Need another zucchini recipe? Paired with lemon, parsley and mint, this Lemon and Zucchini Quinoa Pilaf is refreshing full of flavor and super easy to make!
Lemons are coveted and loved in my family. Two of my kids absolutely love adding lemon juice to EVERYTHING: eggs, rice, soup, stews… you name it, it needs lemon juice!
And having a lemon tree makes it even easier to add lemon juice or create lots of lemon recipes. We have homemade limoncello, olive oil lemon curd, lemon risotto and of course some chicken lemon soup with rice.
Since we live in San Diego, our citrus trees produce lemons and limes all year long. So when we grew some zucchini in our garden this summer,I came up with this delicious side dish: lemon and zucchini quinoa.
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Recipe highlights
- Simple: This is such a quick and easy dish to create. Quinoa only takes about 10 minutes to cook. And zucchini doesn’t need much heat for it to soften. Mix in the aromatics and oh, what a fabulous side for any protein you serve.
- Healthy: Quinoa is an edible starchy seed of a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is rich in protein and fiber, way better for you than plain white rice. And of course, zucchini is rich in vitamins and low in carbohydrates.
- Texture: The key to keeping quinoa fluffy and zucchini tender is to NOT OVER COOK THEM. The heat from the hot quinoa is truly all you need to soften the shredded the zucchini. I personally like a little bite in my vegetables and encourage you to keep an eye on the timer when making this dish.
- Flavor: Quinoa has a wonderful nutty flavor to it, as it is a seed and not a grain. I use fresh herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice to really bring everything together.
Ingredients you need
- Uncooked quinoa: Since the warm quinoa softens the zucchini, I prefer you start with uncooked quinoa and prepare it first. If you already have cooked quinoa, heat it up then continue with the rest of the recipe.
- Zucchini: You will need to grate the zucchini first. I don’t recommend using frozen zucchini as it will turn to mush when cooked.
- Fresh herbs: I used both parsley and mint. Other herbs that would work well in this recipe include basil, oregano and chives.
- Lemon: I use both the zest and juice from a fresh lemon.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Choose a nice bright or peppery olive oil, if you prefer. This adds flavor so be sure that your oil is not rancid.
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-step directions
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- Make the quinoa. Bring 2 cups of water to boil and stir in quinoa. Return to boil, then cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Continue simmering until quinoa is cooked, approximately 12-15 minutes.
- Grate the zucchini. Using a food processor with the grate-blade or using a hand grater, grate the zucchini.
- Mix ingredients. In a large bowl, combine shredded zucchini with remaining ingredients.
- Add hot quinoa. Gently stir in the hot and steamy quinoa and mix well. Cover bowl with foil or a dish towel and allow the steam from the quinoa soften the zucchini. Transfer into a serving dish and serve hot or at room temperature.
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
I prefer my vegetables on the undercooked side, and preferred how the texture turned out the second time around. I used fresh parsley and mint in this recipe and just love the fragrance they bring to this dish. And I always have plenty of both growing in my garden.
Want more zucchini recipes? You must try:
- Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai with Orange Chicken
- Pasta with Zucchini, Garlic and Olive Oil
- Balsamic Roasted Tomato Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles)
- Baked Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover pilaf in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers, but it will be a little mushy when thawed and reheated. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Quinoa comes in assorted colors, the most common colors are white/tan, red and black. The different varieties of quinoa vary in texture and flavor. The white quinoa cooks the fastest. But don’t fret. The difference is only in a few minutes. Quinoa, no matter what color, still cooks up faster than rice.
You cook quinoa like similarly to cooking rice. For every cup of quinoa, use 2 cups of water. To cook quinoa, I put the quinoa in the pot with the water and bring it to boil together. Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook until the water is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Don’t add too much water, as it will turn mushy. I like to remove the lid from the pot when the water is absorbed and let the quinoa “dry out” in the hot pot a little and then fluff it with a fork. I find this extra minute or two or air drying keeps the quinoa from turning mushy.
Zucchini and Lemon Quinoa Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 cup water
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 medium zucchini
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup chopped mint
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil and stir in quinoa.
- Return to boil, then cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Continue simmering until quinoa is cooked, approximately 12-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, using a food processor with the grate-blade, shred zucchini.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded zucchini with remaining ingredients.
- Gently stir in the hot and steamy quinoa and mix well. Cover bowl with foil or a dish towel and allow the steam from the quinoa soften the zucchini.
- Pour into a serving bowl and serve hot or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
What a fantastic array of lemony treats! I do adore working with citrus 🙂
That was a lovely lemon extravaganza! I'm going to look for seedless lemons…haven't heard of them before now.
No you don't have a lemon problem,you have a lemon obsession, which is a good obsession in my mind! All of these lemon recipes look absolutely delicious! I'm not sure which one I want to try first.
lovely lemons it does look fabulous delicious dishes
Gosh I'm all over lemon tea bread. You have so many lemon recipes! This is a good roundup to come back when I buy lemons from costco!! 😉
Lemony flavours of a few recipes caught my eyes- nice post laura