Vegetarian Garlic and Parmesan Cheese Quinoa Recipe

Name: Vegetarian Garlic and Parmesan Cheese Quinoa
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter (or vegan margarine or olive oil if you want it to be vegan); 1 small yellow onion ( diced ); 3 to 4 cloves garlic ( minced ); 2 cups vegetable broth; 1 cup uncooked quinoa; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or Kosher salt , or to taste); 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast to make it vegan)

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Total: 30 mins

Servings: 3 servings

editor badge

37 ratings

Write a Review

Add a comment

This is an easy vegetarian recipe for whole-grain quinoa flavored with garlic and Parmesan cheese. Parmesan garlic quinoa isn't quite enough to make a full meal on its own, but it's a good start. It would be great alongside some tofu, a side dish of vegetables, or maybe even alongside a simple vegetarian stir-fry.

For a vegan version of this quinoa recipe, smother the quinoa in nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese and use olive oil in place of the butter. Need it to be gluten free? Just be sure to use a gluten-free vegetable broth, as all the other ingredients (including the butter, onion, garlic, quinoa, and Parmesan cheese) are all gluten free and safe for anyone avoiding wheat. Read the label and look for a vegetable broth clearly labeled to be gluten free, or make your own vegetable broth at home to be on the safe side.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, vegan margarine, or olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast, to make it vegan

Gather the ingredients.

The Spruce
In a medium-sized pan, sauté the diced onion and the minced garlic in butter or olive oil over medium-high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the onions are just starting to turn soft. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

The Spruce
Next, add the vegetable broth and the quinoa.

The Spruce
Cover the pan, and allow it to simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed and quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.

The Spruce
Remove the pan from heat and gently mix or "fluff" the quinoa with a fork to fully distribute any excess moisture.

The Spruce
Season your quinoa lightly with salt to taste and add the Parmesan cheese, stirring to combine and allow the Parmesan cheese to melt. Or for a vegan version, mix in nutritional yeast instead of the Parmesan cheese.

The Spruce
Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
301	Calories
10g	Fat
42g	Carbs
11g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3
Amount per serving
Calories	301
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g	13%
Saturated Fat 4g	21%
Cholesterol 17mg	6%
Sodium 823mg	36%
Total Carbohydrate 42g	15%
Dietary Fiber 4g	15%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 3mg	14%
Calcium 115mg	9%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 414mg	9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.