Italian Quinoa

This Italian Quinoa is a great dish because it can be served hot or cold, vegetarian or with meat.  Best of all, it's pantry-friendly (shelf-stable), meaning the ingredients can be kept for months in your pantry, just waiting to be used.  I love pantry-friendly recipes like this because they are a great last-minute dish and they can be made even during an emergency.  The flavors in this one are fabulous.

ITALIAN QUINOA

PREP AND COOK TIME:  about 20-25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. quinoa
• 1  3/4 c. water
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 Tbsp. parsley
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried spinach (available here and here)
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried sausage (optional; available here -- I use this all the time!  I love not having to cook sausage!)
• 1/4 c. dried onion (I prefer red onion by Litehouse, but regular dried minced onion is fine, too.)
• 1 can petite diced Italian tomatoes, undrained
• 3/4 c. black olives, quartered
• a little Italian salad dressing to drizzle, optional

DIRECTIONS

Place quinoa, water, and lemon juice in a medium pan.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove briefly from heat to stir in   garlic salt, oregano, parsley, spinach, sausage (optional), and onion.  Place back on the heat, lower heat to low, and cover the pan with a lid.  Cook 15 minutes on low.  Remove from heat and place in a serving bowl.  Stir in tomatoes and olives.  Drizzle with Italian dressing, if desired.  Serve hot or cold.  

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below, or the social media share links at the left.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.

Hooray!  This blog post was a featured favorite here: