Pesto Quinoa
This pesto quinoa recipe is so easy to make with fresh basil leaves and pantry staples as a flavorful side dish!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 323kcal
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup basil leaves tightly packed
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds or pistachios, pine nuts or almonds*
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 cup quinoa dry weight
Instructions
- Blend together the pumpkin seeds, basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, apple cider vinegar and salt. Adjust with more oil or water to thin, if needed. Taste test, and adjust to preference.
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. You can cook in water, or for more flavor in vegetable stock. The 'tails' of the quinoa should be opened at the end of the cook time.
- Spoon the quinoa into a bowl and stir through the pesto.
Notes
*Use the type of nut or seed that works best for you. Pumpkin seeds are nut free, and score 0 on the SIGHI list. Pistachios score 0 (use unsalted and non-roasted), while pine nuts and almonds score 1.
- The quinoa can be cooked in plain water or in my low histamine vegetable stock to give extra flavor.
- Adjust the amount of basil, vinegar and garlic in the pesto to taste preference.
- If you love a very fragrant pesto quinoa recipe, simply make a little more pesto to stir through the cooked quinoa.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- garlic and apple cider vinegar, which score 1.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 3mg
