Sauteed Winter Vegetables with Crispy Quinoa

Crispy quinoa adds texture and flavor to winter vegetables in this easy weeknight meal.

Whenever I make rice or quinoa for a dish, I almost always cook extra. There are so many ways you can reuse these. And any time I can cut a step from a weeknight dinner, I’m doing it.

Quinoa, in particular, is a favorite of mine. It goes great in grain bowls, salads, and you can even eat it like oatmeal for breakfast. But one of my favorite ways to use leftover quinoa is to cook it in a little bit of oil until it browns and crisps. It adds a crispy texture, a toasty flavor, and makes things like sautéed vegetables a bit more interesting. Crispy quinoa is one of my favorite additions.

For the veggies, I used cabbage, mushrooms, and onions, with a bit of balsamic vinegar. To add another textural element, I added some dried cranberries that I had leftover from another recipe, and some goat cheese at the end for creaminess.

While you may be tempted to cook the quinoa before you crisp it up, don’t. Kind of like fried rice, the quinoa is best when it’s been cooked and cooled ahead of time. I’ve done it both ways, and I can tell you that doing it beforehand is better. So just make a plan for two meals with quinoa and cook up enough for this recipe. It will last a couple days in the fridge, so you don’t have to eat quinoa two days in a row.

You can also use this for whatever veggies you like or add crisp up your quinoa and then add it to a grain bowl or salad. Don’t cook it too long though — you don’t want it hard, just a bit crisp at the bite.