Kid-Friendly Quinoa Side Dish | America's Test Kitchen Kids

recipe

Quinoa (“KEEN-wa”) is super delicious AND super nutritious!

Print Recipe

Prepare Ingredients

2 tablespoons

unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces

1

small onion, peeled and chopped fine

½ teaspoon

salt

1½ cups

prewashed white quinoa

1¾ cups

chicken or vegetable broth

3 tablespoons

chopped fresh basil, parsley, or mint

Gather Cooking Equipment

Medium saucepan with lid

Wooden spoon

Oven mitts

Fork

Start Cooking!

1

2 tablespoons

unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces

1

small onion, peeled and chopped fine

½ teaspoon

salt

In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2

1½ cups

prewashed white quinoa

Add quinoa and cook, stirring often, until quinoa begins to make popping sounds, 2 to 3 minutes.

3

1¾ cups

chicken or vegetable broth

Carefully stir in broth and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes.

4

Use oven mitts to remove lid. Stir quinoa and put lid back in place. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.

5

Turn off heat. Slide saucepan to cool burner and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes.

6

3 tablespoons

chopped fresh basil, parsley, or mint

Use oven mitts to remove lid. Add herbs and gently stir quinoa with fork until fluffy. Serve.

america’s test kitchen kids newsletter

We share fun and engaging resources to help kids learn in the kitchen—and make something delicious along the way.

learn more

Food for Thought

Why You Wash Quinoa

Quinoa is one of the most nutritious and delicious foods on the planet. It’s one of the rare plants to contain all the proteins the human body needs. Nutritionists call it a “complete” protein because it contains the nine amino acids essential to human health. While quinoa is cooked like a grain, it’s actually a seed native to the Andes Mountains. Quinoa has a natural bitter coating that keeps birds away. Washing the seeds removes the bitter coating and is recommended. You can buy prewashed quinoa (read package labels). If in doubt, rinse the quinoa before using it.