Quinoa Pilaf with Shiitake Mushrooms, Carrots and Pecans
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This quinoa pilaf is gussied up with sautéed onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and pecans. It makes an earthy and hearty dish.
This quinoa pilaf is the kind of dish that will remind you that eating healthy doesn’t have to leave you hungry. It’s one of the reasons I love quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). It looks like couscous and eats like a grain but it’s actually the tiny seed of a plant related to leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard.
Quinoa is incredibly high in protein and fiber and contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs. What’s more? It’s gluten-free, cooks quickly (just 15 minutes!) and can take on limitless flavors. Here, the quinoa is gussied up with sautéed onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and pecans to make an earthy and hearty dish.
What you’ll need to make Quinoa Pilaf
One of the secrets to making delicious quinoa is to ignore the instructions on the package, which almost always call for too much liquid and result in mushy quinoa. For quinoa that is light, fluffy and slightly crunchy, the ideal ratio is 1 cup quinoa to 1-2/3 cup liquid.
How to make quinoa pilaf
To begin, bring the chicken broth and quinoa to a boil, then cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. It will look like this when it’s done…
In the meantime, cook the onions gently in olive oil until they start to soften.
Add the diced carrots and thyme and continue to cook until the carrots are just tender.
Next, stir in the shiitake mushrooms and garlic, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are done.
Finally, stir in the cooked quinoa, pecans, and parsley.
That’s all there is to it. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy as a hearty side or meatless main course.
You may also like
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- Quinoa Pilaf with Chickpeas, Currants & Almonds
- Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
Quinoa Pilaf with Shiitake Mushrooms, Carrots & Pecans
This quinoa pilaf is gussied up with sautéed onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and pecans. It makes an earthy and hearty dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed or rinsed
- 1⅔ cups low sodium chicken broth (best quality such as Swanson), or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans, toasted if desired
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low, cover and simmer until quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and thyme and cook until the carrots are just tender, 5-7 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, along with mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until mushrooms are cooked through, a few minutes. Season vegetables with ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Add cooked quinoa to vegetables and stir in pecans and chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or warm.
- Note: Shiitakes never come in contact with dirt, so the only washing usually necessary is a gentle wipe with a damp cloth or a paper towel. Use a knife to remove the stems where they meet the cap.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 4 servings
- Calories: 341
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 186 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This is a fantastic recipe. The flavors and textures bend together beautifully, and if there are any leftovers, the flavors only get better. Quinoa is so healthy for you, which makes it all the better. We paired it with grilled pork chops. Great meal.
fabulous and healthy, it does not get better then that !!
Jennifer, I love the new site
as a gluten-free vegetarian, this recipe is tailor-made for me. looks delicious!! (i’d use vegetable stock). i love the addition of the richness of pecans.
Looks delicious! I am planning to make it tomorrow night. Thank you!
Always looking for tasty Quinoa recipes. Thanks!
You made me try quinoa again and I’m glad I did. This is delicious and a wonderful difference to my usual sides.
Just found your site and love trying your recipes on my family. Our dinners are filled with less conversations and more moans of enjoyment. Thanks.
This is wonderful. We have been trying to be a bit more healthy in our eating habits. This recipe fits right in. It’s delish & a very healthy way to eat.
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I look forward to them…….
Just delicious. My husband liked it as much as the lamb chops.
This looks delicious! Any excuse to break out the quinoa! Love it!
Gonna try this as quinoa is so good for you and so hard to incorporate into everyday cooking!
Despite always putting a heaping spoonful of quinoa on my salad at Whole Foods, I’ve never tried making a dish with it myself! This looks so easy and colorful – can’t wait to try it.
Have been looking for a new way to use quinoa, will try this next!! Thanks!
First time trying Quinoa and was impressed with the results. Surprisingly easy to make.
I’m always searching for side dishes and this sounds very interesting.
Looks fantastic. I’ve been looking for a flavorful quiona recipe…and now I’ve found it!
I love this…Will make it again
I cannot wait to try this delicious looking recipe! I’ve been wanting to try quinoa for some time, and this looks like it will satisfy all my picky eaters!
How would it be with barley?
Debbie, Probably delicious. Let me know how it comes out if you try it!
Quinoa! So delicious!! Any recipe involving quinoa is worth a try!! Love it!
I made this recipe when you first posted it, and it was great, the way you cook the quinoa was good, not mushy and I like the flavor of the Shiitake Mushrooms , this recipe was very flavorful and filling, thanks.
My famiy and I are trying to eat more on the healthy side, and this dish looks so good. I can’t wait to try it. Do you have any recipes for someone alergic to nickle. Will appreciate the recipes. Thank you.
Made this the other night . Very good and thanks for the tip about using less water to cook the Quinoa than the back of the package says. Tastes much better!
Giving this a try! I made quinoa, but didn’t season with veggies etc….it wasn’t a hit! Will try this & see what the family thinks! Thanks
SO GLAD TO HAVE THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE-VERY SIMILAR TO A SALAD I WAS GETTING FROM MY LOCAL CO-OP-KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK-THANK-YOU
This looks great and I like your alternative recipe for making the quinoa. I use an alternative recipe for quinoa too. Mine uses 1 cup quinoa and 1 1/4 cup stock. Bring the stock to a simmer, add quinoa, then reduce to low (not to a simmer). Cook for 25-30 minutes. Pull off heat and allow to sit for another 5 minutes. It makes it fluffy and keeps a bite as well. I’ll have to try your quicker version tonight!
I hope this recipe will convert my Quinoa – hating husband … I keep trying … if not, more for me !
What a wonderful recipe! I’ve made it twice already, and it goes so well with poultry and fish. I don’t care for nuts, so I left them out. I added a bit of jalapeno pepper the 2nd time I made it–very good!
I have been eating quinoa quite a bit over this past year and always love to try new recipes….this one looks like a winner!
This is heavenly. I made it twice since it was published and shared it with friends. Yum!!! Thanks Jennifer!
Love this recipe. Just started using using quinoa to replace both white and brown rice. Fantastic source of amino acids and protein.
Loved this one! Tried it last week. Thank you for posting!
Great Easy recipe to make in no time. Jen your recipes ROCK!
I cannot wait to try this –
I love quinoa!
Thanks!
I made this recipe last week and it was sooo delicious! I will definitely be making Quinoa again with my own little spin.
can’t wait to make this!!!
Thanks for the tip on cooking Quinoa. I tried it with this recipe and it did make a tasty difference. The was delicious…really enjoyed the pecans! YUM!
My daughter is a vegetarian and I made this dish for her and it was a total WINNER!!
This looks yummy! I love Quinoa and this combination looks delicious….as always, you have fabulous recipes! And now a great giveaway!
Just made it and everyone in my family loved it so much! Very tasty 🙂
This got rave reviews from hubby and a girlfriend who came for dinner. I served it as a main dish along with a spinach salad (baby spinach, red onion, mandarin oranges, sprinkled Feta cheese, with balsamic vinaigrette).
The only thing I did differently was to dry heat the already rinsed and dried quinoa for a few minutes — until there’s a pleasant nutty smell, which adds a nice flavor to it when cooked.
Thanks!
Jen! This dish is DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for sharing such a tasty and HEALTHY recipe! I had never had quinoa before and had been wanting to try it (it’s great). I have to say that I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms but I went ahead and tried the shiitakes, and they are GREAT! I really, really like their flavor. This is a recipe I will be keeping for good 🙂
Very delicious! I love the crunch that the pecans add. I added a little lemon pepper at the end and it gave it a cool flavor kick. Thank you 🙂
made this and it was delish!! So easy too. I used the baby bellas instead of shiitake shrooms and left out pecans…first time I’ve ever prepared or eaten quinoa. Now I have a whole bag so need to get more recipes. . Rinsing it was the only tricky part as some went right through the strainer.
Can you use anything other than pecans. They were outrageous at the store !
Tawni, You can use any nut you like, or simply leave them out…will still be delicious.
can i substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth? will it taste the same?
Reyna, You can definitely substitute vegetable broth. The taste won’t be exactly the same but it will still be delicious.
Bonjour Jennifer,
I really like your new website! very classy, and love your recipes and would like to be able to store them for later use without having to search them through the site.
Do you think it would be possible to add a “recipe box” on the website where we could keep our favorites for quick reference?
Love your story, I am from France and was also an au pair to learn English.
I have to tell you that your beef stew recipe is most amazing and the next best thing after the boeuf Bourguignon I grew up with. I make It all the time now because it’s not as involved as the Bourguignon and just as good. Thank you so much for taking the time to share all those wonderfully recipes.
Isabelle
Thank you, Isabelle! Looking into the recipe box…
You make healthy eating look like a trip to Paris and eating in a beautiful restaurant.
I’m making this tomorrow.
Thank you!
Niya, Now you’ve made me want to go to Paris and eat in a beautiful restaurant…we can dream 🙂
I love the suggestion to add less liquid. I was just inspired by you to make quinoa and it came out much fluffier than usual. Thank you!
I cannot wait to try this- I love quinoa! Thanks again, Jen!! 🙂
Wonderfully tasty and quick!
Oh yummy and so comfy! Might just make it for dinner tonight. Thank you 🙂