Quick BBQ Veggie Quinoa Bowl

This vegan and gluten-free quick BBQ veggie quinoa bowl recipe makes a perfect weeknight meal. Easily swap ingredients based on taste and availability.

A perfect weeknight meal is quick, easy, healthy, tasty, and made with ingredients found in the fridge!

I often turn to one-dish quinoa-based recipes when I’m pressed for time. Quinoa is the most protein and fiber-rich grain and it’s also the quickest to cook!

There Are No Rules

The great thing about this recipe is there are no hard and fast rules. The ingredients are merely suggestions. You can mix things up based on what you have on hand. I happened to have a hankering for tofu when I was developing this dish. I don’t use tofu often. You can certainly skip it if you are anti-tofu. I’ve suggested some alternatives in the notes at the end of the recipe.

The general idea is to steam sauté a variety of veggies and mix them with cooked quinoa and BBQ sauce. It really doesn’t get much easier. I encourage you to experiment! Enjoy!

📖 Recipe

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Quick BBQ Veggie Quinoa Bowl

This vegan and gluten-free recipe makes a perfect weeknight meal. You can easily swap ingredients based on taste and availability.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 16 oz firm tofu
• 1 cup quinoa uncooked, rinsed
• 2 ¼ cups low sodium vegetable broth more if needed
• ½ sweet onion large, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic coarsely minced
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 2 summer squash medium, chopped (I use one zucchini and one yellow squash for variety)
• 2 cups baby kale chopped (or other dark leafy green)
• 6 oz sliced portobello mushrooms chopped
• ½ cup BBQ sauce - see recipe

Instructions

• Press tofu for at least 15 minutes to remove excess moisture. (You can use a fancy tofu press or simply place it between two plates in your kitchen sink and place something heavy on top.)
• Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of vegetable broth in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes then remove from heat and let sit covered for at least 5 minutes.
• While quinoa is cooking, add ¼ cup of vegetable broth to a 5 qt saucepan over medium high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and frozen pineapple. Cover and steam sauté by stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. (Add more vegetable broth 1 tbsp. at a time if needed.)
• Reduce heat to medium and add chopped summer squash, baby kale and portobello mushrooms. Continue to steam sauté for for 10-15 minutes or until veggies begin to soften.
• Slice pressed tofu into 1 inch cubes and stir into veggies with BBQ sauce.
• Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or until excess moisture cooks off.
• Add cooked quinoa to veggies and stir to mix.

Notes

*If you prefer not to use tofu, try adding more veggies or a can of chickpeas or navy beans (rinsed and drained).

Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.