Gluten-free Creamy Parmesan-Garlic Quinoa is an easy, gluten-free side dish that's packed with protein and crowd-pleasing flavors.
Creamy Parmesan-Garlic Quinoa is the answer to your what to serve with dinner prayers! This simple, savory side dish takes 5 minutes to prep, simmers for just 15 minutes, then is ready to serve.
Perfectly garlicky, creamy, and cheesy. Plus quinoa is packed with protein so it’s a side dish with staying power!
Quinoa is quickly toasted in garlic-infused oil then cooked in chicken broth before being combined with salty parmesan cheese. Fast. Quick. Flavorful. Try this!
You’ll only need 5 kitchen staples to whip up Creamy Parmesan-Garlic Quinoa: Quinoa, of course, chicken broth, garlic, parmesan cheese, and extra virgin olive oil.
Start by rinsing 1 cup quinoa under cold running water in a fine mesh sieve if you don’t have the pre-rinsed kind of quinoa.
Let the quinoa drain while you heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat then add 3 cloves minced garlic.
Let the garlic saute for 30 seconds to a minute, stirring constantly, until it’s light golden brown. It will go from golden brown to burnt very quickly, so keep an eye on it.
Add the drained quinoa then stir for 1 minute to let it lightly toast, and then add 1-3/4 cup gluten-free chicken broth (or vegetable broth.) Turn the heat up to bring to a boil then place a lid on top, turn the heat back down to medium-low, and then cook until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
Finally, stir in 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese. That’s it!
Let the quinoa cool for 10 minutes before serving so you really get the parmesan-garlic flavor to come through. As with most things in life, it’s worth the wait!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed
- 1-3/4 cups gluten free chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat then add garlic and saute until barely golden brown, 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add quinoa then toast for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth then turn heat up to high to bring to a boil. Place a lid on top then turn heat down to low and cook until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 12-15 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese then serve.
Notes
- Look for pre-rinsed quinoa at the grocery store. I like Bob's Red Mill Quinoa.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
after you finish Breaking Bad, you might as well add House of Cards to the list :)
Could you do this with couscous???
I don’t see why not! :)
That is a cute baby and a cute side dish. Netflix is a problem but I love binging on shows!
I love that you put your quinoa in a Mason jar – mine is still camped out in the bag from the bulk bin, and no matter what I do to keep it from escaping the bag, I still have random pieces of rogue quinoa stuck to my socks every time I enter my kitchen. Buying several Mason jars NOW!
Breaking Bad is THE BEST! We watched it and caught up when the final season was going on so we could watch the finale live with the rest of the world. YOU. JUST. WAIT.
PS – watch House of Cards next. You’ll thank me.
I had to respond, I have been reading your blog for awhile now and tried alot of great recipes :) but Breaking Bad is amazing! If you have downtime I highly suggest Homeland, and Sons of Anarchy. Ohh, did I mention Game of Thrones? Ok, at some point it will get nice out again and tv will be a thing of the past.
P.S Your son, is adorable! Every picture I just want to reach into the computer and pick him up. Such a beautiful baby! It’s making me have baby fever, almost. :) (no kids yet)
I’m pretty sure Parmesan cheese has magical powers! It makes everything taste 10x better. :) Will definitely be making this soon.
I watched the first season of Breaking Bad when it first came out and I could not get into it! I have no idea why! And this looks awesome! I can’t wait to make it for a side dish!
I just finished binging on House of Cards and want to watch Breaking Bad but Spring is coming and I have to leave the house sometime. :) I have a feeling I’m going to cave in soon.
Talk about perfect timing! My cousin called me last week looking for Quinoa ideas so I went to experimenting in the kitchen with it. It’s been a long while since I’ve cooked Quinoa. I definitely will be trying this recipe! So simple. Thanks again for the recipe Kristin!
My boyfriend and I watched 5 seasons of Breaking Bad in under a month. The last season wasn’t available on Netflix but now that it is our time will be dedicated to watching as much as we can. It is so addicting!
At work we use Skype to ask questions and share issues. I asked about a client and after no response I asked Bueller? Bueller? The response from 3 different people: “I can’t find a client called Bueller”
WHAT?!?!? I think I died a little inside.
Delicious :) I never think to add cheese to my quinoa. Will definitely be trying this one!
My hubby and I just started Breaking Bad too! We are already on Season 4…and just started watching 2 weeks ago. Addicted. It’s SO GOOD!
I love this quinoa! I’m still trying to learn to love quinoa. But…adding cheese makes everything better! Pinned!