Do you need a recipe to use up some leftover veggies? This BBQ Fried Quinoa with Veggies is a perfect solution. Whether raw or previously cooked, you can use what you have to create this delicious and simple dish. Works great as a side, or as a main course!

We have a habit of grilling up a feast on Sundays, which always results in lots of leftovers. For me, this usually means salads at lunch, topped with leftover grilled vegetables. Well, I didn’t eat as many salads as normal this last week, and I still had a bunch of leftover vegetables which I didn’t want to go to waste.

I thought about doing fried rice, Asian style, but was hoping to come up with something a little more creative. That first meant switching out the rice with quinoa. Not only is quinoa healthier than rice — with more protein and fiber, to name just a couple benefits — I also find it tastier.

Next, I had to decide what seasoning I wanted to use. I thought quinoa would go really well with a barbecue flavor — and I knew the perfect spice blend! Blissful Basil has a recipe for jackfruit pulled pork, which I love to make. In this recipe, before cooking the jackfruit, she has you coat it in a delicious barbecue spice blend. That is the seasoning I’ve used here. My only difference is I use coconut sugar, rather than brown.

Now that I had a good idea of what I was doing, I was ready to make my shopping list and head to the store. What did I then discover? I didn’t need to go shopping that day, because I had every ingredient needed already in my kitchen! The veggies I obviously had, because they were the leftovers which I built this recipe around. Quinoa I always keep on hand, and the only other ingredients I used, were the spices you see above and coconut oil. All of which are items always in my cupboard. That made this meal super easy.

I started by cooking the quinoa because I didn’t already have some made. However, if you have quinoa left over from another recipe, you can go ahead and use it. While the quinoa was simmering, I went ahead and chopped and measured my veggies. Most of what I used was already grilled, but I did add a couple of things to the mix, which needed to be used but were still raw. Those I separated from the cooked veggies so I could add them to the skillet first.

The raw veggies I used were a little bit of red onion and half a small red bell pepper from a friend’s garden. I sautéed those in a bit of coconut oil, and once they were soft, I added my other vegetables and one tablespoon of the spice blend. I continued to sauté these until everything was thoroughly heated. If you like, you could instead use frozen vegetables.

Once all the vegetables were heated I added the quinoa, a little more coconut oil, and the rest of the spice blend. I cooked this at medium for about 5 minutes, and voilà, my dish was complete! This was simple, flavorful, and a big hit with the husband! Oh, and what’s better is that I got to use those vegetables, that otherwise may have gone bad in my fridge.

This BBQ Fried Quinoa with Veggies works nicely as a simple main course, or as a yummy side dish. Next time I might even top it with a veggie patty and some cashew cream, for a more complex meal. If you make this, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram! @veggiesattiffanis

Print BBQ Fried Quinoa with Veggies Ingredients BBQ spice blend... 1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp smoked sea salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper Everything else... 3 cups cooked quinoa

2 cups cooked vegetables diced (raw or frozen can also be used — see notes)

3 Tbsp coconut oil Instructions In a small bowl, mix together all your spice blend ingredients. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Add your veggies* plus 1 tablespoon spice blend to the skillet. Stir well and sauté until heated through, continuing to stir occasionally.

Once your vegetables are ready, add the quinoa, 1 more tablespoon coconut oil, and the rest of your spice blend. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. If necessary, turn down heat a little to avoid burning. Notes Serve as a main course for 2-3, or a side dish for 4-6. This dish is amazing topped with my Black Bean & Corn Patties with Spicy Cashew Cream *If some of your veggies are raw or frozen, add those first so your cooked vegetables don't end up too overdone. If adding vegetables in at separate times, wait to mix in the spice blend with your last batch of vegetables.

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