Garlicky, lemony, and delicious, this Garlic Quinoa and Spinach Bowl is a super quick and easy, yet full of flavor side dish or brunch. It is a great little recipe to have in your repertoire when the day gets busy but you still need to eat. Packs well for a picnic or potluck and is super versatile to be dressed up or down depending on what you need.
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Garlic Quinoa and Spinach Bowl
This Garlic Quinoa and Spinach Bowl is a great little quick and easy dish to have on hand for a busy weeknight.
It can be served up as-is for a light lunch, paired with a poached egg for a scrummy breakfast, or paired with something else, like poached chicken, for a more substantial meal.
Plus, it requires minimal simple ingredients.
You are going to need:
- garlic
- baby spinach
- lemon zest
- quinoa
- poached or fried eggs (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
That's it.
Tips, Tricks, and Substitutions
Being prepared for the week makes it so much easier to make good decisions for yourself and your family when it comes to food.
Luckily for you, this Garlic Quinoa and Spinach Bowl comes together in about 20 minutes from start to finish (even quicker if you have batch-cooked some quinoa ahead of time), and can be meal prepped ahead of time.
Spinach
I use baby spinach for this quinoa bowl, as it does not require much preparation except for a quick rinse.
You can also use English spinach, simply remove the leaves from the stems and rinse before use.
Quinoa
Make sure to give your uncooked quinoa a couple of rinses through a fine-mesh sieve before cooking.
Save time by cooking your quinoa in the instant pot.
Simply:
- rinse well,
- add to the pot with equal amounts of water
- cook on manual for 9 mins
- quick pressure release
Alternatively, cook it on the stovetop using the instructions on the back of the packaging.
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Garlic
I do make this quite heavy on the garlic, so adjust up or down depending on your preferences.
How To Serve Garlic Quinoa and Spinach
There are so many ways to serve this quick and easy bowl:
- as is, as a simple side or a light lunch
- topped with a poached or fried egg for an easy breakfast or brunch bowl
- with something more substantial, like this homemade rotisserie chicken, for a whole meal
- it packs well for a picnic or potluck
- also makes a really good filling in a wrap when paired with salad
My favourite way to serve this dish is as a quick and easy late breakfast quinoa bowl, as it looks quite fancy and cafe-ish with a perfectly poached or fried egg on top, but is such a cinch to prepare.
Looking For Some More Quinoa Recipes?
Check these out:
- Easy Poached Salmon Quinoa Burger
- Garlicky Orange Spinach Salad
- Baked Zucchini, Feta, and Quinoa Bites
- Apple Quinoa Breakfast Pot
- Edamame Quinoa Salad from Sweet Caramel Sunday
Happy Eating
xx
Garlic Quinoa and Spinach Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped spinach or whole baby spinach to make it even quicker
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 poached or fried eggs optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil of choice (I used avocado oil) in a medium sized saucepan (with a lid) over medium heat. When hot, add in the chopped garlic. Cook until fragrant
- Add in the chopped spinach and lemon zest, pop on the lid and leave for 2-3 minutes, until the spinach has wilted
- Add in the cooked quinoa and stir to combine. Cook until just heated through and remove from the heat (I added in about a tablespoon of olive oil here to keep things from drying out)
- Serve up, salt and pepper to taste, and add a perfectly poached or fried egg to the top. Enjoy
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
Sounds like a wonderful combination! I often have quinoa made ahead...I have discovered that I can make it in my rice cooker (which I think is one of the most wonderful inventions ever, since I tend to forget things and burn them). I bet my family will love this! Thanks for sharing it with us at #FoodieFriDIY...sharing it on my Facebook page tomorrow. 🙂
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks Michelle! I am with you on the quinoa in the rice cooker - so so easy! It always works out so much fluffier for me that way. Thanks for sharing 🙂
meggs says
AHhh that looks amazing! I love anything with an egg in it -- its like the whip cream of savory dishes in my opinion! lol
Whole Food Bellies says
Haha I love that analogy - I never would have come up with anything like that myself 🙂
DT says
This looks amazing... I gotta try!!!
Thanks for sharing!
—DT | Here I Scribble
Whole Food Bellies says
Very welcome 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!
Jessica says
I love that it has so much garlic! It looks really delicious with the egg!
~Jessica
Jeans and a Teacup
Whole Food Bellies says
I know, haha, there is a lot - I am a BIG garlic fan 🙂
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
Love this, I'm so obsessed with quinoa at the moment, bet it's delicious with spinach and garlic!
Whole Food Bellies says
Yeah it's really yummy 🙂
lifestyletalks.wordpress.com says
First of all, Congrats on your new home! I must admit I never tried quinoa before...but this looks really yummy! I'm going to try this.. I love spinach and garlic so this can't go wrong...Egg or fish: I love both. I haven't decided yet which one I'm going to choose . I'm definitely going to enjoy this 🙂 Thanks!
Whole Food Bellies says
Thank you, so nice to be settled in a new house with a bit of space for the kids to run around!! Good luck venturing into the world of Quinoa 🙂 I'm a bit obsessed with everything quinoa at the moment because it's so versatile!
Nina says
Yummy! I'm obsessed with eggs, so definitely pinning this for later 🙂
Whole Food Bellies says
I hope you enjoy Nina, the egg tastes great in there!
Olivia @ Simply Liv says
this looks incredible! We eat so much quinoa in our house and I'm always looking for new ways to cook it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Whole Food Bellies says
You are very welcome Olivia! We eat it a fair bit here at the moment as well 🙂
Kate says
This looks amazing! Quinoa is my new obsession!
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks Kate! I think once you get hooked on quinoa it seems to become a bit of an obsession 🙂
Earl-Leigh says
You had me at garlic. I love how simple this recipe is!
Whole Food Bellies says
Haha I totally agree - garlic makes everything good 🙂
Tedi says
This looks so delicious. It sounds like it's full of flavor but still easy to make. Thank you for sharing. Love that your husband is requesting the spinach 🙂
Whole Food Bellies says
So easy to make (my kinda dish)! I know, I am shocked and surprised he is requesting spinach!! Must be doing something right 🙂
Richa says
Hey Thats a yummy healthy recipe. Just noticed you don't have a 'search' option on your website, actually I wanted to search for a brown rice recipe
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks for the heads up Richa!! I did have one but it seems to have disappeared 🙂 That's this afternoons project sorted!
Stacey Valle says
oh - that looks so good! I really should try cooking more often.Enjoy your new beautiful home! 🙂
jamie@makeuplifelove says
I need this in my life like NOW. This looks so yummy and perfect for a meatless monday meal. Saving and making for sure.
Whole Food Bellies says
Aww thanks Jamie! I hope you enjoy if you give it a go 🙂
Amy says
Love the poached egg on top, i'd have never thought of doing that. Thanks for the idea, think i'll try this out at the weekend x
Whole Food Bellies says
I hope you do Amy!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
Ummm yes, with the eggs, omg yes! This sounds super simple and looks so good!
Brenda says
I love anything garlicky so this is right up my alley! I love the addition of the egg on top too for a texture/flavor change. It looks delicious.
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks Brenda, I love anything garlicky too 🙂
Rachel says
Love that bowl, not to mention the yolkporn! 😉
Whole Food Bellies says
It's such a cute bowl isn't it! Haha I actually didn't realise yolkporn was a thing until recently, now I am all over it 🙂