Eggplant and Mushroom Quinoa Risotto
This eggplant and mushroom quinoa risotto is a great alternative to traditional rice-based risottos. It’s perfect for meal prep and any leftovers can be eaten over a couple of days.
Ready in half the time, a quinoa risotto (also known as quinotto) is more nutritious, higher in protein (being a complete source of protein), amino acids, and it also has more fibre. It’s a win-win situation!
So if you love risottos but feel intimidated by making them, this recipe is perfect for you! But if you do want a more traditional style, check out our creamy mushroom risotto.
Don’t be fooled by its appearance, this dish is seriously delicious and full of flavour.
A great dish to feed a lot of people
Even though this recipe is made for four people, you can easily double or triple it.
As mentioned before, not only can you use it as part of your weekly meal prep, but it can also be made for a larger crowd. Take it to your next:
- Potluck
- Family gathering
- To share as part of your holiday feast
- On an outdoor adventure as it can be eaten hot or cold
- Barbeque
The options are endless!
Tips for making this quinoa and mushroom risotto
- When cooking with quinoa, make sure that you give it a good rinse before using it to remove the soapy residue that can bloat you and give the dish a slight bitter aftertaste.
- This recipe is easily adaptable to what you have on hand. The use of other herbs like coriander (aka cilantro), oregano, marjoram, and rosemary would all work great in this dish. Vegetables like zucchini, peas, broccoli, leek, and capsicum (aka peppers) are also wonderful options.
- If you’d like to add a crunchy element for textural balance you can add some walnuts at the end.
- We add both olive oil and coconut oil not just for flavour but also for creaminess – as they create this balm-like texture when combined.
- You can use a variety of different mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, chestnut or a medley of different kinds.
- There are a few varieties of quinoa, we chose white as it’s the fluffiest – making it a great substitute for rice. If you have a medley variety on hand (white, red & black together), you can still use it in this recipe.
- If eating it as leftovers, when reheating, add some stock or water to loosen it again, giving it a good stir as it warms up. That way it will go back to its creamy consistency.
- You can refrigerate this dish for up to 3-4 days.
This eggplant and mushroom quinoa risotto is:
- gluten-free
- soy-free
- nut-free
- is a lighter version of a risotto
- quick and easy to make
- filling
- healthy
- nutrient-dense
- perfect for meal prep
This dish is perfect when you’re running short on time as it cooks up much faster than normal risotto. Perfect for when you still want a healthy weeknight dinner to put on the table but not as much fuss.
You can serve it with a fresh salad in the summertime. We love it with this Caprese salad.
We hope you love this cheats version of risotto just as much as we do!
Other delicious recipes you’ll love:
- Mushroom Fajitas
- Creamy Vegan Leek and Mushroom Pasta
- Rustic Eggplant Patties in Tomato Sauce
- Buckwheat Salad with Roasted Eggplant and Peppers
- Vegan Mediterranean Couscous Salad
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
PrintEggplant and Mushroom Quinoa Risotto
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
An Italian inspired dish with a twist, this quinoa risotto is quick and easy to prepare and the perfect nutrient-dense meal for the whole family to enjoy!
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or sub vegan butter)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tamari sauce*
- 1 medium-sized / 300g / 10.58 ounces eggplant, cubed
- 180g / 6.35 ounces white cup mushrooms,* sliced (approx. 7)
- 1 brown onion, sliced into half-moons
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, picked
Quinoa:
- 2 cups white quinoa,* rinsed
- 2 cups / 500ml vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
The rest:
- ¼ cup chives, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Parsley, for serving
Instructions
- For the vegetables: To a skillet on medium-high heat, add all the ingredients under the vegetable section and a teaspoon of water. Sauté for 5 minutes, then reduce to low heat and allow the flavours to reduce further in a sort of umami balm.
- For the quinoa: In the meantime, add to a medium-sized pot on high heat: quinoa, stock, rice wine vinegar and an additional ½ cup of water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and stir regularly for 10 minutes.
- Once the liquid has completely evaporated, turn off the heat for both the vegetables and quinoa, adding the quinoa from the pot to the vegetable skillet.
- Add the chives, nutritional yeast, and salt to taste. Stir through.
- Serve into bowls straight away, add cracked black pepper, and a sprig of parsley to garnish.
Notes
Tamari: You can use soy sauce instead if you don’t need this recipe to be gluten-free. If you’d like it to be soy-free as well, use coconut aminos instead.
Mushrooms: You can use various mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, chestnut or a medley of different species.
Quinoa: There are a few varieties of quinoa; we chose white as it is fluffiest – making it a great substitute for rice. If you have a medley variety on hand (white, red & black together), you can still use it in this recipe.
This meal will keep refrigerated for 3-4 days. When reheating, add a splash of stock or water and stir through to loosen the quinoa again.
- Diet: Vegan