Have you ever checked out Food52.com? They have really simple, elegant recipes and I love browsing through their beautiful photographs. The other day while perusing through their stuff I saw this recipe for One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf and thought it looked like the perfect recipe to help me out with my focus on vegetables for the new year. I love that the kale and quinoa cook together in one pot, making it quick and easy, and I love just about anything with lemon, so making this Lemony Kale and Quinoa Salad was pretty much a no brainer.
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I changed a few things in the recipe to fit my needs (as usual) and I loved the results. I cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth instead of salted water, used a regular lemon instead of a meyer lemon, subbed walnuts for the pine nuts (and nixed the walnut oil), and lastly, used a little crumbled feta in place of the goat cheese (even though I do love goat cheese). The end product is a flavorful and filling warm quinoa salad (or pilaf) with multiple layers of unique flavors. I’m eating straight out of a bowl by itself, but it would also make a great bed for some grilled chicken or fish. #lovingit!
Quinoa isn’t exactly cheap, but because this recipe didn’t use a lot, I was still able to make it fit in my budget. If quinoa doesn’t work for you, couscous makes a great inexpensive alternative (plus it cooks in about 10 minutes instead of 15). You could even use orzo if you can’t find cous cous!
P.S. Did I mention that you can eat it hot or cold? I just had seconds and didn’t even bother heating it up. Still delicious!
Lemony Kale and Quinoa Salad
Servings 4 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 bunch Dinosaur/Lacinato Kale* ($0.49)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth ($0.23)
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa ($2.09)
- 1 fresh lemon ($0.69)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts ($0.59)
- 1 oz crumbled feta ($0.56)
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa well with cool water to remove the saponins, a natural coating that can taste bitter. Remove the stems of the kale leaves by running a sharp knife along both sides of each stem. Cut each leaf in half lengthwise, then across into 1/2 inch strips. Rinse the kale well in a colander.
- Mince the garlic and add it to a large pot with the olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat for one minute, or until the garlic is slightly softened. Add the rinsed kale and sauté for 2-3 minutes more, or just until the kale has wilted and looks dark green and glossy.
- Add the rinsed quinoa to the pot along with vegetable broth. Stir the contents of the pot, place a lid on top, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the pot come to a boil. As soon as it does, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure the pot is simmering the whole time.
- After 15 minutes, check the quinoa to see if it is done. Each granule should look slightly transparent with a white outer rim. If there is still a considerable amount of broth left in the bottom of the pot, replace the lid and let simmer for a few minutes more. If there is a small amount of liquid, simply remove the lid and sauté for a couple of minutes, or until the excess liquid evaporates.
- While the pot is simmering, zest half of the lemon. Chop the walnuts and crumble the feta.
- Once the quinoa is cooked and any excess moisture has evaporated, remove the pot from the heat. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the kale and quinoa. Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon over the pot as well. Finally, sprinkle the chopped nuts and crumbled feta on top and serve.**
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Lemony Kale and Quinoa Salad – Step by Step Photos
Start by rinsing 1 cup of uncooked quinoa. Quinoa has a natural substance on the outside that can make it taste really bitter, but a good rinse should wash it all away. A fine mesh strainer makes this job easiest, but it can be rinsed in a bowl and the rinse water carefully poured off afterwards.
Next you’ll need to prep the kale. This bunch of kale that I bought was not only HUGE, but it was only $0.98 cents! I’m not sure if most kale bunches are usually the same size, but this one seemed large and I only ended up using half of it. Luckily, the amount of kale you use for this recipe is very flexible, so if you feel like you can use your entire bunch, go for it. I probably used 6-8 large leaves.
To remove the woody stems, take a sharp knife and run it along both sides of the stem. The stems of Dino kale are much more tender than curly kale, so you don’t even have to remove the stem to the very end of the leaf. Just the toughest parts. Once you remove the stem, slice the leaf in half the rest of the way (lengthwise), so you have two long pieces.
Stack the halved leaves and cut them into thin strips. Place all the strips in a colander and rinse them well.
Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to a large pot with one tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat for about one minute. (Those little dark bits of pieces of kale that were stuck to my knife when I minced the garlic.)
Add the sliced and rinsed kale (it will mostly fill the pot) and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes, or just until it wilts down and looks tender and glossy.
Add the rinsed quinoa and 1.5 cups of vegetable broth to the pot. Stir the contents together, place a lid on top, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the pot come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes with the lid in place (make sure it doesn’t stop simmering).
After 15 minutes, the quinoa should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. You can tell the quinoa is done when the center is no longer an opaque white, but looks more like a translucent bead. The outer rim will be solid white. Most of the broth should be absorbed, but if there is a good bit left on the bottom of the pot, replace the lid and let it simmer a few minutes more. If there’s just a little bit of broth hanging out, keep the lid off and let it evaporate as you stir and cook the contents of the pot.
While the pot is simmering away, you can prep the toppings. You’ll want the zest from half of a lemon. I use a small holed cheese grater to get my zest, but there are also gadgets made specifically for zesting.
You’ll also want a 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and one ounce of crumbled feta (that’s actually 2 ounces in the picture, but as I was adding it, I decided it was way too much. You don’t want the feta to over power the dish).
Take the pot off the heat and sprinkle the lemon zest over top. Squeeze the juice from half the lemon into the pot. Lastly, top wit the chopped walnuts and crumbled feta.
Serve the Lemony Kale and Quinoa Salad warm or cold! The end volume will depend on how much kale you ended up adding, but mine made four cups (plus the 5-6 spoonfuls that I shoved in my mouth before measuring). I love it!
This was my first time ever eating kale, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say it turned out so delicious! I’ll definitely be making this again!
I make this one or a variant pretty often. It’s also really good with beets added, or chickpeas.
Full of flavor, a great way to eat a lot of kale
I used curly kale instead of dino kale because my grocery did not have dino kale. I may have used more kale than the recipe called for. Otherwise I followed the directions.
Have made this many times and felt compelled to comment – this recipe is excellent! So nutritious, tasty, filling and easy!! I’ve had issues cooking quinoa in the past and this always turns our perfect. Love to pair it with the lemon pepper chicken and even made it for thanksgiving this year to great success <3
I know that you mentioned quinoa is rather expensive. It’s much cheaper in the health food store in bulk. Also quinoa provides complete protein (just like meat) and is a heck of a lot cheaper than meat. It’s a great way to add protein to just about anything like soups, casseroles, and salads. Did you know that you caneven cook and service it with milk, fruit and sweetner for breakfast?
Yes, I love it sweet! I actually have a recipe on here for breakfast quinoa cooked in juice with fresh apples. :)
Excellent recipe! I used goat crumbles instead of feta. Fabulous. I then added some homemade lime avocado sauce I’m trying to get rid of before it goes bad and it was a delightful pairing, really brought out the bright, citrusy flavor. I did have to add extra broth to get the quinoa cooked but I’ll use a less wide pan next time.
I really, really, really love this salad!!!! I’ve even tried it with herbed feta or spinach even. As well as pecans!
Another hit with the family! I had a handful of leftover pecans left that needed to get used (had been hanging out for a couple months), so I went with toasted chopped up pecans but otherwise followed it exactly. Served with salmon my hubby made and they paired very well. Thanks! Another keeper!!
This looks delicious. I have a bag of pre chopped kale I’m trying to use up. About how many cups would you say you use for this recipe? Can’t wait to try it!
Probably about four cups. :)
Awesome with your Greek marinated chicken cut up into bits
Can you freeze it?
I just couldn’t fall in love with this recipe. I’m not sure if I just didn’t care for the flavor combo or the texture but I had to try it. I also learned I really don’t like kale. Please don’t take my comment as an insult as I really do love your blog. This recipe was just not a winner for me.
That’s not insulting at all! :) Not every recipe is made for every person.
Try spinach next time and see if you like it that way. Just add a lot more as it really reduces.
Such an amazing recipe! Have made this numerous times and always get rave reviews!
Looks like the kale and quinoa salad I got at Costco, but your recipe is so easy I’ll never buy it again. I served it cold with a vinaigrette dressing. Everyone loved it.
Having this for lunch now – it’s amazing! Like other commenters, I used curly kale because it was on sale. SO good when served hot but I bet it’ll be equally amazing later after it’s chilled! I went with 2oz of feta and it was good but I could see how less feta would also be good, depending on your tastes.
Loveeeee this recipe!! Made it for lunch for the week and I am so glad!
I want to try this but am allergic to walnuts. What nut would make a good substitute? We r having Chinese chicken salad
tonite. Great receipes
I think sunflower seeds would be nice with this salad.
Wonderful! I used chicken broth and added sauted chicken. A complete meal.
Just finished making/eating this and oh my god, so good. I used goat cheese instead of feta, and doubled the batch and I’m so glad I did! I bet this would be EXCELLENT with a poached egg on top too!
I’ve made this recipe upwards of ten times and it’s always fantastic. A staple in our household — the flavours work so well together! Just wanted to say thank you.
All the recipes I’ve tried so far on the site have been delicious, but this is probably my favorite; the flavors work so well together. It works great with regular curly kale, though I found that preparing the grains and kale separately worked better in that case.
I wonder if I could crock pot this?
No, this one would not work well in a crock pot.
This was my first time using dinosaur kale AND my first time trying kale cooked. It turned out great! Walnuts are a bit expensive right now, and so I ended up using sliced almonds instead. It was very fresh tasting, and I love the saltiness that the cheese brings. It paired excellently with some baked salmon my boyfriend had made.
I’m so happy I found this! I love Food52 and have been ogling this recipe for a while, but didn’t want to invest in all the expensive ingredients. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this today and it was pretty darn good! Quinoa and kale are two things I only started eating recipe, and this was a lovely marriage of the two. (The lemon, walnut, and feta worked together really well!) I used curly kale because it was all I had on hand and it still turned out just fine, and paired very nicely with the lemon thyme chicken breast I paired with it. This recipe is definitely exactly as advertised.
The step by step instructions with pictures were fantastic, too — time to check out the rest of your site!
I just made this and it was so yummy I have stop myself from eating the whole pot. I did make some substitutions based on what I had on hand, curly kale (from the garden), pine nuts and goat cheese. I also added some freshly ground black pepper for that lemon pepper flaky our combo. Will definitely making this again.
Excellent, so simple and yet so delicious. Would definitely recommend adding more kale if you’re substituting the curly variety for the dinosaur one in the original recipe though.
Would this recipe work with frozen kale? I’ve had a bag sitting in my freezer that I need to use & this sounds delish!
Yes, it probably would since the fresh kale gets cooked down before adding it in anyway. So frozen kale, which will be wilted after thawing, should be similar. :)
This recipe is life-changing good. I made it the other night with some roasted chicken thighs and nearly ate it all out of the pan before I could serve the family. I was concerned that the quinoa wouldn’t cook evenly with the kale but I was dead wrong. Seriously, this is good stuff. My 4 year old couldn’t get enough and asked for seconds!
This recipe is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing it! I made it tonight and I almost think I could eat the whole pot. I substituted pine nuts for the walnuts (can’t stand them) and goat cheese for the feta (I like feta fine, but I adore goat cheese), and it is incredible.
This recipe is incredibly delicious and packed with all sorts of goodies! I loved the minimal ingredients necessary, and really, you just toss stuff the pot, and magic happens. Pure magic.
Can you sub the curly kale instead of the dinasour kale? I’m having a hard time finding it.
Yep, just make sure to cut it in really small pieces. :)
I really love your recipes. You’ve become my “go-to” site for every meal.
Made this kale and quinoa recipe this afternoon for the first time. I tasted it before I added the lemon zest and juice, and it was yummy then. It just became more interesting and complex with the lemon!
I did omit the feta cheese, but I did toast in the toaster over the walnuts, and added about a cup in a doubled recipe.
I do think that I might have cooked this too long, however. It is a bit “sticky” but the quinoa wasn’t cooked at the 15 minutes in my doubled recipe.
Should the time also be doubled when you double the ingredients??
Thanks again for a terrific web site.
You shouldn’t need to double the time, although maybe an extra five minutes or so might help. Other things, like the thickness of your pot or slight changes in the heat level can change the cooking time a little, too.
Made this last night, was delicious! Doubled the recipe for a quick tasty lunch for us. Thank you!
This looks so yummy! Any suggestions for cheese to sub for the feta if someone’s not a huge fan? Thanks!
Goat cheese would be awesome!
I made it with some goat milk cheese I had left over from the Greek Pizza recipe. Scrumptious! I couldn’t believe how tasty this recipe is.
Great recipe! I cooked the kale separately and added a little balsamic, and served it with a piece of grilled salmon.
It was maybe a little salty between the broth and the feta, but otherwise excellent.
So awesomely good! I served this with the African Yam Stew… yum yum yum.
This is the first thing I’ve made from Budget Bytes and it was great! I subbed out a few things based on what I had: collard greens for kale, cotija cheese for feta, chicken broth for veggie and added some shrimp. Delicious!! Thank you!
Hi, first recipe from this website and it was fantastic. Love the step by step instructions. Used silverbeet, as could not find kale, and added chickpeas, as per another comment. Great dish and now look forward to going through your archives and discovering more.
Made this in my little rice cooker. So good. Eighteen year old finished it off.
Rita N
I made this tonight-it was wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!
Made it tonight! Subsituted orzo for quinoa (that’s what I had on hand) and threw in some sliced baby portebellas. Sautéed veggies and folded them into the orzo. Yum! Great sided dish for salmon.
i love dishes like this, that you can prepare and serve hot, then alter the leftovers a bit to serve cold as a salad–like maybe use a toasted nut topping for the hot version, then add the lemon juice and feta for the cold version.
Yum! This looks and sounds incredible. Any tips on what marinade to use with chicken or fish with this? I was thinking a slight lemon garlic marinade but I don’t know if that would over balance the citrusy goodness in the salad. You’re awesome!
I think I would keep it simple with just some salt and pepper, maybe a splash of lemon. Smoked paprika might not be that bad, either!
If I’m one of the crazies who is NOT a fan of lemon/citrusy flavors in meals like this, is there something I could substitute? Or could I just do without? It looks great!
I would make a simple vinaigrette and toss a little bit with the dish for flavor in lieu of lemon!
There is already a lot of flavor from the vegetable broth, so it might still be tasty with just the feta and nuts! You could always try adding some extra herbs like oregano.
This is one of my favorite ways to eat quinoa and kale together. I always add in some chickpeas at the end for a complete meal! It’s so fast and easy to take with me to work.
I’ve been making this for months, and I absolutely love it. I usually freeze a small amount for just in case dinner. I like it with lemon, EVOO, sunflower seeds, garlic, n a parmesan crust that I throw under the broiler for extra awesomeness. It’s healthy and cheap for a filling vegetarian meal.
OOh, I love the thought of sunflower seeds in there!
I have never gotten the obsession with kale. Guess I like spinach too much. Hmm … instead of kale and quinoa maybe spinach and orzo with the rest of the ingredients?
And Amanda Hesser, one of the founders of Food52, used to write about food for the New York Times and had a recipe for one of the single most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth–rigatoni with white bolognese sauce.
I’m going to have to look that recipe up! I love kale because I like the thicker texture and slightly more bitter flavor, but that’s definitely not for everyone. If you use spinach and orzo, I would suggest stirring the fresh spinach in at the end after the orzo cooks, so the residual heat just wilts it. Spinach might be too delicate to withstand the simmering.
this sounds great! I’ve made a similar dish but you add fresh blueberries to the finished cold salad. Sounds weird but it is to die for!
OOOh, that DOES sound good!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ImHOxo-IiYA