Curried Quinoa Pilaf with Pistachios {vegan + gluten free}

A healthy gluten free and vegan side dish – this curried quinoa pilaf with pistachios is made with a few simple ingredients and topped with delicious pistachios and fresh herbs! Flavorful, nutritious, and a great side dish for any meal!

Can we all agree that there’s nothing better than a super flavorful and healthy side dish that brings a simple dinner together like *that*?

I mean sometimes it can be SUCH a struggle to find something interesting to serve alongside the main star of dinner. And while I love plain quinoa as a healthy grain base for bowls, stews, curries, and salads, adding more FLAVOR + excitement in the form of curried quinoa with pistachios definitely wins.

I called the recipe a pilaf because it’s made basically the same way that you would make a rice pilaf.

AKA

• Just one pot.
• A few simple ingredients
• 30ish minutes of your time (which also happens to be the perfect amount of time to whip up whatever it is that you’re serving alongside this tasty side dish!)

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Curried quinoa pilaf with pistachios ingredients

• Quinoa: White or multi-colored both work, the only different will be the way it looks when it’s done cooking.
• Olive oil: Because the cooking temperature isn’t super high in this recipe, olive oil is my oil of choice, but you could substitute coconut oil, ghee, or avocado oil instead.
• Onion
• Garlic
• Curry powder
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt
• Good tasting broth: To keep this recipe vegan / vegetarian, choose a vegetable broth, otherwise any type of tasty broth works great! I love using bone broth in my meals whenever I have a chance. Kettle & Fire is my go to for a high quality store bought bone broth when I don’t have any homemade on hand. Use the code NYSSA15 for 15% off your order if you wanna stock up!
• Pistachios
• Cilantro: I chose to use cilantro as a fresh herb for this recipe, but you could easily substitute parsley instead!
• Green onions: Optional, but they add an extra layer of flavor that pairs really well with the dish.

How to make perfect quinoa

Okay.

So I feel like this section could almost be titled, “How to make quinoa that’s not mushy and gross”, because this is something I’ve struggled with for maaaany years of my life and I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THE FIX 💯💯💯

(And I’m so stinking excited about it I might just write a basic “How to Make Quinoa” blog post to spread the good word. Because no one should have to suffer through a disappointing pot of quinoa ever again. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way 😝)

Here are the key points of what I’ve learned from my experimenting:

Rinse your quinoa

Some packaged quinoa that you buy at the store will be labeled as “pre-rinsed”. If that’s the case for you, skip this step. But if your package doesn’t say that, or you’re not sure, you want to give it a good rinse before cooking.

Quinoa grows with a natural coating called saponin. This is sort of a defense mechanism for quinoa to prevent birds and other animals from eating it because it tastes bitter. If you don’t rinse it off before cooking, likely your quinoa will taste bitter and a bit unpleasant.

Because quinoa grains are so small the easiest way to rinse your quinoa is with a fine mesh strainer.

Quinoa to water ratio

Use way less water than most package instructions will tell you to.

Magic ratio? 1 part quinoa : 1 part water

Most recipes and package instructions will tell you to use a ratio of 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, but I have found that an equal ratio of quinoa to water works SO much better.

This is fairly contradictory to a lot of the information out there, but based on my experience of testing this ratio combined with a certain cooking technique is where the magic happens.

And by magic I mean perfectly FLUFFY, soft + tender quinoa with no sign of mush or extra liquid in sight.

How long to cook quinoa

For the best results, I like to cook quinoa on relatively low heat for 25 minutes, and then remove it from the heat to steam with a cover on the pan.

This allows the grain to fully cook and “pop” open, and then steam to finish absorbing any remaining liquid which will keep the quinoa light and fluffy.

Because this is a pilaf recipe with spices and other tasty ingredients, the cooking process is a little different than if you were cooking up plain old quinoa. But it’s nothing too difficult.

Here’s how to make this curried quinoa pilaf with pistachios

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until water runs clear. Set strainer over a bowl to finish draining.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add finely diced onion, garlic, and sea salt. Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to caramelize and have reduced in size significantly. 
3. Add rinsed and drained quinoa along with garlic powder and curry powder to the pot. Stir and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes, until quinoa is dry and spices start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
4. Add broth, scraping up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring up to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to low, stir, cover, and set a timer for 25 minutes. 
5. After 25 minutes, remove from heat and take off the lid. Allow steam and heat to release for about 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. 
6. Top with chopped pistachios, cilantro, green onions and serve! 

What does this curried quinoa pilaf with pistachios taste like?

This curried quinoa is:

• Warming
• Full of texture
• Super flavorful
• Cozy
• Great for meal prep
• Satisfying

Where to buy quinoa

• Quinoa can be found at most grocery stores, either in the grain section near the rice, or in the bulk section if your grocery store has one.
• This brand from Amazon is also great, and it also happens to be pre-washed! Less work and less mess – yay!
• Thrive market also has a great deal on a 2 pound bag of sprouted quinoa if you’re a member. If you’re not a member, I highly recommend checking them out! I’ve been using Thrive for my pantry essentials for the past 2 years and I can honestly say they have the BEST deals. If you use it regularly the membership cost easily pays for itself in the first order or two.

Is quinoa gluten free?

Yes! Quinoa is a 100% gluten free grain. It also falls into the category of “ancient grains” – and provides whole grain nutrition that contains a lot of plant protein, fiber, essential minerals, and anti-oxidants.

I often substitute rice for quinoa in recipes for a little extra nutrient density.

What to serve with this curried quinoa pilaf with pistachios

You could serve this curried quinoa with so many different types of dishes.

Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

• Your favorite curry dish
• Pan seared chicken
• Teriyaki salmon
• A bowl of warm chili soup
• As a base for your favorite bowl meal

A few notes on the recipe

• This curried quinoa can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. This makes it perfect for meal prep!
• If your quinoa is not labeled as pre-rinsed, make sure you rinse it well using a fine mesh strainer to keep it from tasting bitter.
• If you have nut allergy, you can easily leave out the pistachios to make it nut free.

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