All ingredients are naturally gluten-free making this quinoa dinner recipe perfect for the entire family and guests.
  • Healthy: Beef and potatoes are often found together in many soup and stew recipes, but I loved swapping in quinoa. It adds plant-based protein, all nine essential amino acids, and fiber, keeping you full longer.
  • Flavorful: I carefully selected spices, herbs, and vegetables to make this an unforgettable healthy dinner that does not skimp on flavor. Your house will smell amazing too!

Ingredients for Beef Quinoa Stew

This quinoa stew will be your newest winter staple packed with simple ingredients, protein, and cozy flavors.

Quinoa, beef stew meat, peas, broth, cornstarch, dill, olive oil, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
  • Beef: Use any beef stew meat such as beef chuck roast or rump roast cut into 1″ cubes. Or if you’d like you can use pre-cut stew meat.
  • Garlic: Freshly minced garlic cloves add cozy flavor and aroma.
  • Vegetables: Onion, carrots, and peas. Feel free to use fresh or frozen peas.
  • Olive oil: Sautéing with extra-virgin olive oil also enhances the dish with extra flavor.
  • Cornstarch: We’ll coat the beef in cornstarch to help thicken the stew and deepen the flavor.
  • Broth: I was out of beef broth so pictured is chicken broth. Of course, low sodium beef broth would be the best.
  • Quinoa: Uncooked, rinsed, and drained quinoa. I had white quinoa but you can use whichever color you have. Note red quinoa stew will be more hearty and chewy.
  • Spices: A blend of salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
  • Fresh herbs: I stirred in some fresh dill but fresh parsley is good too.

How to Make Beef Quinoa Stew

Here’s a quick and easy overview of how to make homemade quinoa stew in one pot.

There’s a full recipe card below.

Step by step process how to saute vegetables and beef for quinoa stew.
  • Sauté vegetables: Heat a Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot on medium heat and coat it with oil. Sauté onion, garlic and carrots for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a medium bowl.
  • Sear beef: Add remaining oil to the large pot, then add beef and sprinkle with cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring a few times.
  • Add broth: Pour in broth and deglaze the pot by bringing mixture to a boil. Scrape the bottom to remove any stuck bits and cook for a few minutes. 
Step by step process how to make quinoa stew with beef on the stove.
  • Add veggies: Mix in previously cooked veggies, remaining salt and pepper, and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Cook quinoa: Add quinoa, stir, cover and cook for15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stew sit covered for 5 minutes.
  • Add peas and herbs: Add peas and dill, gently stir and enjoy a delicious bowl of quinoa stew.

Tips for Best Results

Make this one of the most tastiest quinoa recipes by following these tips and tricks.

  • Adjust the thickness: The ingredients in this stew are absorbing. After a few hours or next day, feel free to add more beef broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth. Or if you like a more soupy stew in general.
  • Beef doesn’t have to be very brown: Saute the beef but do not expect it to have charred, caramelized edges mostly because we use a high-walled pot which doesn’t allow moisture to evaporate. So, don’t wait for that and overcook the meat.
  • Deglaze the pot: All those caramelized bits on the bottom of the pot hold so much flavor, you don’t want to leave them behind.
  • If you love garlic: I love adding a bit of freshly grated garlic at the end. It adds a depth of flavor, different from cooked garlic. But you don’t have to, if you prefer very mild garlic taste.
Beef quinoa stew with peas and carrots served in black bowl with a fork.

What to Serve Quinoa Stew with?

This is the best time of year for beef quinoa stew! I like serving it as is sprinkled with more fresh dill or parsley. You can also add freshly grated Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.

Make it a meal and serve with a simple salad like brussels sprouts salad, arugula salad, or a healthy Caesar salad. Sometimes I’ll keep it extra simple and have diced avocado on the side.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Transfer any leftover stew to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Allow stew to cool completely, store in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat for a healthy lunch.

Make a healthy freezer meal: Sauté vegetables and beef stew meat and transfer to a large resealable Ziploc bag or airtight container. Add quinoa and freeze for up to 3 months. When you want to make it, just defrost the freezer meal in the fridge overnight and combine in a pot with broth. Cook as per recipe. At the end add peas and dill.

Reheat: Add to a pot along with a splash of broth or water, cover, and simmer on low heat until warmed through.

FAQs

Can I make this quinoa stew in a crockpot?

Yes. To make quinoa stew in a crock pot, sauté vegetables and beef in stages in a skillet on the stove top. Then transfer to a slow cooker along with quinoa and cook on low heat for 6 hours or on high heat for 3 hours. Add peas and dill at the end.

Can I make it in Instant Pot?

Yes, to make Instant Pot quinoa stew sauté vegetables and beef in stages right in your Instant Pot. Then add quinoa and 1 1/2 cups broth (reduced from 3 cups in original recipe), close the lid, set pressure valve to Sealing and pressure cook on low pressure for 12 minutes or high pressure for 3 minutes. Release pressure and add peas and dill.

Can I use leftover quinoa instead?

Yes, if you have leftover cooked quinoa or Instant Pot quinoa, you can add it to the stew. You will need about 4-5 cups of it. Reduce broth in the recipe to 1 cup, then after cooking the beef add cooked quinoa, peas and dill.

What else can I add to this stew?

Chopped kale or baby spinach, sautéed mushrooms and red bell pepper, chopped broccoli or cauliflower, tomatoes, cabbage, or celery. You can also test out different flavors with thyme, coriander, or cumin.

More Beef Recipes to Try

More Quinoa Recipes to Try

Close up of quinoa too with beef, carrots, peas and dill.
Beef quinoa stew with peas and carrots served in black bowl with a fork.

Beef Quinoa Stew

Healthy Quinoa Stew recipe filled with all your cozy favorites like tender beef, vegetables, protein rich quinoa, and savory spices.
4.93 from 13 votes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 393
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Equipment

Ingredients  

  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves minced
  • 3 large carrots sliced
  • 1.5-2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper divided
  • 3 cups beef broth or chicken broth low sodium
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 1/4 cups quinoa uncooked, rinsed & drained
  • 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
  • 1/3 cup dill or parsley finely chopped

Instructions 

  • Preheat Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot on medium heat and swirl 1 tablespoon of oil to coat. Add onion, garlic and carrots, cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
  • Return pot to the stove and add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add beef and sprinkle it with cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times.
  • Add broth and deglaze the pot by bringing mixture to a boil and cooking for a few minutes, scraping the bottom. Then add previously cooked veggies, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bay leaves. Stir, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Add quinoa, stir, cover and cook stew for another 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes.
  • Add peas and dill, gently stir and serve stew hot.

Notes

  • Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
  • Reheat: On a stovetop with a splash of broth or water, covered, on low heat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 608mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g
Course: Soup and Stew
Cuisine: North American
Author: Olena Osipov
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!

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About Olena

Welcome! I grew up in Ukraine watching my grandma cook with simple ingredients. I have spent the last 11 years making it my mission to help you cook quick and easy meals for your family!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Thanks so much for your blog, I enjoy cooking the recipes & my family loves eating them, especially the stews. I just wanted to say thank you & I’m looking forward to trying more recipes, I really adore the Ukrainian style & taste.

    1. I really appreciate that you took the time to send me this comment Karen. It means a lot to me that you are enjoying my recipes!

  2. 5 stars
    Hi there! This is a staple at home. I was wondering if you had the nutrition values for this?

    Thanks for sharing your amazing recipes!

    1. Hi Christine! I am so happy that this stew is a staple at your house. We are just in the midst of making some changes with our website. So sorry for the inconvenience. I have updated the recipe card with all the nutritional info for the stew now!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this once and it was delicious. I want to make it again using my crockpot, how would you change recipe? I would probably cook quinoa separately and add at the end, right? Thank you!

        1. I would cook meat in 1 cup broth and then add slurry with cornstarch at the end and simmer until thickened. I would think 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.

  4. 5 stars
    This is delicious! I like beef barley stew but was searching for a good gluten-free version to make for a potluck. I got many compliments on this!

  5. If I use an ista pot should I cook the quinoa first or just follow the recipe as shown without increasing the liquid. Thank you! This looks yummy

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