I wanted to do something a little different with the quinoa I was making for dinner one night and decided to add some vegetables to it. And as a bonus, this recipe is Gluten Free!
For the vegetables, I decided to use the basics: onions, green bell pepper, carrots and celery. But you can easily substitute for your favorite combination of veggies. Just try to stay close to the listed quantities on the recipe card to get everything well-balanced.
For the vegetable juice, you can use whatever brand you have on but probably the most popular is the V8 brand. Since they offer regular, low-sodium and spicy versions you get to pick which one you prefer for this recipe.
If you don’t have any vegetable juice / V8 on hand you can use some tomato juice. Doing so will only slightly change the overall flavor profile of this delicious dish.
Benefits of Quinoa
- Quinoa has less calories and carbs than rice.
- It has more protein than rice.
- Quinoa they say, keeps you full for longer than rice.
- Quinoa can help with weight loss.
Cooking Quinoa
While not necessary, you might want to rinse the quinoa before cooking it. Most of the quinoa available in stores is “pre-rinsed” but it can’t hurt by running it under a little more water “just in case”.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Gluten Free Vegetable Quinoa recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Olive Oil, Green Bell Pepper, Yellow Onions, Celery, Carrots, Vegetable Juice, Water, Salt, Quinoa, Dill Weed and Ground Black Pepper.
How to Make Gluten Free Vegetable Quinoa
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green bell pepper, onions, celery and carrots. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened.
- Stir in the vegetable juice, water and salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the quinoa. Stir, and reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer covered for about 25 minutes (DO NOT STIR) until all the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir in the dill weed and ground black pepper.
Printable Recipe Card
Gluten Free Vegetable Quinoa
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Ingredients
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- ½ Cup Yellow Onions, chopped
- ½ Cup Celery, chopped
- ½ Cup Carrots, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ Cups Vegetable Juice, such as V8
- ¾ Cup Water
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Quinoa, rinsed and drained
- ½ Tsp Fresh Dill Weed
- ¼ Tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green bell pepper, onions, celery and carrots. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened.
- Stir in the vegetable cocktail juice, water and salt and bring to a boil.
- Add the quinoa. Stir, and reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer covered for about 25 minutes (DO NOT STIR) until all the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir in the dill weed and ground black pepper.
I love Quinoa, but had never tried the gluten free recipe. It turned out just great. Loved it. I will make it this way from now on.