This simple vegan dish combines the distinctive, nutty flavor of quinoa with chard, mushrooms, and lentils. Try using rainbow chard for a colorful effect!
This is an excellent recipe. I didn't have any mushrooms, so I used a can of tomatoes with basil and garlic. I also added dried lentils when the quinoa was added so I used a bit more water and the juice from the diced tomatoes. Some salt and pepper and seasoned to our taste. It was very filling and the vegetable broth gave it depth. Will definitely make again.
Read MoreI love quinoa but I found this recipe very bland even after adding oregano and basil as one other reviewer recommended. I don't think I would make it again.
Read MoreThis is an excellent recipe. I didn't have any mushrooms, so I used a can of tomatoes with basil and garlic. I also added dried lentils when the quinoa was added so I used a bit more water and the juice from the diced tomatoes. Some salt and pepper and seasoned to our taste. It was very filling and the vegetable broth gave it depth. Will definitely make again.
Love this recipe! Healthy, tasty, beautiful. I made a big batch of this (it makes alot) and had it for packing my lunch all week. Quinoa is a very low sodium, wheat free, non-gluten whole grain rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber. Drizzle it with flax oil and some wheat free Tamari sauce - yum!
I always forget how flavorful vegetable stock can be. This recipe was delicious! I used dry lentils instead of canned and it was still good. You can can add more chard than the recipe says if you like the green stuff (I do!) Thanks for a great quinoa recipe!
This was pretty good but a little bit bland - I added 1 tsp each of dried basil and oregano, omitted the mushrooms, used a packet of frozen spinach instead of the chard, and added 1 pound of wood roasted salmon - great complete meal for dinner.
What a power meal! It was delicious. I made a few changes... I used 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup amaranth. I dry-roasted the grains in the pot first, took them out, and then started the recipe from saute-ing the onions and garlic. I used half veg. broth and half water, with a dash of salt, since we usually like our food with light flavor. I also used dried lentils, as mentioned by the other users, and it came out great!
Tried this recipe a few months ago. It was my first experience with quinoa and I must say I was VERY impressed. Quinoa is now a staple food in my house. Simple, satisfying and flavorful, I've passed this on to everyone I know who cooks.
I just made this as written except I used dried lentils - I want to eat more chard (I'm growing it in my backyard) but I don't like it much - it was easy to eat in this recipe! I really liked it and will make it often.
Very yummy! I did make a few little modifications, though. 1st of all, I didn't have quinoa, so I used brown rice. I also used dry red lentils instead of canned. I threw in 3 bay leaves with the garlic and onion and left them in the pot to simmer with everything. I chopped up a tomato and added that. It was great (and healthy)! Will definetly make again.
Halved the ingredients, used dried wild mushrooms, rainbow chard (saute the stems with onion and garlic); added a dressing of olive oil, lemon, garlic and soy sauce at the very end....definitely needed the added kick of raw garlic and lemon. Delicious.
Overall, I really enjoyed this although it was a bit bland. I added some tomato sauce once it cooled down and it was delicious.
I love quinoa but I found this recipe very bland even after adding oregano and basil as one other reviewer recommended. I don't think I would make it again.
This was delicious and extremely flavorful! Granted, I had to make several changes just because I was working with I had on hand. No mushrooms, so sauteed broccoli and added it last minute instead. I used about 5-6cloves of garlic cause you can't have too much. Had dry lentils (1cup) so cooked those separate for 15mins in water and chicken bullion cause I didn't think they'd fit in my pot. I am very new to cooking and had no idea how quinoa cooks (expand quite a bit FYI to fellow new cookers). Also steamed chard separate for same reason. When there was about 5 mins left on the quinoa, I drained lentils and added them to quinoa to absorb some of the broth (I forgot to decrease chicken stock when I didn't add lentils at start). This was my first experience with quinoa and it will now be a staple in my cooking. So easy, healthy and very filling! Excellent high protein, high fiber, low fat meal! My boyfriend and I had just this as a meal and barely made a dent in the pot. Thank you for an excellent recipe idea!
I was a little worried this might be bland with so much quinoa and no spices or salt added, but it's absolutely wonderful just as posted. I'll be making this often!
"Great, if you enjoy hamster food." That is what my 6 year old daughter said as we prepared the meal. By the way, her bowl was empty after a hearty serving. Simple and healthy.
Ok, I'm giving this 4 stars but in all fairness I didn't really really follow the recipe. First I fried a small amount of bacon and then carmelized the onions over low heat in the bacon grease. I also added 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to the onions for a kick. I followed the recipe after that except to leave out the mushrooms and add two bay leaves to the liquid. I added the bacon with the chard. My husband and I can't get enough! Toasted walnuts would be a delicious addition as well!
Made this a couple of times and always got good reviews. May be worth adding some salt, especially if the vegetable broth is low sodium, but otherwise a great recipe as is
great recipe. Easy to do. Great taste. Excellent warmed up too. Thak you, Astrophe. Dansbois
This was pretty good. My first bite I thought it was a little weird, but as I ate it I got kind of addicted. I made a half recipe and ate a lot of it. I added a little more onion and garlic than it called for. I also used 1/2c dry lentils and added 1c water to the quinoa/broth mixture instead of canned lentils. It turned out great. Seems like the people who are accusing it of being bland may have been the ones who subbed spinach for the chard - the chard adds a bit of a bite. I also added both salt and pepper. I made salmon with it, but didn't serve it with the salmon because it wasn't done in time. Good on it's own! I'll probably make this again.
This is an awesome recipe base, so I'm giving it 5, even though I made major alterations. I did not use lentils (I used whatever canned beans I had on hand - kidney once, pinto the other time) and I didn't use mushrooms, as my family is not keen on them. I used veggie broth the first time (yummy! but needed some sea salt and freshly ground pepper at serving) and robust chicken stock the second time (delish!). There's a lot of wiggle room with this recipe. Take it and run with it!
Simple and flavorful. Those who thought it to be bland...?? have lost their tastebuds. I used Rapunzel vegan bouillon with herbs and it was a near perfect meal. The rainbow chard bleeds throughout the dish by the next day though.
I opened a can of lentils by mistake the other day and needed a recipe to use them, plus some mushrooms and kale I had sitting in the fridge. This recipe fit the bill. I made half the recipe except I used a whole can of lentils. I steamed my kale for a few minutes before adding to the quinoa mix since it doesn't wilt as fast as chard. This was simple to make and tasty though it needed salt not called for in the recipe. I topped this will toasted almonds for some texture and served with cornbread.
Delicious recipe! It was hard to stop eating it. I doubled or tripled the garlic and added 5 chopped medium potatoes and tarragon. Wow! Thanks, ASTROPHE. I will make this again. It's so versatile.
I was happy to stumble upon this dish because I happened to have on hand everything but the mushrooms! I was especially happy to use up the Swiss chard I had in the fridge. Very simple recipe, and I bastardized it a bit with some chicken broth and diced cooked chicken breasts. (I'm not a vegeterian, but I love vegetarian/vegan recipes because they're often healthy.) To me the chard takes a bit getting used to, but overall this turned out deliciously and I'm eating a big steaming bowl of it even as I type!
I was disappointed in this recipe. I've tried other quinoa recipes that I liked much better. This was just a little too bland.
This was alright but needed a lot of modifications. I tripled the lentils to make this a heartier meal. I increased the garlic to 4 cloves and added 1 tsp thyme and 1 tsp red pepper flake to the hot oil to give it some flavour, as well as adding sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste at the end. My husband wants to know where to bacon is ;) but I enjoyed this easy and healthy dinner.
I rated this with 4 stars primarily because I thought it was easy to make and combined so many of my favorite, healthy ingredients (quinoa, chard, mushrooms). As to taste, I thought it was bland prepared as directed as did my 3-year-old and almost 2-year-old who prefer a more rich flavor. But I think it's absolutely worth tweaking to our taste, starting with more garlic and possibly either tamari as one reviewer suggested or tomato sauce per another suggestion. I did make a couple of changes due to my pantry/fridge inventories. I only had dry lentils and no time to cook them (I'm a novice with dried beans and didn't want to try adding those), so I used canned kidney beans. And I added a little bit of kale as I had about a half cup's worth I needed to use up.
It is a great one dish meal. I used kidney beans instead of lentils. Added 2 chilies, as we like food a little hot. Also added a dash of cajun seasoning.
This dish was too bland for me. I added salt and low-sodium soy sauce to give it some pizzaz. Wish I had added some sherry during the cooking process, that may have elevated the flavors.
Delicious! I substitued black beans because I was out of lentils and also used a grain blend that included(quinoa, israeli couscous and red garbanzo beans) in place of plain quinoa. It turned out great. I can't wait to make it again with lentils. Thanks for the excellent recipe!
I was a little concerned that this might be a little bland...not at all! I added one extra garlic clove, just becuase I love garlic. I have 3 young children and they all loved it too. A winner for sure, and I will be making this again in the near future!
Maybe 3.5 - it was definitely bland the night I made it, but got better then next day for leftovers - I added soy sauce, salt, pepper, oregano into the mix and then fresh tomatoes and basil on top, that all helped it taste pretty good. It makes a TON so, definitely make it in a large pan or you'll run into trouble wilting the chard at the end. A decent basic recipe, but wouldn't make it without a bunch of added extra flavors.
This dish is simple and delicious! I didn't have swiss chard, so I used spinach and it fit just fine. Either if these greens would give great flavor. I will make this one again!
This was delicious! I added some cumin but otherwise made it just as written.
This was an awesome vegan main dish! It really reminds me of a modified kitchari. I, like others, used dried lentils. However, I soaked them first for about 2 hours and used about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup more than the recipe called for. I also seasoned it with a small amount of Bragg's liquid aminos Delicious!!!
i followed the exact recipe and found it bland. definitely needs something more in both flavor and color. i don't recommend just following the recipe.
First I have to warn: this makes a LOT. I think it's more than 8 servings. That being said, it was really very good. Even my kids liked it which is always a surprise. The only think I (personally) would like it is more swiss chard in it. What I did was a steamed the chard stems separately and added them to my dish. I love chard and this made the recipe perfect for me.
Bland, bland and more bland. That's even after I added some dried oregano and dried thyme, freshly ground black pepper and salt.
my boyfriend and I loved this recipe. we've just started cooking with quinoa, and this was easy to make and tasted great. we each brought the leftovers for lunch today.
I made this with black beans instead of lentils and instead of mushrooms I added broccoli at the end that I had steamed slightly, so it was still green and crisp. It was simple, delicious and made tons of food.
Loved this!! Fed this is my boyfriend and he was also impressed. Our new favorite meatless meal! Made some modifications.... I sauteed the swiss chard stems in the beginning w/ the onion. It game the whole dish a kind of redish huge. Other commenters mentioned it was bit bland so I added two small peppers, a bay leaf, basil, and oregano. Not bland at all! Also, left out the mushrooms. Super yum!
We didn't have lentils so we made it without and just used 2 bunches of the chard to make up for them. I added some siracha for a little heat.
I made this last night it was simple to make and my husband and I found it to be tasty. However, we both felt as though somthing was missing in the recipe.
I really wanted to like this because it incorporated swiss chard. But as others have said it was so incredibly bland. Also, I had so much chard I only added half. I guess I'll just stick to Quinoa Side Dish (excellent) from this site. Thanks for submitting though.
An excellent milder side dish to accompany a meat with stronger flavor.
I was a little skeptical of this one, but after reading the reviews I decided to try it. This was really simple and delicious. Much more flavorful than I anticipated. I brought the leftovers to work and my coworkers loved it too. One note: I used rainbow chard and by the next day the red color bled into quinoa. It was a hideous combination of pink and green but my brave (very hungry) coworkers tried it anyway.
So, I'm a member of a CSA this year for the first time, and I'm trying to find ways to work new veggies into my diet. And I didn't like Chard the first time I tried it, and i'd never ever tried Quinoa. This recipe has become a staple, quite literally, in my diet. It's become a joke at work, because everyone wants to see what variation I've done this week! But this starting point is excellent! It's on the stove right now, chard a'wilting, getting ready to take for lunch tomorrow. I've added black beans, lima beans, kale, tomatoes, and i usu omit the mushrooms because they're not a favorite of mine. But it is hard to beat the way it's written. Thank you for this recipe. I don't remember what i used to have for lunch before i found it!!
My family loved this! Super tasty. Love the texture. And pretty filling. Will definitely make it again!
This was the first dish I've made with quinoa - it was a great dish, and it got rave reviews from friends at a potluck. The only subsitution I made was rather than all vegetable broth, I subsituted and herb and garlic boullion cube for more flavour. Will definitely make again!
Update: I make this every year now. I now add a red and yellow bell pepper for color, and I've recently discovered it looks prettier with red quinoa rather than regular. I always used dried lentils.::: This was great for my over abundance of home grown Rainbow Chard. The chard is very tender compared to storebought, which might make a difference in the taste for some. Canned lentils aren't available at my grocery, so I've used canned pigeon peas or dry lentils. I put the chopped stems in with the garlic/onions, and I've been known to sprinkle it with parmesan, at someone else's suggestion. Recently I doubled the recipe and used 2 Cups quinoa, and 2 Cups of couscous. The couscous was cooked separately and stirred in with the chard. No matter how many servings you make, there's a ton and it's better the next day after the flavors meld. There will always be people begging for leftovers!
Good hearty recipe but not enough favor. We added salsa to the leftovers and it really made a difference. Thanks for a recipe that involves quinoa - very under used food.
Loved it! I had some rainbow chard to use up and wanted to try out quinoa. I couldn't find canned lentils and ended up using a half cup of dried lentils and adding in an extra cup of water and letting the quinoa and lentils cook together. It probably could have used more water but it was still good.
Was quite good, but had to add extra seasonsings at the table. Used two cans of lentils (rinsed). Chard is always a favorite. Might try kale next time.
This was just okay. I love quinoa and usually use it in recipes that call for rice, but I just wasn't impressed with the flavor of this one. There was too much onion for my taste, and I think it could have used some fresh herbs. The lentils (I used dried red) added a nice creamy texture, and the chard was good, so I'll probably stick with that as a base, but I don't plan to keep this recipe as is. Thanks, anyway.
Ive made quinoa before...and not very well. I knew it was a good for me food but i didnt really know what to do with it. I tried this recipe because it seemed simple. So delicious!!! I cut the recipe in half since it was only for me...still made plently. I couldnt find canned lentils so i used canned black beans. They have a much stronger flavor so next time i will make lentils ahead of time and add those...and more veggies. Absolutely wonderful recipe!!
I like this recipe, and I like eating this type of fast, healthy, simple food. Some rated it as bland, but of course you need to add salt and pepper to taste as you would to any other recipe. I sliced up an inch of un-peeled ginger and threw it into the pot as everything cooked. I used dried lentils instead of canned: 1/2 cup black beluga lentils from Timeless Foods. I added an extra cup of water to compensate for the dried lentils. Instead of 4 cups of veggie broth, I used 2 cups of water and 2 cups of veggie broth to avoid that over-brothy flavor you can get from cooking with non-homemade veg broth. I used shiitake mushrooms for their rich flavor. It came out great! I think it will be a staple for me. Oh, and I used red quinoa, it's a little nuttier than white, but white is good, too.
Great base recipe. I used chicken stock rather than vegetable and baby spinach in place of the chard. Also added carrots, celery, diced chicken breast, and red pepper flakes.
Very tasty recipe. Also substituted spinach b/c no chard on hand. Will make again as it's very healthy. Thanks for sharing.
Very tasty! Like most others, I made some substitutions. Added more garlic, used garbanzos instead of lentils, also added a can of diced tomatoes with basil and oregano. I also used the stems of the chard - have to get all the good stuff in there! Definitely a keeper, especially given how versatile it was. Didn't need the whole quart of broth, though - took me longer than expected to get the liquid to boil down.
I give it a three for lack for flavor. It is a great base recipe, but needs some spices and something red to make it more appealing looking. I do not suggest tossing the stems as the submitter suggesting. I used rainbow chard, chopped up the stems and cooked them with the onions. They gave the recipe a nice crunch as you ate. Kind of like having celery in the dish. As many others did, I cooked my own dry lentils. I never have canned lentils on hand, but do keep dried lentils in my pantry. I will definitely add this recipe to my collection, but will likely add tomatoes or red peppers next time along with some spices. I am still trying to decide which spice would be good.
This recipe was pretty good, but basic. It could definitely be spruced up. Next time I will try it with some additional ingredients, such as a can of diced tomatoes and juice instead of just vegetable broth. I may also try some fresh basil and oregano as others suggested. Also, I followed the directions exactly, except I halved everything since the recipe as-is yields such a large quantity.
Thanks for a great recipe. I made this as a side for dinner with a group of friends, and it was a unilateral hit, two people asked me for the recipe! Like many people, I used what I had around, and swapped in red quinoa, and spinach for the chard, but the basic flavour and texture combination remained the same. This will certainly become a go-to recipe .
Not bad, but honestly next time I won't add the swiss chard. I like chard crisp, but I guess I'm not a fan of it limp/cooked/warm. I also didn't have vegetable stock, so I had to use chicken stock. Pretty good, but I will try veggie next time. I also didn't use mushrooms. I added a can of black beans instead.
this is very good, we enjoyed to recipe just as it is. We had it with Salmon and Steak. Great way to use swiss chard.
I honestly do not think you could go wrong with a quinoa and vegetable recipe.
Whoa, bland. My husband picked out this recipe, and by the time I got to the end I double-checked it to see what I had forgotten...and I had forgotten nothing. The flavors in this recipe are exclusively earthy; it desperately needs an acidic flavor to balance it out. I added some red wine vinegar to the finished product, and it helped a lot. If I were to try it again, I would add a good amount of tomato along with the chard. Recipe as it is was a fail for me.
Very good healthy recipe! I always add a hodgepodge of whatever vegetables I have around to the mix. Delicious and healthy!
I thought this recipe was very good. Im always in search of ways to make quinoa tastier. My only suggestion would be to use something like spinach next time because the chard did not wilt very well. I topped it with a sprinkle of grated Parmesean cheese which really enhanced the flavor. I will definitely make this again.
Good recipe - looks bland, but looks are deceiving because it's pretty flavorful. May add one more garlic clove next time...
I used Red lentils, and they pretty much just mushed into the quinoa. This recipe had great flavor though! Thank you so much! My bf loved it!
good - customized the second time after following the recipes hte first time. added canned tomatoes as did other reviewers as well as herbs, S&P. found that a little fresh grated parm helped as well. served with a fresh cesear salad.
Like the other reviews stated- this was rather bland and required a singificant amount of 'spicing up'.
Very bland. Next time, I would do as the other reviewer and add some more spices and salmon. Easy to make.
This is really great comfort food, and it was very easy to prepare. As others recommended, I added a can of chopped tomatoes, and that enhanced the flavor. I'm keeping this in mind to serve when vegans visit.
An absolutely perfect addition to my strict eating regimen! I opted for partially cooking raw lentils, otherwise following the recipe. Next time I make it, I will probably add more swiss chard, a great tasting ingredient in this recipe!
I have just discovered quinoa and chard, so I was happy to have found this recipe. I used black beans instead of lentils because my local Ralphs didn't have canned lentils. I also added a little cheese to it before serving it. It was quite tastey. I cut the recipe in half since it was just me - I have enough leftover to last another 2-3 meals.
This makes alot and the quinoa is a little overpowering. Use half the amount of quinoa and broth. I added a can of quatered water chestnuts for crunch and the grated parmesan cheese, it really boosted the flavor.
I'm a beginning cook and followed this recipe just as written. Came out great!! Will definitely be making this again. Delicious and hearty vegan meal!
