One Pot Moroccan Quinoa is as easy and flavorful as it gets for streamlined weeknight cooking. Gluten free, vegan, and sure to become a family favorite. 
Why You'll Love this Moroccan Quinoa:
Friends, I am SO excited to share this dead simple, yet wildly flavorful, dish with you. It all comes together in ONE PAN (therefore minimal cleanup) in right around 35 minutes. Plus, it's gluten-free and plant-based, yet protein-packed thanks to my favorite pseudo-grain, quinoa.
Additionally, this moroccan quinoa is make-ahead friendly and perfect to pack for weekday lunches. Just be prepared to be the envy of every coworker in the break room. Enjoy it warm, chilled, or at room temperature, and it may become a meal prep favorite.
How to Cook Quinoa:
Quinoa is a quick-cooking grain with a neutral flavor that takes well to just about any spice combination. Here are a few of my pro tips:
- Prior to cooking, give the quinoa a quick rinse in a mesh strainer to remove its natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter.
- I love to toast quinoa in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes prior to cooking to enhance its natural nutty flavor.
- Look for quinoa in the bulk bin section of natural grocery stores, such as Whole Foods or Sprouts, to save up to $2.00 per pound. Alternatively, you can purchase it in bags in the grains aisle of most grocery stores. Purchase white, tri-colored, or red quinoa for this recipe—they all taste relatively similar!
Is Quinoa Healthy?
Fun fact: quinoa is one of the few plant sources of all nine essential amino acids required to build and repair protein tissues in the body, therefore making it a complete protein.
- ¼ cup of dry quinoa, which equals one serving, has about 6 grams of protein.
- Quinoa is also gluten free and extremely versatile, which is why it's one of my go-to's.
How to Caramelize Lemons:
This moroccan quinoa is unique in the fact that it calls for caramelized lemons. Giving lemon slices a quick sear in butter brings out their sweetness and adds layers of complexity to the dish. And, if you want extra caramelized goodness, sprinkle a tiny bit of granulated sugar right on the flesh before searing (trust me, you won't regret it!).
You can choose to cut up the lemon slices (skin, rinds, and all) and eat them with the quinoa, or simply just squeeze the juice over the finished dish.
In addition to the caramelized lemon garnish, I love adding castelvetrano olives and fresh parsley or cilantro. The olives add a buttery, briny bite while the herb element lends a layer of freshness.
If you give this recipe a try, I'd love for you to snap a photo and tag me @dishingouthealth on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations!
More Healthy One Pot Meals:
Lemon Pepper Shrimp and Orzo
Harissa Shrimp and Feta Orzo
One Pot Moroccan Quinoa
Equipment
- Large skillet with fitted lid
Ingredients
- 2 tsp. unsalted butter
- 1 lemon, pitted and sliced thin
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely chopped shallots from 1 medium shallot
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 (14.5-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds (toasted for more flavor)
- ¼ cup sliced green olives (I suggest Castelvetrano olives)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat butter in a large skillet with a fitted lid over medium-high heat. Once melted, add lemon slices. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until golden-brown; flip and cook 1 to 2 additional minutes. Transfer to a plate and reduce heat to medium.
- Add oil, shallots, and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes, until softened. Stir in cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and quinoa; stir to coat. Cook 1 to 2 minutes in order to lightly toast quinoa.Stir in diced tomatoes and broth; increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa absorbs most liquid and plumps up, about 15 to 20 minutes.Uncover, and stir in spinach until greens wilt into mixture, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almonds. Top with olives, fresh herbs, and caramelized lemon slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Susan S
I'm on a sodium restricted diet, so here are some of my ways to cut back on it.
I use Pacific low sodium broth (4o mg/serving) I dry toast with no seasonings/oil my almonds using nearly 1/2 cup. I bake/roast my own tomatoes vs store bought cans. Both of these are quite simple to make and save a ton of sodium. I love my green olives and those were use to up the sodium. also upped the Hungarian sweet paprika, cumin, parsley and garlic. I also use nutritional yeast which is 8g of proteins per 2T.
The recipe as it is is fabulous, I just have to adjust to my find ways to adjust what I eat to fit my needs. I am thrilled to find this recipe!
Kelsey
I make this every few weeks for our family and it
Is a huge hit every time! My kids, 6, 4, and 2 absolutely love it and I love that they are getting something healthy in their bodies!!! Thank you! Quick, inexpensive, and easy to make too!
Meredith
Has anyone tried substituting another grain like millet or bulgur?
Valrun Valgeirsdottir
Made this at work and everybody just loved it. Now quinoa has gotten a lift to new hights..🤭😉
Jamie Vespa
Woohoo! Love hearing that, Valrun! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
sara
we really liked this! was looking for something low-carb packed with flavor, and this fit the bill. added some shredded chicken that I had on hand and my partner added feta to his. thanks for this!
Jamie Vespa
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Sara! Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating and review.
Mallory Morrison
Delicious! My sisters and I do virtual cooking every week and this week we made this! It did not disappoint. I could have eaten all the lemons myself. Look forward to making this again
Jamie Vespa
Aw I love that!! I'm so glad you and your sisters enjoyed this one!
Michelle
Made this according to the recipe and we loved it! My wife couldn't believe we were supposed to eat the lemon rind, but man was it delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Michelle-I'm so glad you and your wife enjoyed this one!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating and review!
Barry
Made this tonight and wow loved it. I did the lemons with brown sugar and butter they were so sweet.. Will do thos again.
Helen
If anyone else is dealing with this pandemic like I am, you are probably sick and tired of figuring out dinner ideas. Well this was perfect, the flavors are amazing, I am not even a fan of olives, but they were yummy in this recipe. I also added shrimp to the dish and made it a much more filling meal. Definitely adding it to the rotation!
Jamie Vespa
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Helen! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Morgan
This is the first recipe I tried from DishingOutHealth’s page, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The vegetable broth brings so much flavor to the quinoa and this recipe is good hot, cold, even a week old. It tastes light but is still much more filling then, say, a traditional salad. I now make this almost every week! I don’t like olives so I use green onions instead, but I make everything else according to the recipe. I love this page!!
Jamie Vespa
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Morgan! Thank you for taking time to leave a review!
Robyn
So delicious! I’ve made this many times for my husband and even for guests-it’s Been a winner with everyone who has tried it.
dishingouthealth
Hi Robyn, I'm so glad you have enjoyed this recipe!! It's a favorite over here, too 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Tami
So delicious! Everything complimented everything else perfectly! The sugar on the lemon really brought out that flavor. Will definitely be making this again!
dishingouthealth
Hi Tami, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review!
Mallory
One of my new favorites!! The Spanish olives are a must.
Maria
My husband and I loved this!!! We added shredded rotisserie chicken and ate for lunch the next day too. Thanks for a great recipe!
Bridget
My family LOVED this. It made great leftovers, too!
Sandy
Absolutely delicious and easy!! Thank you-- we will be making this again!
Carol
This was really flavorful especially for a fairly easy one pot meal! I used both cilantro and parsley. I ate sliced the lemons into the dish and they were fantastic! Thank you for a colorful, delicious, and unique recipe.