Quinoa Risotto with Italian Cheese

An Italian-inspired vegetarian quinoa recipe.

Jan 12, 2007 Stephanie Gallagher

Many quinoa recipes taste grainy, especially if you're expecting a rice or couscous-like texture. The cheese softens the taste of quinoa in this vegetarian risotto recipe

If you like this quinoa recipe, you'll probably also like Quinoa with Butternut Squash Gratin. It's creamy and cheesy as well, and has a softer flavor than many quinoa recipes.

Quinoa Risotto

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup skim milk
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Rinse and drain quinoa three times, using a fine mesh strainer to remove the bitter outer coating.

Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, stirring constantly. Add garlic and quinoa and continue stirring a minute or two. Stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until quinoa is tender, stirring occasionally, approximately 10-12 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Add cheese and let stand a few minutes, so risotto can thicken.

Serves 6.

Per serving: 284 calories, 12 g fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 27 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 18 g protein, 4% Vitamin A, 6% Vitamin C, 43% calcium, 18% iron

See these great vegetarian recipes too:

• Quinoa Cheese Cookies
• Quinoa and Butternut Squash Gratin
• Quinoa Pudding
• Brown Rice Pudding
• Vegetarian Chili

The copyright of the article Quinoa Risotto with Italian Cheese in Healthy Cooking is owned by Stephanie Gallagher. Permission to republish Quinoa Risotto with Italian Cheese in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Comments

Aug 14, 2008 4:48 PM

Guest :

Delicious! I'm a vegan, so I substituted unsweetened soy milk for the skim milk, and nutritional yeast for the cheese....creamy and yummy!! I spiced it up with some cracked black pepper, sea salt, and a dash of oregano and balsamic vinegar too. I highly recommend this recipe!

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