I’m sure we all know by now my affinity for all things pesto.
And just when you thought I had enough pesto recipes, I throw just another one at you.
This time, it only takes 15 minutes to make!
Yes, super super easy and so filling!
Don’t you love quick dinner ideas? This 15-minute spinach pesto quinoa bowl brought to you by…me! ‘Cause one evening I decided I didn’t want to cook an elaborate dinner cause I just wasn’t having it, then further, I decided I’d just throw everything in a pot and voila! Here you go.
Let’s break this down; why is this such a great recipe?
Quinoa cooks incredibly fast;
Spinach wilts down and cooks incredibly fast;
And well, if you already have pesto on hand, you just gotta throw it in, mix everything around, shave some beautiful parm on top and seriously – quick dinner in 15 minutes.
I got you ;)
Can you make your own pesto?
Yes!
In fact, I have a few recipes for homemade pesto if you are interested.
They all would work in this recipe:
If you wanted to make traditional basil pesto, use the arugula pesto recipe and sub out the arugula and sub in basil!
What type of quinoa should I use?
You can use a mix of regular white quinoa and red quinoa or whatever quinoa you want.
Can I make this with rice if I don’t like quinoa?
Sure!
Farro and other grains would be a good option to sub in here too.
Other quinoa recipes you may enjoy:
- Garlic butter shrimp and quinoa
- Easy chicken shawarma quinoa bowls
- Roasted vegetable and chicken quinoa bowls
- Stovetop turkey quinoa chili
You'll have dinner on the table in no time with this 15-minute spinach pesto quinoa bowl!
- 2 cups multi-colored quinoa, uncooked
- 6 cups baby spinach
- 4 tablespoons basil pesto
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
- Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the box or bag. (Instead of water, I used chicken stock for more flavor but if you want to keep this a vegetarian dish, go with water or vegetable stock.)
- Once quinoa is done cooking, turn heat to medium then add spinach, pesto, salt, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and heat until spinach has wilted, pesto is evenly distributed, and Parmesan cheese has melted.
- Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.
*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
So, 2 cups of uncooked quinoa will turn into 4 cups of cooked quinoa. Therefore, the recipe would serve 8 1/2 cup servings, not 4. I used 2 cups of cooked quinoa with the rest of the ingredients and it was good. Also added cooked asparagus and some lemon juice..
Hi this looks awesome! What recipe do you recommend for the pesto recipe (to make the actual pesto for this recipe)
You can use this one: https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/arugula-walnut-pesto-and-sundried-tomato-pasta/ – just sub out the arugula for basil and instead of 2/3 cup of walnuts, use 2 tbsp. of pine nuts :)
quinoa, spinach, pesto – all my favorites together in the same dish, of course. Thanks for tonight’dinner!.
Excellent recipe! Very easy to prepare. Made no changes, tasted amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Can you heat this up as left overs? Would it still be good? I was thinking of doing this like a night before and taking it for lunch a couple days.
Yes, we make this all the time and heat it up for leftovers! Enjoy!
This sounds yummy! Will have to try it. Thanks for sharing
Can’t wait to make this!!
Looks delicious, would you happen to have the nutritional info for the recipe?
This was great! I used yakina greens in place of the spinach, so I sauteed them in olive oil before tossing with the rest of the ingredients. Quick and easy side for roasted chicken.
Sounds perfect!
I make this and reheat the leftovers for breakfast with an egg or two on top. My new favorite breakfast!
Oh, I love that idea!!
mmm so perfect! I added chicken I cooked on a pan with a couple different seasonings. turned out great :)
Can u use frozen spinach?
Yes, just make sure you drain it well.
I just made it but added a little garlic and served with basil pesto chicken. It’s really good.
Yummy
This was today’s lunch. Yummmm!!
This dish is soooooooo satisfying. I halved the recipe as my husband does not like quinoa, and it came out amazing. Will definitely continue to make!
This sounds perfect for the mother/daughter weekend we have planned! I’ll let you know if it was as big a hit as I anticipate.
Just had this for dinner. I prepared it as you listed, using vegetable broth in place of water for the quinoa and used Tastefully Simple’s pesto. It was quick, easy and the family loved it!
Any recommendations for replacing the cheese? I have vegan pesto and would like to keep the dish dairy free.
I’m not familiar with vegan cooking or dairy-free substitutions for cheese. Vegan butter?
Can I give this 10 stars? No joke, this is my current go-to meal. So ridiculously easy to make and tastes just as good three days later. I make a big batch on Sunday and bring leftovers for lunch a couple of days that week. Thanks Julie!
Haha too funny! Thank you for the feedback!!