A simple, savory, and wholesome meal in a bowl, this vegan cheesy kale quinoa recipe is pure healthy comfort food!
Vegan quinoa with kale
The one bowl, plant based meal is such a perfect dinner for any cold winter night, and the vegan friendly recipe is super easy to customize.
Make it your own by using up the ingredients you have on hand.
Add your favorite veggies, or swap out the kale for spinach. Try rice or barley in place of the quinoa, or increase the protein in this powerhouse main or side dish with the addition of beans or another favorite protein source.
The vegan quinoa recipe comes with both gluten free and soy free options. And you can opt to eat it as a hot meal or as a cold quinoa salad.
Packed in a thermos, leftovers make a really great lunch on the go.
Readers also love this Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
Comfort food quinoa bowls
One of my goals for the year is to really make a conscious effort to slow down, especially when it comes to meals.
Food is such a huge part of my life (clearly – I run a food blog as my Full-Time Job!).
And I grew up in a family that believed in long, relaxing meals together at the table, even on weeknights. We would eat slowly, enjoying both the food and the time catching up with each other.
But working from home, it is often easy to fall into the habit of inhaling my meals much too quickly while focused on other projects, never actually sitting down.
I know I am not alone in this, and it isn’t only a problem for people who work from home. Many of my friends complain they find themselves doing the same thing, eating lunch at their desk in ten minutes flat so they can get back to work.
Meals like this comforting vegan quinoa bowl dinner ought to be savored slowly, letting your senses take in all of the flavors and textures.
Serve it with rustic bread or a side salad, and a glass of wine if you wish, for a healthy and filling meal that will leave you feeling nourished without weighing you down.
Still craving vegan comfort food? Try Vegan French Toast
Ingredients for the recipe
You will need water, quinoa, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese, milk of choice, optional vegan butter, and greens of choice.
Kale is my favorite green for the quinoa recipe. However, spinach, bok choy, collard greens, and Swiss chard also work.
Feel free to go with red, white, black, tri color, or yellow quinoa. As mentioned earlier, you may also substitute uncooked rice or barley for the quinoa.
I like almond milk or oat milk, or canned coconut milk for a richer quinoa dish. If you prefer, unsweetened creamer can be used instead.
For a protein packed vegan meal in a bowl, add a half cup of black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, or firm tofu when you add the spices.
Or serve the quinoa with Vegan Meatballs
Cheesy vegan quinoa recipe video
Above – watch the step by step recipe video
How to make cheesy kale quinoa
Add the uncooked quinoa, water, salt, nutritional yeast or cheese, optional butter, and garlic and onion powders to a medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for twenty minutes or until the water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.
Now stir in the milk of choice or creamer and kale. Return the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until the greens wilt and the quinoa or grains reach your desired texture and thickness.
If you choose to add a source of protein, you can either add it along with the spices or cook it separately and then stir it in near the end.
Portion the quinoa recipe into bowls, and serve hot.
Or let the saucepan cool, then divide its contents into meal prep containers to refrigerate and enjoy leftovers cold or hot throughout the week.
Readers have written in to say that you can also make the recipe in an instant pot.
Add the quinoa, water, salt, spices, nutritional yeast, and optional butter to your machine, and cook on the Rice setting (twelve minutes at low pressure). Quick release the pressure, and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Be sure to try all of these Cauliflower Recipes
Measuring the meal prep quinoa recipe in grams
Prefer to measure with a food scale instead of cups and tablespoons?
Here are the amounts to use: 300 grams of water, 90 grams of uncooked quinoa, 18 grams of nutritional yeast, 120 grams milk of choice, 25 to 30 grams of raw kale or spinach, and 3 grams of salt.
Do not forget to add in the onion and garlic powders as well.
Leftover quinoa? Make Breakfast Quinoa
Creamy Cheesy Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup raw quinoa
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast or Parmesan
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powders
- 1 cup kale or spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup milk of choice or unsweetened creamer
- optional 2 tsp butter or vegan butter for added richness
- optional protein of choice
Instructions
- Bring the first 5 ingredients and optional butter to a boil. Once boiling, turn to a simmer and cover 20 minutes or until fluffy. Stir in the kale and milk or cream, and return to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until kale wilts and quinoa reaches your desired texture and thickness. If adding a protein, such as tofu or beans, you can cook the protein first or stir it in with the quinoa, depending on what type of protein you’re using and if it needs to be cooked longer.Although I haven't tried it, a few readers say you can make this in the Instant Pot. One reader, Rebecca, did it this way: "I combined the first five ingredients and cooked on the “RICE” setting (12 minutes low pressure). I quick-released the pressure and added the remaining ingredients. It turned out perfectly!"View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More healthy comfort food ideas
Or this Healthy Mac and Cheese
I just made this dish and it was delicious.
To me it tasted like Risotto without the labor.
I put regular nut milk and I think next time I’ll
Add some portobello mushrooms.
Definitely will make this again.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I made this tonight and used low fat almond milk (instead of cream) and did not add the optional buttery spread either and it was delicious.. I also used spinach instead of kale. It was true comfort food.
One of my favorite ways to make quinoa even more comforting is to add canned tomatoes or tomato paste with curry powder! It tastes like a quinoa curry this way! SO yummy. I love this idea, especially since people are making more of an effort to eat plant-based and healthier as well!
I made this earlier this week….. this ‘cheesy’ dish is AH-MAZING!!!!!! I’ve been putting the leftovers on top of a salad woh black beans for lunches at work…. so good. Thank you for sharing another super yummy recipe!!!
mmm yes this looks delicious!
great healthy meal idea, I would love to have this to breakfast.
I love this recipe, I’ve already made it 3 times! I like to use spinach instead of kale. It’s a great easy meal to whip up after a day of work, and there’s enough for dinner and lunch the next day. One of my very favorite Chocolate Covered Katie recipes 🙂
I made this in my Instant Pot. I combined the first five ingredients and cooked on the “RICE” setting (12 minutes low pressure). I quick-released the pressure and added the remaining ingredients. It turned out perfectly! Thank you!.
Fabulous!! My first savory recipe from your website and it was a hit with hubs and both kids (3 & 7)! We aren’t vegan so I used chicken stock instead of water and butter for the spread. We love nutritional yeast and added more when serving. I went with coconut milk and kale. Doubled it but next time I’ll triple or quadruple. 🙂
Total comfort food and awesome flavor/texture combos. Thank you!!!
Having this right now with spinach and it’s delicious-like a healthy vegan risotto. I love your blog Katie and when I first found it I was a carnivore but I’m now vegan and much more aware about the importance of nourishing foods and healthy fats. Thank you! Btw it made 2 servings for me. Do you think I can heat up the leftovers?
Oh and next time I’m so going to add chickpeas and smoked paprika!
You can!
Then this is going to be reheated for my breakfast!