Quinoa makes an excellent whole-grain alternative to bread or rice in holiday dressing. This recipe is traditionally flavored with fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary, with the addition of mushrooms, greens and almonds.
Quinoa Holiday Dressing
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1-½ cups dry quinoa
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, sliced
- 10-12 mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt-free poultry seasoning
- 1-½ teaspoons dried basil
- ½ to 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 head of greens (kale, chard, collards, spinach), well chopped
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds, or chopped pecans
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa in a saucepan by bringing the quinoa and water to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to very low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove lid and set aside.
- Heat up a large skillet or soup pot, add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes, adding just a tablespoon of water at a time if the onions stick, stirring frequently. Add the celery, mushrooms, granulated onion and garlic, poultry seasoning and dried basil, and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Next, add in about a ½ cup of the water, fresh herbs, greens and raisins, and cook for about 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add water as needed to end up with a thin layer of liquid in the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl (or in your soup pot), mix the cooked quinoa and almonds with the vegetables/spices. Spoon into a 9”x13” baking dish (no pan treatment is needed). Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees uncovered.
Notes
Quinoa: Quinoa comes in yellow/white, red, and black (see photo below). Feel free to use any color, or a mixture. You can also use 3 cups cooked wild rice in the place of the cooked quinoa. The addition of ¼ cup cooked barley would also be a nice complement to any version.
Mushrooms: Any kind of mushroom can be used here. I used white, crimini and shiitake. If the mushrooms are large, use a few less; if they are very small, use a few more. You can read more about mushroom types (with photos) in my Creamy Mushroom Soup post.
Raisin alternative: I know not everyone likes raisins in their stuffing, so feel free to leave them out or replace them with dried cranberries or cherries (diced first). While dried cranberries are usually pre-sweetened, be sure they don't have oil on them (I see this in the bulk section a lot).
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ recipe
- Calories: 204
- Sugar: 9.2g
- Sodium: 18.8mg
- Fat: 5.6g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 33.3g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 7.6g
- Cholesterol: 0
WHAT IS QUINOA? Quinoa is usually categorized as a whole grain but it is actually a seed. It is often used in place of other whole grains, such as rice or barley. I like it as a breakfast cereal instead of oatmeal. Quinoa is great because it takes less time to cook than other whole grains, just 15 to 20 minutes, compared to rice or barley at 45 minutes. Quinoa is gluten-free and high in protein, and was a staple food for thousands of years in the Andes region of South America.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThis recipe looks so amazing...because my husband absolutely hates quinoa but his favourite food is stuffing...hummmm......let's see if I can turn that frown upside down....Thanks for the great idea
If he likes it though, be sure to let me know! Just in case, you could make a rice version too 😉
My husband hates quinoa too. Let us know if this recipe is a keeper!
I've never seen black quinoa. Interesting! Love the idea of this recipe! Not a big fan of fruit in my savory dishes (mixing fruits and veggies weirds me out for some reason), but everything else looks yum! I've been in the mood for quinoa, too 🙂
Hi Cathy,
This dressing looks fabulous. Trying the comment thing out. Hope I get it right!
Maria (moonwatcher)
Hi Maria! 🙂 You got it right. I think you will like that dressing; it's something different yet familiar! Talk to you soon... C
Can't wait to try it!
Aren't all grains seeds?
Hi AJ, I wasn't sure so I looked on Wikipedia. It said yes, grains are seeds, with this clarification: "In botany, grains and cereals are synonymous with caryopses, the fruits of the grass family. In agronomy and commerce, seeds or fruits from other families are called grains if they resemble caryopses. For example, amaranth is sold as 'grain amaranth' and amaranth products may be described as 'whole grains' [similarly, quinoa and buckwheat are also in this group, called "pseudocereal grains"]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_grain
This recipe looks great! But my boyfriend hates cooked greens (he will eat them raw, but hates them cooked). Do you think this would still be good if I left out the head of greens? Thanks!
Yes, that will be fine. Or you could add in something else that he likes. 🙂
What do you mean by head of greens? What quantity of spinach would that be equal to in grams? Thanks
Hi Janice, not sure of grams, but just toss in some, however much looks good to you, probably 4 to 6 cups chopped. 🙂
Hi Cathy,
Is poultry seasoning veggie or vegan if no, can you recommend an alternative for me to make this recipe. Thanks
It is vegan, but always check the label to be sure it doesn't have salt in it. 🙂
If you specify the quinoa is dry what about the bitter saponins that need removing?
You can rinse it first if you like. 🙂 I just meant uncooked.