This lemony quinoa is the perfect accompaniment to your Thanksgiving dinner. It pairs well with all types of cuisine and can easily be made ahead.
At the farmers’ market a couple of weeks ago, I picked up two butternut squash that were each about the length of my hand. Since I love roasting butternut with a touch of lemon, I was considering cooking them in that tried and true (but unimaginative) manner when I got the idea to roast one of the squash and mix it in with my favorite grain/seed, quinoa.
The results were a light and lemony side dish that goes with practically anything.
I served it with baked tofu, gravy, steamed broccoli, and a salad for a sort of traditional American meal, but the lemony flavor makes it a great accompaniment to everything from Thai food to Italian. I’m considering making it a part of my Thanksgiving dinner this year.
Update October 2020:
Since I first published this lemony quinoa recipe, it has become a favorite Thanksgiving recipe both in my house and in many of my readers’ homes. Though I usually serve it as a side dish, it easily becomes a main dish with the addition of chickpeas, baked or air fried tofu, or rehydrated soy curls. It’s a dish that you can make ahead and then reheat just before serving, allowing you to concentrate on the other parts of your vegan Thanksgiving dinner.
Be sure to check out all my Thanksgiving recipes, and for over 35 winter squash and pumpkin recipes–everything from soup to dessert–click here.
Lemony Quinoa with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 10 ounces butternut squash (about 2 cups cubed)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste
- 2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts (about 7/10 ounce) optional
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds and strings (using a grapefruit spoon makes this easier). Peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with the 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Place them on a non-stick baking sheet (or silicone mat), sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it well and allow to drain.
- Heat a deep, non-stick pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until shallots soften slightly. Add the quinoa and toast it until it has dried out and begins to exude a toasty aroma. Add the squash along with the thyme and vegetable broth. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon peel and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice if needed.
- Serve with toasted pine nuts and chives sprinkled on top.
Notes
- Add 1 16-ounce can of drained chickpeas when you add the squash to the quinoa.
- Cover 1 cup of soy curls with vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand until they are softened. Drain them well and add them with the lemon juice.
- Bake or air fry one package of tofu, following this recipe. Add with the lemon juice.
Nutritional info is approximate.
The Ordinary Vegetarian
October 19, 2009 at 11:08 amI will be trying this one very soon! I have 16 pounds of a variety of squash on my counter right now that I've been on the hunt for new ways to prepare. I'm with you on the lemon, so I can already tell that I'll love this one. I'll report back soon 🙂
Kalyn
October 19, 2009 at 11:24 amLove the sound of this! Just saved it in my "to-try" folder!
The Voracious Vegan
October 19, 2009 at 12:05 pmSo fresh and gorgeous, that picture just makes me so hungry! I love all the bright amazing flavors in here, this would be such a wonderful dinner.
nora
October 19, 2009 at 12:05 pmmmm. lemon and butternut squash are not often combined, but i have a feeling you're onto something!
Carol
October 19, 2009 at 12:07 pmThis looks amazing!!! I am definitely going to try this soon. Keep the quinoa recipes comin'!
jenna
October 19, 2009 at 12:19 pmthis looks amazing! love the flavor combos.
Shannon
October 19, 2009 at 12:20 pmI am terribly allergic to pine nuts (but no other nuts.) I've never eaten them because of my allergy (except in pesto, which is how I found out), so I'm not sure how they taste. When I make pesto I substitute either almonds or walnuts. Do you think one of those would also work in this recipe, or is there another type of nut you would recommend? Thanks!
SusanV
October 19, 2009 at 12:23 pmShannon, I'm sorry about your pine nut allergy. They have a really unique taste, a touch piney, but are more delicious than that sounds. I think that any other nut would be fine here (they all go well with lemon, right?) I would probably use sliced or slivered almonds, but I'll bet walnuts or cashews would be interesting too.
Nancy A. Speed
October 24, 2016 at 5:39 pmHi Susan and Shannon ~ I, too, am violently allergic to anything related to Pine trees… which would include pine nuts. Almonds are a great alternative, Susan. Any recipe I have which calls for Pine nuts, I use almonds – pretty darn Mm good !! 😉
dreaminitvegan
October 19, 2009 at 12:50 pmLovely dish. It would make a nice Thanksgiving side dish.
Jennyjen
October 19, 2009 at 1:14 pmI am going to make this tonight! I love the idea of combining the quinoa with butternut squash and lemon. Superb.
Josiane
October 19, 2009 at 1:54 pmOh, this will make for a nice change from the usual way I prepare quinoa! It sounds delicious!
Jess (Fit Chick in the City)
October 19, 2009 at 8:31 pmThank you for this recipe! I think I have almost all of these ingredients in my kitchen right now. Perhaps I'll try out the recipe this weekend.
brett
October 19, 2009 at 10:22 pmJust made this tonight. So good! Thanks for the recipe.
Dana
October 20, 2009 at 8:55 amOooh yummy. I was trying to think of what to do with all my butternut squash besides soup, and this blog post recipe popped up in my email. Serendipity!
BTW, we had your caribbean beans and quinoa for supper last night, and, as always, it was a hit!
Jocelyn
October 20, 2009 at 10:20 amThis looks DELISH! Right up my alley!
Anonymous
October 20, 2009 at 2:30 pmSusan,
This sounds fabulous. I'd really like to try it. The challenge for me with my hand issues is peeling the squash. . .but I will see what I can do about that. Hopefully there will be a day that will work. I think this would be an amazing side dish for Thanksgiving, and I love the idea of cooking squash with lemon.
Thanks!
moonwatcher
Peg
October 15, 2013 at 12:47 pmHi, moonwatcher. You don’t have to peel it! Simply poke it on top and upper sides with a carving fork, set it on a cookie sheet, bake til you can pierce it through. Cut off both ends, slice in half and cut into pieces. Did it just this evening for a similar dish – using brown rice instead of quinoa. I’d put off using the squash for the same reason — this works! Give it a try!
DeAnna
October 20, 2009 at 3:10 pmThis sounds delicious! This is my first time commenting, but I have been coming to your site for a couple months now and I have to say THANK YOU for all these great recipes. It has really helped me change to a vegetarian diet (mostly vegan, but I do have honey in tea.) My husband is not (nor will he ever be) a vegetarian and I don't totally make my girls be vegetarian/vegan, but since I am the one that cooks… when eating at home, we all eat vegetarian/vegan dishes. And other than my 5 y.o. daughter not liking tempeh, they have been enjoying it and not complaining. I think having great recipes like you give us has really helped to make this transition enjoyable for them as well. Thanks so much!! Can't wait to try this one, just got butternut squash the other day and was looking for something different to use it for.
Elaine
October 20, 2009 at 8:09 pmVery yummy even without the pine nuts.
americanvegan
October 20, 2009 at 10:09 pmooooh I love your blog!! Great post, too- I love the idea of the lemony quinoa, which is definitely one of my faves too. I cannot wait to try this!
Anika
October 21, 2009 at 10:14 amSounds and looks delicious, I'll try this soon, it will be perfect for my diet with no fat, easy to prepare. Squash and lemon, Hmmm, delicious and nutritious.
Nikki
October 21, 2009 at 1:28 pmSusan – again a wonderful recipe. I just tried this (sans pine nuts, not in a college studnet budget) last night and now I can't wait to make it for Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for another good quinoa recipe.
Mia from Canada
October 21, 2009 at 11:32 pmI made this tonight with almonds. It was just fabulous!!!
Mary
October 22, 2009 at 7:45 amThat sounds good! Im on the lookout for Thanksgiving recipes. I'll give it a try!
Smita Srivastava
October 22, 2009 at 11:41 pmHi , First time here . Must appreciate the lovely recipes…. I just love the cactus shaped bread – truly amazing !!!!!
I have a food art blog http://littlefoodjunction.blogspot.com/
do sneak a peek when time permits …
Christian
October 23, 2009 at 3:20 pmHi! Thanks for this I will try this today.
Anonymous
October 24, 2009 at 11:23 amYummy Yummy dish. On the list for Thanksgiving. Thank you!
Rebecca Leffler
October 25, 2009 at 11:17 amThis looks delicious ! I just came back from the Paris organic market with a huge butternut squash so this will be perfect, merci beaucoup! (and great timing !)
If you have any other good butternut recipes, would be very welcome too…
Love your recipes/blog, keep it up!
Lafleurdeparis.blogspot.com
Paula Lobos
October 25, 2009 at 3:57 pmWhat a great blog!
Everything looks delish!! Best, Paula
Mandee
October 25, 2009 at 8:43 pmThis looks like a delicious dish, I'm craving pine nuts now!
Leah Greenblum
October 26, 2009 at 10:45 pmI just made this and *loved* it. Things I changed: I added minced garlic to the squash while it roasted, and topped it with both scallion and parmesan (nutritional yeast would also be yummy).
Claire
October 28, 2009 at 4:05 pmThanks so much for sharing this recipe. It is absolutely amazing!
Rachel Lee
October 29, 2009 at 8:25 pmThis looks awesome! I am experimenting with quinoa and this will help. You might like this blog I wrote about Fair Trade Certified Bolivian quinoa: http://bit.ly/hT98m. Cheers! Rachel Lee Holstein
emily oi!
October 30, 2009 at 3:31 pmLooks great! I will definitely consider this when assembling gluten-free thanksgiving.
A note to moonwatcher: if your squash is organic (ie, not waxed) the skin is totally edible. it has a little chewier texture, but it's quite nutritious. Otherwise you can microwave the squash for a few minutes to soften it and make it easier to peel.
Rachel
October 31, 2009 at 2:03 pmThis recipe was amazing! My son loves quinoa, so it's nice to have new recipes to try. Thanks for posting it 🙂
hannerchic
November 3, 2009 at 9:46 pmI've been cooking and eating vegan since August, and I have really opened so many more doors than I've closed. I can't imagine I would have ever sought out a recipe like this before, and even when I read it the first time I thought "Really? That sounds kind of gross." But, my curiosity got the best of me. I bought a squash and tried it out, and much to my delight, it turned out delicious. Thanks for the recipe; I'll be back for sure:)
GiovannaCoraggio
November 8, 2009 at 2:32 pmOh my gosh this looks amazing! I need to use my butternut squash too!
Haylee
November 9, 2009 at 12:42 amyum, that looks delicious!
Your pictures are all so gorgeous. I love them!
Rebecca Leffler
November 11, 2009 at 10:29 amI was wondering if you serve this cold, as more of a salad? I was thinking of bringing it to-go on a flight, do you think it will hold up ? I know quinoa salads are great for travel, but will roasted butternut squash still be good hours later ? Thanks !
R, from Paris
Mariko
November 14, 2009 at 4:34 pmI am definitely going to buy some quinoa today. This looks delicious!
CherylK
November 16, 2009 at 7:18 pmI'm going to make this for my daughter who is vegetarian but I have discovered that eating this way is just as delicious or more so than eating traditional "meat & potatoes". In fact, I've observed that I actually feel so much better when I eat the way my daughter eats.