• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

JennifersKitchen

  • Home
    • About Me
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Weight Loss Program
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Recipes by Category
  • Resources
    • All About Ingredients
    • Get Healthy
    • Kitchen Tools for Healthy Eating
    • Cooking Tips
  • Why Ad-Free?
    • Why My Site is Ad-Free
    • Donate!
  • Member Log In
    • Weight Loss Plan Home

Instant Pot Cheesy Spinach Quinoa

June 22, 2021 by JennifersKitchen 1 Comment

This warm, creamy, cheesy, satisfying, comfort food is really a healthy, nutrient-packed meal in disguise.

One Pot Wonder

And the beauty of this recipe (besides the creamy, cheesy, yumminess) is that the whole thing can be made in an Instant Pot.

One pot bringing you a burst of delicious lunchtime happiness.*

* If happiness, for you, is defined as “fewer dishes to wash”.

Cheesy Quinoa is an easy delicious side that’s easy to prepare, dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free.

Is Quinoa Good for You?

You bet!

Quinoa is a whole-grain source of fiber and fiber is one of the most important nutrients for weight loss.

Quinoa is an excellent source of protein.

Quinoa is also a good source of minerals.

Eating grains like quinoa boosts your metabolism, which helps with weight loss.

And quinoa is naturally gluten-free.

Cheesy-Spinach-Quinoa

How to Prepare Quinoa

Most quinoa comes pre-rinsed. If yours doesn’t, be sure to rinse it or it will have a bitter flavor.
Here’s how:

Place quinoa in a bowl of cold water and swish with hands.

Pour into a fine mesh strainer.

Repeat a few times until water is clear.

Drain well.

Cook as directed.

How Should You Serve Cheesy Spinach Quinoa?

Cheesy Spinach Quinoa is typically served as a side dish (try it with a salad and these Brazilian beans OR with steamed carrots and black beans), but it’s so filling, we often find that is works great as a main dish.


A Note about this Cheesy Spinach Quinoa:

I tried making this dish ahead of time and keeping it warm in a crock pot or using the slow cooker mode of an Instant Pot, but for some reason keeping it warm gave it an off flavor.

This dish tastes best freshly made. If you do want to make it ahead of time, just reheat it briefly on the stove top.

P.S.

Did you know that Instant Pot just came out with a 3-Quart Duo Nova 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker?!?  I cannot wait to try this cute, little dude!

Instant Pot Cheesy Quinoa

Print

Instant Pot Cheesy Spinach Quinoa (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

Prep 9 mins

Cook 31 mins

Total 40 mins

Author All recipes on jenniferskitchen.com are property of Jennifer's Kitchen and cannot reprinted in any other form (including online) without prior written permission.

Yield 5 cups

This warm, creamy, cheesy, satisfying comfort food is really a healthy, nutrient-packed meal in disguise.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sweet onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 3/4 cups water
  • 1 3/4 teaspoon granulated onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups chopped frozen spinach
  • 1 cup this 5-Minute Vegan Cheese Sauce

Instructions

  1. Using a 6-quart Instant Pot, sauté onion on sauté setting on "less" heat for 5 minutes or until onion begins to turn translucent.

  2. Add garlic to onions and saute for an additional minute. Cancel Instant Pot.

  3. Set Instant Pot to saute "more" setting.

  4. Add water to onions and garlic.

  5. Add seasonings to water in pot. Bring water to boil.

  6. Add quinoa to pot and bring to a boil again.

  7. When quinoa has come to a full boil, cover, and then cancel Instant Pot.

  8. Set Instant Pot to "slow cook" "more" setting. Cook with the lid on for 20 minutes.

  9. Stir in spinach and cheese sauce.

  10. Serve hot.

One quick request: if you like this recipe, please leave a rating and a comment. Ratings help more people find these healthy recipes!

Notes

See notes in post.

 

 

* * * This recipe for Instant Pot Cheesy Spinach Quinoa is … gluten-free, plant based, oil-free, sugar-free, high in fiber, dairy free, egg-free, vegetarian, vegan, and made from real, whole foods.

Popular Posts

Vegan Veggie Balls

Vegan Veggie Balls

The Best Applesauce

The Best Applesauce

Cream of Potato and Kale Soup

Cream of Potato and Kale Soup

Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Main dishes, Oil-Free Recipes, Quinoa, Side Dishes, Vegan Cheese, Weight Loss Recipes

Before you go …

Did you know that you can eat all this delicious food AND lose weight? You can.

No calorie counting. No portion sizes.

Join my online weight loss program today.

Healthy Weight Loss Plan


Previous Post: « 7 Weight Loss Myths
Next Post: Should You Take Supplements? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. vishal kaushik

    July 23, 2021 at 9:46 am

    Thanks for the info. Can you please tell me that amaranth seeds have the same nutrition as quinoa have??

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Instagram

Can I help you find something?

ad-free website

Footer

Let’s be friends!

"The foundation of that which keeps people in health is the medical missionary work of good cooking." Medical Ministry 269


Healthy Weight Loss Program
Weight Loss Program
Healthy Weight Loss Program
Recipes
Ad-Free Site
Support this Site
Affilate Program
Affilate Program

Copyright 2022, Jennifer White, All rights reserved.

All material on jenniferskitchen.com is copyrighted. You may not use any of it without written permission from the publisher (Jennifer White).

If you use anything on this website without permission, you are breaking the law and depriving the author and publisher of their rightful benefits from the many hours of work devoted to this site.

Disclaimer: The content of this website is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat or cure any medical or psychological conditions or to prescribe or diagnose for any medical or psychological condition. The information contained on this website is not intended to replace a one-to-one relationship with a medical healthcare professional. Therefore, this information is not intended as medical advice, but rather a sharing of knowledge and information based on much sound research, common sense, observation, and experience. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on good judgment and research and when necessary seek out help from a qualified healthcare professional.

Copyright © 2022 JennifersKitchen. This site was built on the Genesis Framework using the Foodie Pro Theme