Best Tried-and-True Healthy, Easy Quinoa Recipes (2024)

~ These Healthy, Easy Quinoa Recipes are all tried-and-true favorites – beloved by our family, and our readers! Try a few yourself, and we think you’ll agree that they’re some of the yummiest, very best quinoa recipes out there, and definitely great inspiration for working more quinoa into your family’s meals! ~

Looking for more delicious ways to eat quinoa? New, healthy quinoa recipes to breathe a little life into a stale, ho-hum meal rotation?

Or maybe you’re just now trying to jump on the quinoa bandwagon, and you need no-fail, easy quinoa recipes to get you started?

Either way … you’ve come to the right place! We’ve got some favorite recipes we’re dying to share! From burstingly flavorful salads to EASY, mix-it-right-in-the-pan casseroles. Even a classic soup that’s boosted with the addition of nutrient-rich quinoa!

And, just like all our recipes, they’re tested and retested (again and again and again) until we LOVE them, and we’re sure you will, too.

That protein is worth a little further discussion, though, because that’s where quinoa really shines! Quinoa is one of the only plants that has all the amino acids needed to be a complete protein (which means it’s especially great for vegetarians and vegans).

It also has a very high ratio of protein to carbs, and the carbs it does have are complex carbs. Those complex carbohydrates help you feel full longer, which definitely makes quinoa a better source of sustained energy than simple carbs like white pastas or white rice.

But even beyond the quinoa itself, our recipes are designed to boost big, big flavor while focusing on great nutrients from lots of colorful veggies, lean meats like chicken, and lower-fat dressings and dairy.

It all adds up to recipes that you’ll feel great about serving – not just because people rave and pester you for the recipes … but also because you know you’re sharing foods that are actually good for your friends and loved ones, too!

It’s an all-around win!

Ok – But Exactly What Makes These Easy Quinoa Recipes?

If you’ve never made quinoa before and it seems a little bit daunting, not to worry! Here at THK, we’re all about food that’s actually DO-able!

Some of these recipes are fantastic big-batch, make-ahead recipes that keep well for days. So, they’re great for meal prepping and make-ahead meals. And of course, we always try to give you mini make-ahead tips and shortcuts all along the way!

Maybe even better … the two casseroles in our list rely on one of our very favorite quinoa shortcut tricks – mixing uncooked quinoa with other ingredients, right in the baking pan! It all cooks together as the casserole bakes, so you don’t even have to pre-cook the quinoa.

Now that’s easy!

And that delicious Tortilla Soup? Yep – there’s slow cooker magic happening there! Just toss ingredients in your crock-pot in the morning, and dinner’s waiting when you roll through the door at night! Boo-yah!

Because quinoa is so neutral-flavored, it’s incredibly adaptable for lots of different flavor profiles – from summery tomatoes and basil to Mexican spices, and from Mediterranean ingredients to Italian combinations … and beyond! It easily swaps in to replace pasta or rice in a wide variety of recipe types, boosting nutrition without getting in the way of the flavors you love.

Are you convinced yet?!? Ready to get cooking? The hardest part will be deciding which to try first!