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 made this tonight. Delicious and a healthy option that helps balance all the sweets I’ve been eating this week.
one of my favorite recipes so far!! Love it!
YUM!! This’ll be my go to for quinoa!! Wow, so delicious!! In the past I’ve never enjoyed quinoa, I think it’s the bitterness even though I rinse it well prior to cooking, but this recipe blew my mind!! Absolutely delish. Thanks for making me a convert. I’m just beginning to try a vegetarian diet, mostly for health issues I’ve been having, esophagitis, specifically, and all the problems that come with too much animal products in my diet. Bloating, heartburn, aching joints, insomnia, headaches, trouble swallowing, just to name some. Ok, thanks so much, looking forward to more of your healthy recipes.
I made this for dinner and it was delicious! I’m so glad I found this recipe and I will definitely be making again.
I just made this. I had some mushrooms that need to get eaten, so I fried them up and added them. It was soooo good! I went back for seconds. Thanks for another great recipe! :o)
Just had this for dinner and it completely hit the spot as I was craving some comfort food! Next time I am going to add tuna, peas, carrots and mushrooms to make it like a easy stove top tuna casserole!
Delicious! I used homemade cashew cream and Earth Balance for the buttery spread. Great side to my veggie burger. Thanks for this super easy, but good protein, recipe 🙂
Katie!! Promote this recipe a lot more. I have been making it since it first came out and it has never failed me – works great as make-ahead lunches.
I usually double the recipe and since I use my Instant Pot, I reduce the liquid to the ratio 1 cup quinoa to 1.5 cups liquid (1 cup water and half cup almond milk). I dump everything except kale/spinach (I use buttery spread so no cream) and cook it on high pressure for 1 minute and natural release for 10 minutes.
I like to stir in my greens with a few chilli flakes. I have taken to see it as a base “alfredo” recipe and add toppings as I please.
Thank you once again for this 🙂
This is my new favorite meal!! Satisfies my Mac and cheese cravings and is so much healthier 🙂
Reminds me of a Patricia Wells recipe with risotto and Parmesan. I used culinary Almond milk and spinach. I was afraid it would be too soupy but it had a wonderful porridge like texture. I will make this again and try some asparagus tips( like Wells recipe) and maybe a different cream.