This curry quinoa pilaf recipe is an easy and delicious side dish or vegetarian main dish. Full of flavor with crunchy toasted almonds and sweet raisins that go great with the curry sesaoned quinoa. And it only takes 15 minutes to make.
You might also like this curry cauliflower salad recipe.
I’ve rediscovered my love for quinoa. In the fall it is nice to try different grains and I find quinoa the easiest to play around with, like this vegetable curry quinoa pilaf recipe which you can scroll down to view in the recipe card.
I love that it’s only takes 15 minutes to make and that it’s has so much flavor. The curry seasoning with the quinoa combined with sweet raisins and tender vegetables makes a hearty fall side dish. But you could also eat it as a meatless dinner.
Quinoa is a healthy grain that is packed with protein, zinc, fiber and antioxidants. So I like to make a big batch and use it in quick recipes like this one or some of the many other quinoa recipes on this site.
Why I love quinoa.
I’ve grown to love this ancient grain because it’s so versatile and healthy for you.
- Plain quinoa doesn’t have much taste to me but it does have a lot of texture so it makes a great base.
- It’s gluten free and easy to freeze.
- It can be used for both sweet and savory dishes.
- You can even bake with it and make muffins, cereal, granola, etc.
- It’s a great source of protein an it’s one of the few plant foods that is a complete protein. Read more about quinoa here.
This recipe only takes 15 minutes because you are using already cooked quinoa. I cooked a large batch and made several meals from it. So take the time to make extra and use it for the next couple days or freeze it.
Recipe ingredients I used.
I used a lot of simple ingredients for this recipe: cooked quinoa, carrots, cauliflower, curry powder, butter, clove of garlic, salt, nutritional yeast and sliced almonds. I liked the flavor ofbutter butyou can also use olive oil or even coconut oil.
Quinoa
I used cooked quinoa to cut down on cooking time for this recipe. Also I tend to make a big batch and use it in other recipes. If you are using uncooked quinoa you will have to make a batch ahead of time or simultaneously.
Curry Powder
I just used a simple yellow curry powder I bought at Aldi but you can use any kind you want. If you want to use a hot curry powder go for it. This one was pretty mild though.
Raisins
I used golden raisins in the original recipe because they look better to me but I didn’t have any on hand this time so I used regular brown raisins. They add a bit of sweetness to counterbalance the spices.
Carrots and Cauliflower
I like these two basic vegetables in Indian food. I suppose you could use other vegetables green beans, or mixed vegetables but these two work well.
Nutritional Yeast
This is the most unusual ingredient in this recipe and if you don’t have any you can substitute with parmesan cheese or eliminate it. But if you have it, use it. It has a cheesy nutty flavor and gives this dish a boost of flavor.
Sliced Almonds
Nuts seem to make a pilaf dish but you could also use other nuts. I like the sliced almonds for their crunch and appearance but you could substitute walnuts, pecans, etc.
How to make this vegetable curry quinoa pilaf recipe.
Step 1: Chop carrots and cauliflower into bite sized pieces and then place in a microwave bowl. Add a splash of water and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes then drain and set aside.
Step 2: Next get out a large skillet and heat to medium heat then add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once it has melted add the cauliflower and carrots. Sprinkle the curry powder, nutritional yeast, salt, crushed garlic and raisins and mix well.
Step 3: Add the cooked quinoa and 1 tablespoon of butter, mix and saute for a few more minutes to let the flavors meld together.
Step 4: Take off the heat and top with the sliced almonds and then serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
Other than being such a quick and flavorful side dish, this recipe is very versatile too.
You could mix up the vegetables with some spinach, zucchini and grape tomatoes along with some Italian seasoning and garlic instead of the curry powder andnutritional yeast.
Or maybe some Greek seasoning, onion, bell pepper and feta cheese instead of the almonds.
More healthy quinoa recipes to try.
- warm salad with roasted veggies
- cherry chocolate breakfast bake
- holiday pomegranate pilaf
- buffalo chicken casserole
I hope you like this curry quinoa pilaf recipe. We ate this for dinner but it would be great as a side dish. It’s easy, healthy and most of all, it’s tasty. Enjoy!
Vegetable Curry Quinoa Pilaf Recipe
Yield: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
This curry quinoa pilaf recipe is an easy and delicious side dish. This vegetarian recipe only takes 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup cauliflower florets, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (can sub with parmesan cheese or eliminate)
- ¼ cup raisins (I like golden but can use regular)
- ¼ almond slices, toasted
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Note I used cooked quinoa. If you have to cook it just follow the package directions. You can follow the rest of the recipe and add it once it's finished cooking.
- Chop the carrots and cauliflower florets into bite size pieces and then place to a microwavable safe dish. Add a splash of water and cook for 4 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
- Heat up a large skillet to meidum and heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and when it melts add the cooked cauliflower and carrots.
- Sprinkle the curry powder, nutritional yeast, salt, raisins and crushed garlic over the vegetables and mix well.
- Add in the cooked quinoa and lastly 1 tablespoon of butter and cook for a few minutes so the flavors meld. Top with nuts and serve. Stroe leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
You can substitute olive oil or coconut oil for the butter. Parmesan cheese can be used to substitute for the nutritional yeast or just eliminated. And you can use other vegetables like mixed veggies, green beans, zucchini, peppers, etc.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 223Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 347mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 6gSugar: 9gProtein: 6g
