Hearty and nutritious quinoa and rice with sweet potatoes is a satisfying dish that can be a side dish or a meal on its own and it's free of the top 8 allergens.
Nutrition notes
This recipe is a nutritious dish! For people avoiding wheat due to a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance, finding wheat/gluten free whole grains can sometimes be a challenge.
Quinoa (keen-wah) is a unique whole grain (actually a seed). Not only does it have B vitamins and fiber but it also provides a complete protein. That means it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies can't make on their own.
One serving of this dish contains about 6 grams of protein which is higher than most grain dishes.
You'll also get a good amount of fiber in a serving of this dish! Quinoa and brown rice are both whole grains - great sources of fiber - and the vegetables also provide some fiber as well.
A healthy dish is only healthy if it gets eaten so...is it any good? Well, let me tell you, my youngest son was a bit skeptical when he saw it but he actually had a second helping AND had leftovers for lunch the next day! 🙂
How to make it
This is a fairly easy dish to put together. The hardest part is chopping vegetables! One meal planning strategy that I use all the time is to prep for two dishes at one time. For example, I might decide to make this dish and chicken noodle soup in the same week. When I'm prepping one of those dishes, I chop extra carrots, celery, and onion and set them aside for the next meal. It's such a huge time saver!
Once the vegetables are chopped, saute them in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Cook them until they are tender and the onion is translucent.
While you're doing that, be sure to rinse the quinoa because it has a natural coating called saponin which can make your dish taste bitter. Even if you buy pre-rinsed quinoa, it can't hurt to give it a rinse. I put it in my mesh strainer which has pretty small holes but I do lose a few seeds in the process. Once the quinoa gets wet the grains all stick together so this isn't too big of a problem.
When your veggies are done cooking and you've rinsed the quinoa, you can combine all of the ingredients in a casserole dish. I use an 8 quart baking dish which leaves enough room to stir everything together.
Broth often has gluten/wheat so find one that is safe for you. I share my favorites on the wheat substitutes page.
Serving suggestions
The flavors of this dish remind me of fall - maybe it's the sweet potatoes! It would be a wonderful side dish at Thanksgiving.
It's meant to be a side dish but it is hearty enough to stand alone as a main dish. I would add a salad or steamed vegetable to round it out.
Here I served it with a grilled chicken breast and salad greens with cranberry vinaigrette. Yum!
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📖 Recipe
Quinoa with Brown Rice and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- "Safe" cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium carrot chopped
- 3 stalks of celery chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and chopped
- ¾ cup uncooked brown rice
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 3 cups gluten free vegetable or chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray an 8 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and sweet potato to the skillet and saute until tender.
- Scoop the sauteed vegetables into the 8 quart casserole dish and add the quinoa, brown rice, broth, thyme, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
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beth
Can this be made as a freeze-ahead dish? In whole or in part...
Kristi
Hi Beth,
I haven't tried it myself but I do think it would freeze/reheat well!