Savory Pumpkin Quinoa

savory-pumpkin-quinoa

It really shouldn’t surprise you that I’m posting a pumpkin recipe this week, with 3 1/2 pounds of homemade pumpkin puree in my refrigerator. ‘Tis the season, I suppose.

Actually, this pumpkin quinoa is one of my favorite savory dishes. I made it a lot last year and was waiting for the weather to get cool to start making it again. The earthiness from the pumpkin combined with herbs makes for an irresistibly savory and comforting dish that’s perfect served hot on a cold night.

savory-pumpkin-quinoa-serving

If you don’t have herbes de Provence on hand, you can use a mixture of savory herbs that you do have such as equal parts thyme, rosemary, and sage.

Savory Pumpkin Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence

savory-pumpkin-quinoa-final

Method:

  1. Wash and drain the quinoa. Combine it with 2 1/4 cups of fresh water in a pot and bring it to a boil.
  2. Cover the quinoa with a lid and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb the water and cook.
  3. While the quinoa is cooking, bring the oil up to heat in a large pan over a burner set to medium-high.
  4. Once the oil is hot, add in the pepper and onion and sauté for 5-10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the pepper slightly charred.
  5. Once the quinoa is done cooking, add in the pumpkin puree, onion, pepper, salt, and herbs. Mix thoroughly and heat it back up if the quinoa has cooled at all. Serve hot.

savory-pumpkin-quinoa-forked

Comfort food is usually something you grew up with; I never grew up eating quinoa, but this is definitely comfort food. It reminds me of a thick risotto. If you want you can add nutritional yeast, parmesan, or shredded cheddar to give it a sharp, cheesy flavor and make something reminiscent of mac n’ cheese.

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23 Responses to Savory Pumpkin Quinoa
  1. JL goes Vegan
    November 3, 2011 | 9:45 am

    Looks delicious! I’m going to try toss everything into the rice cooker and see what happens 🙂

  2. Pure2raw twins
    November 3, 2011 | 10:38 am

    yum, this is one of my favorite ways to enjoy quinoa, adding veggie purees and savory spices

  3. Astra Libris
    November 3, 2011 | 11:15 am

    Ooooh, I’m SO fixing this with my abundance of CSA pumpkin! A-m-a-z-i-n-g recipe!! 🙂

  4. Alayna @ Thyme Bombe
    November 3, 2011 | 11:39 am

    There we go, something to do with all the pumpkin puree in my fridge. Looks creamy and delicious!

  5. Lindsay @ biking before bed
    November 3, 2011 | 2:41 pm

    I normally use pumpkin in sweet foods, but this looks absolutely amazing. I like your comment about comfort food not having to be something that you grew up with or be something heavy and cream based.

  6. Ela
    November 3, 2011 | 3:12 pm

    That sounds totally yummy. I’m intrigued by the instruction to turn the heat off once it’s boiled and it will continue to cook: haven’t heard that before but it makes sense. I might try it with peas in place of the green pepper–bell peppers reliably make me sick, but I love their color…

  7. Hannah
    November 3, 2011 | 6:26 pm

    Oh, I want it! Warming and nourishing and flecked with pretty green capsicums!

  8. Andy
    November 4, 2011 | 6:56 am

    Yesterday morning I made pumpkin pie oatmeal for breakfast! Just added some pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinn., nutmeg, and clove to cooked oatmeal. The best dessert of the season–for breakfast!

  9. Caity @ Moi Contre La Vie
    November 4, 2011 | 9:14 am

    Oh yum. I need to make this stat!

  10. Julia Clancy
    November 7, 2011 | 1:51 am

    Oh my god does that look good. I will be making this the second I get home for Thanksgiving break.

  11. Sophie
    November 8, 2011 | 5:24 pm

    MMMMM,…What an alternative quinoa dish! I love the brilliant colour in here! Looks so tasty! 😉

    Many greetings from a foodie from Belgium!! 🙂

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  13. Kathleen
    December 4, 2011 | 2:37 pm

    What a unique and healthy way to enjoy quinoa! Thanks for sharing…I enjoyed it!

  14. M
    March 21, 2012 | 7:15 pm

    G’Day from down under! Will be trying this receipe tonight. Was intrigued when I saw ‘Savoury Pumpkin Quinoa’ – I thought ‘savoury, well duh!’ – because in Oz pretty much everything we do with pumpkin is savoury. You crazy Americans and your sweet pumpkin dishes! 😉

  15. M
    March 21, 2012 | 7:15 pm

    *recipe

  16. laura boyd
    October 22, 2012 | 10:36 am

    can you substitute sweet potato for pumpkin??

  17. Aline
    October 30, 2012 | 1:36 pm

    Hello 🙂 I just tried this recipe today! It was vey good. My husband love it. I did a few changes, like add carrots and garlic. Here is the final: http://madeatmyhome.tumblr.com/post/34643102599/pumpkin-carrot-quinoa Thank you!

  18. Lauren
    October 30, 2012 | 6:13 pm

    Made this exactly as written except that I added some Manchego cheese at the end!! This is a great easy recipe. I hope the leftovers will make a great lunch tomorrow!

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  20. Gigi
    August 21, 2013 | 11:37 pm

    I just made this with sundried tomatoes instead of peppers, since that’s what I had on hand. Delish! Thanks for the recipe (:

  21. bex
    October 4, 2013 | 7:36 pm

    made this today and it was DELICIOUS. so hearty and healthy for the fall 🙂
    thanks!

  22. […] before we hit I-40. Monday, November 11 – After a weekend of imbibing in both food and drink, Savory Pumpkin Quinoa will be a tasty and easy, inexpensive way to cleanse. I loved this last fall and forgot about it […]