30 minute, from start to finish, healthy meatless dinner idea. Light and fluffy quinoa in a sweet Parmesan pumpkin sauce with fresh baby spinach. This pumpkin quinoa was so easy and delicious!
I’m on a major pumpkin kick this year because I love how it adds volume to desserts with so many health benefits and flavour: healthy pumpkin pie, healthy pumpkin bread, and flourless pumpkin muffins. I have never made a savoury dish with pumpkin though and I love quinoa.
It doesn’t get easier than cooking quinoa as per package instructions. Leftover quinoa is perfect for this recipe. I also try to freeze cooked quinoa in batches whenever I can.
Then saute onion and garlic – a combo that never fails me. Add pumpkin puree and chicken stock, and simmer. Add Parmesan, then quinoa and spinach. Done – pumpkin quinoa. Delish and easy, right?!
Parmesan Pumpkin and Spinach Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked (3 + 1/2 cups cooked quinoa)
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 cups chicken stock low sodium
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup 1.5 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 4 handfuls baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Cook quinoa as per package instructions and set aside.
- In the meanwhile, preheat large deep skillet on low - medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and garlic, saute until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin puree, chicken stock, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Remove from heat and add quinoa and spinach. Stir gently to combine. Adjust thickness with extra chicken stock if desired. I like my quinoa saucy and hot. Because of Parmesan cheese, liquid separation with time is normal. Just give it a good stir. Serve hot.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 - 4 days.
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Ridiculously easy and quite tasty! Perfect fall meal. Thanks!
Yay and welcome!!!
This was delicious. I’m definitely adding it to my recipe rotation.
So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes, Melissa!
what do you mean by “1 cup quinoa, uncooked (3 + 1/2 cups cooked quinoa)”…how much total cooked quinoa??
3 1/2 cups
thank you!!
Would this be good with chickpeas?
To add chickpeas or to replace something with chickpeas?
This sounds delicious, but I’m a little confused. Do I use 2 cups of the chicken stock to prepare the quinoa, then add the remaining 1 cup to the pumpkin puree? If not, this recipe requires 5 cups of liquid, correct? Thank you.
You cook quinoa the way you cook it. Then use 3 more cups of stock for this recipe.
I’ve made this a few times, so yummy! Do you think it could be easily doubled? (I want to bring some to a potluck and have some for home too!)
Of course! Quinoa cooks separately anyways. Glad you like it that much.:)
Just made this….SO YUMMY!!! I can’t get enough!
Enjoy!
I am making this right now and omg i cant wait to dig in! It smells amazing!!
Enjoy Tracy! You must be not American because they all gobbled up turkey today.:)
This recipe sounds amazing! Headed to a ‘Pumpkin Palooza Potluck Party’ soon and tight on time after a full days work, but like the idea of bringing something savory as so many others will bring sweet. Thoughts on preparing ahead of time and serving cold? I’m still trying to imagine the flavors warm vs cold and any insight is much appreciated! Thank you!
Wow, even pumpkin parties exist. North Americans love their pumpkin for sure LOL. This dish is best served warm because of melted Parmesan cheese. Cold you might get in trouble.:) Do you have a slow cooker? Put cooked dish in there, turn on High for 20 minutes or so and then switch to Warm.
I made it with only 2 cups of chicken broth (trader joe’s didn’t have chicken stock) because I didn’t want it like a soup- it was good! I thought it could have used a little more flavor, but on my second serving I added some nutritional yeast and that made it much better! Overall it was a healthy, tasty meal.
Great!!! You can add more flavour with extra Parmesan cheese. Nutritional yeast would add cheesy flavour without extra calories, true. Isn’t chicken broth and stock the same thing?!:)
This is the second time in a week that I’ve made this! I count macros so I used only a quarter cup of quinoa, half cup of pumpkin, and sub Parmesan for 0.2oz of nutritional yeast, yummy
Like I mentioned on Instagram I just bought nutritional yeast and am in love!!! Glad you liked it!
I made this last night and it turned out very soupy. The flavor was delicious, but I’m wondering if starting with 1/2 the chicken stock and then adding as needed?
Yes, you can do that. I also do not rinse my quinoa maybe that’s why it needed more liquid. It also soaks the liquid as it sits longer. So, if you ate it right away instead of letting sit covered for another 15 minutes before serving that could be. Also the liquids separate so give it a good stir. Hope this helps.
Hi, this recipe seems delicious! I know quinoa is a complete cereal but I will add chickpeas and walnuts since I love to find crunchy texture in all my plate. Thank you for sharing.
That sounds like a delicious addition!
This is so yummy! I made it for dinner tonight as a side dish and we still have lots left over for tomorrow. I love quinoa and I’m so glad I stumbled across this one. 🙂
That’s beautiful. I am going to turn orange with how much pumpkin I’ve been eating lately! It’s such a perfect, versatile vegetable.
Haha. I know what you mean. Thank you, Michelle!!!