Instant Pot Spanish Quinoa

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

One Pot meal that can be easily made in the Instant Pot; this recipe for Spanish Quinoa is delicious, easy and no-fail!

Perfect for making tacos, burritos and quesadillas or as a complete meal with beans.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa
½ cup Onion (diced)
½ cup Peppers (diced)
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
¼ cup Jarred Salsa
2 teaspoon Taco Seasoning
2 teaspoon Tomato Paste
1½ teaspoon Oil
1 cup Water or Vegetable Stock
¾ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to 'Sauté'. Let the display read hot. Then add oil, and once it heats up add garlic, onion and peppers.
½ cup Onion, 4 cloves Garlic, 1½ teaspoon Oil, ½ cup Peppers
Sauté and cook till the garlic loses its raw flavor.
Cook till the garlic loses its raw flavor.
Add the quinoa.
1 cup Quinoa
Add taco seasoning and salt. Mix well.
2 teaspoon Taco Seasoning, ¾ teaspoon Salt
Add vegetable stock, salsa and tomato paste. Do not stir.
¼ cup Jarred Salsa, 1 cup Water or Vegetable Stock, 2 teaspoon Tomato Paste
Change mode to pressure cook. Close and seal the lid. Set time to 1 minute.
Once the cooking is complete, let all the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid and fluff with a fork.
Serve topped with cilantro with a side of your choice.

Notes

Rinse the quinoa well. Rinse under running water till it runs clear. If the top coat is not washed away, it will make the final dish bitter.

I like to add 1 cup water or stock for 1 cup quinoa. However; if you like your quinoa mushy, add ¼ cup extra water or stock.

Substitute salsa for fire roasted tomatoes if desired. Also garlic powder works in place of fresh garlic too.

Add some beans and corn if you want to make fiesta Spanish quinoa. These need to be added along with the quinoa.

The recipe is easy to double. Simply double the ingredients keeping the time to cook same.

We can easily make the same recipe using rice. Either substitute all the quinoa with rice or use a mix of both. The cooking time goes up to 4 minutes instead of 1 minute as seen in the recipe.

The prepared quinoa can be refrigerated for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Freezing it keeps the quinoa good for a couple of months.

Instant Pot: Remember to always account for the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The cook time listed does not account for this.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition