Easy Quinoa with Peas! Get ready to fall in love with quinoa all over again with this easy, peasy, oh-so-tasty dish!

This delightful Easy Quinoa with Peas recipe that is not only light and refreshing but also incredibly nutritious and protein-packed. Featuring the delicate sweetness of baby peas combined with the hearty goodness of quinoa, it makes a perfect choice for a wholesome meal. The addition of mint infuses the dish with a burst of refreshing flavor, while the savory notes from onions and the nutty crunch of pine nuts create a harmonious blend of tastes and textures.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

We were absolutely smitten with this delightful quinoa and peas dish. Its lightness and refreshing taste made it an instant favorite in our kitchen. The intentionally lighter flavor profile allows the natural essence of the peas and quinoa to shine through, creating a dish that’s perfectly suited for those seeking a lighter and brighter dining experience.

Whether you’re a fan of wholesome, light meals or simply looking to add more nutritious and delicious options to your culinary repertoire, this quinoa and peas dish is a must-try.

Dynamic Duo

Quinoa, often hailed as a superfood, is a versatile and nutrient-dense grain. Packed with protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals, quinoa offers a wide array of health benefits. It is rich in antioxidants, which contribute to its anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, its high fiber content supports digestive health and promotes a feeling of fullness.

Peas, the unsung heroes of the vegetable world, pack a powerful nutritional punch that shouldn’t be overlooked. These vibrant, bite-sized beauties are not only delicious but also incredibly nutritious. Peas also contain notable amounts of vitamin K, which is essential for bone health, as well as vitamin C, which acts as an immune system booster.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This protein-packed dish features cooked quinoa, peas, and onions. It is intentionally lightly flavored.  Dried mint couples well with peas and onions. The toasted pine nuts add a nice crunch.  The dish is on the drier side, meaning it is light and fluffy and not soggy as some quinoa dishes typically are.
• Low-Fat Dish Expectations: This dish was designed to be low in fat (sans the optional nuts). Because it is low in fat, you are not going to experience that endorphin rush associated with eating high-fat foods when eating this dish. It is very tasty for what it is, and that is a low-fat dish. We just want to make sure that our Readers recognize this when contemplating making this recipe. If you wish to make it more indulgent, add the toasted nuts.  We used toasted pine nuts.
• Cooked Quinoa: This quinoa in this dish is light and fluffy. In other words, the quinoa absorbs all the liquids and fluffs up.  We use a 1:1 ratio of dry quinoa to water to create this light and fluffy quinoa.  Feel free to cook the quinoa to achieve your favorite cooked quinoa texture.
• Cooking Quinoa: Be sure to have the quinoa thoroughly rinsed and ready to go before the water comes to a boil to avoid evaporating any liquid since only one cup of water is used.
• Quinoa: We used white quinoa.  Feel free to use your favorite quinoa, for example, tri-color, etc.
• Rinsing Quinoa: It is important to thoroughly rinse the dry quinoa to remove any bitterness.
• Pre-Rinsed Quinoa: Feel free to use pre-rinsed quinoa if you wish; however, we suggest rinsing it for the purpose of this recipe as the wet quinoa works well with achieving a fluffy quinoa when working with a 1:1 quinoa/water ratio.
• Baby Peas: We love baby peas simply because they are small and crisp.  Be sure to thaw the peas out completely before adding to the dish as they are in the skillet for a brief period of time just to heat them through.  Feel free to use your favorite frozen peas.  You can use fresh, frozen, or canned peas with the understanding that the peas should be already at the desired texture before adding to the skillet.
• Dried Mint: We absolutely loved the dried mint in this dish and sprinkling the top with dried mint. Mint pairs really well with peas. The mint adds brightness and a delicious depth of flavor.  If you decide not to use it, then you may find the need to add other ingredients/spices to add more flavor.
• Toasted Pine Nuts (or Chopped Walnuts or Pecans): We loved using toasted pine nuts in this recipe. You can also substitute with toasted walnuts or pecans.  The nuts are optional, but they add a nice crunch to the dish.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.

This dish can be frozen.

Pantry Products:

• Frozen Baby Peas: We used Birdseye Frozen Baby Sweet Peas. Feel free to use your favorite frozen peas.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs. 

Kitchen Products:

• Large skillet
• Medium stockpot with a tight-fitting lid (for boiling the quinoa)
• Skillet (for toasting the nuts)

If you try this simple side dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Easy Quinoa with Peas

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 30 Minutes
• Total Time: 40 Minutes
• Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
• Category: Side
• Method: Stovetop
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This delightful Easy Quinoa with Peas recipe that is not only light and refreshing but also incredibly nutritious and protein-packed.

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Ingredients

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water

 

Skillet Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 ½ cups frozen baby peas, thawed *

 

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon onion powder (+/-)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder (+/-)
• Pinch black pepper (+/-)
• Pinch to ¾ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• ½ to 1 teaspoon dried mint (+/-) (optional) *

Optional Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons to ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (chopped walnuts or pecans) *

Optional Toppings:

• Sprinkle dried mint
• Sprinkle toasted pine nuts (or chopped walnuts or pecans)

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Instructions

1. Place one cup of water into a medium-sized stockpot, bring to a boil, add the rinsed quinoa, stir well, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the stockpot from the heat and allow to sit covered, undisturbed for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
2. If adding toasted nuts to the dish, toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, remove from skillet, set aside.
3. In the meantime, in a large skillet, add the finely diced onions, sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes to soften, add a tablespoon of water to prevent burning or sticking. Then lower the heat to medium, add the minced garlic, sauté, stir constantly for one minute.
4. Then add the thawed baby peas and Spice/Herb Ingredients to the skillet, stir to incorporate, then stir in the cooked quinoa and toasted pine nuts, stir until heated through.
5. Plate and sprinkle the top with additional toasted pine nuts and dried mint, if desired; serve and enjoy.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings:  4 to 6

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