Quinoa Vegetable Curry Stew
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Quinoa Vegetable Curry Stew is an easy to make and hearty vegan dinner recipe. It's loaded with veggies and quinoa and dotted with black beans and has tons of flavor. It is my favorite vegan stew recipe!
It's Throwback Thursday and it only seemed fair that this Quinoa Vegetable Curry Stew got to make the front page again. Once a month I pick a recipe from the archives to reshare with you. I take new pictures, sometimes tweak the recipe to fit in with the healthy recipes angle the blog has taken, and give the recipe a front-row seat on the blog.
This vegetable stew is super hearty and has so much flavor. It's also crazy easy to make. Once you make it once, you'll add it to your regular dinner rotation.
And because it's high on the easy-to-make scale, I know you'll stop looking at the recipe after you make it once or twice.
Here's how I make this Quinoa Vegetable Curry Stew:
- Raid the fridge and pull out all the veggies I can find. ā This is a great clean out the fridge dinner.
- Saute the veggies then scoop some curry powder into the pot with whatever spoon is closest at hand.
- When the broth and quinoa are in the pot, I rinse the beans, chop the greens, and wash up the couple of dirty dishes I've made.
- Then I mix the greens, beans, and a little peanut butter (trust me on this one) into the pot and Voila! Dinner is ready!
This quinoa vegetable stew recipe came from the cookbook Cooking with Quinoa for Dummies by Cheryl Forberg. I reviewed the cookbook years ago and remember thinking that it could easily be called, āThe Encyclopaedia About Everything to Do With Quinoaā or āEverything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Quinoa, and More.ā Seriously, this book has it all.
There are 336 pages of quinoa history, nutrition, facts, cooking tips, and, of course, tons of great recipes.
If you haven't jumped on the quinoa train yet, you're seriously missing out. It is a little bit like couscous or pearl barley but (as I learned after reading this book) it is actually a seed. It is also gluten-free, a complete protein (think meat and soybeans), and a nutritional powerhouse. It's little wonder why it is being called a superfood.
But all that boring healthy stuff aside, it is also really great to eat. I'd take it over rice any day.
Let's chat a little about this Curried Vegetable Stew with Quinoa. I've made this a few times now and can easily see it becoming one of those go-to recipes that, after a while feels like they're yours, only because you've made them so many times. It is a big bowl of warm comfort. It's like getting a bear hug.
The last time I made it I added some eggplant and extra peppers. This time, I used kale instead of spinach. (Only because I didn't see the word spinach written in big letters on my shopping list. Oops.) I prefer it with extra curry powder and some chili flakes, but I like my food spicier than most. š
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Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes:
- Vegan Chocolate Quinoa Chili
- Vegetable Asian Stir Fry Noodles
- Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
- Chipotle Mushroom Sloppy Joes
- Curried Vegan Shepherd's Pie with Coconut Sweet Potato Topping
- Deliciously Rich Lentil Bolognese
Quinoa Vegetable Curry Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 medium red onion (finely chopped)
- 1 green pepper (finely chopped)
- 1 large carrot (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger (minced)
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- Optional: 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (if you like it spicy)
- 2 large tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups broth
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 Ā½ cups cooked black beans (or one 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained)
- 3 tablespoons all-natural peanut or almond butter
- Ā¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 8 ounces kale (torn into bite-sized pieces)
- Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper, carrot, and celery and let them cook for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, cayenne (if you're using it), and the chopped tomatoes and let them cook for 1 minute.1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil, 1 medium red onion, 1 green pepper, 1 large carrot, 2 stalks celery, 3 cloves garlic, 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons curry powder, Optional: 1 teaspoon cayenne powder, 2 large tomatoes
- Add the bay leaf and broth to the pot and bring it to a boil. Add the quinoa and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. Add the black beans to the pot and let them warm through.1 bay leaf, 4 cups broth, 1 cup quinoa, 1 Ā½ cups cooked black beans
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the peanut or almond butter, cilantro, and kale and stir. Let the stew sit for a few minutesĀ so the kale wilts then season to taste with salt and pepper.3 tablespoons all-natural peanut or almond butter, Ā¼ cup fresh cilantro, 8 ounces kale, Sea salt and black pepper
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This was incredible! I have never eaten curry before but I love quinoa so….I donāt like soupy soups. I used 2 cups of broth instead of Ā 4 and I had to put the lid on the pot to get the quinoa to cook. I have had a bowl 3 days in a row! ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
This was a huge hit with the kids! Great easy and healthy lunch. I used spinach in place of kale, and probably closer to 1 T of curry powder since that was all I had. I also substituted the ginger for 1/4 tsp ground. The only odd thing for me was that the amount of broth was way too much. 4 cups made it VERY watery, so I ended up having to dump it all through a sieve to get the desired stew-like consistency. Next time I will used an amount of water closer to what is called for on my bag of quinoa. Other than that, great recipe!!
This was so good! I didn’t have kale, so swapped it for spinach. Added sweet potatoes per another commenters suggestion as well. Will make it again!
I’m so happy to hear that the recipe as a hit!
Can you use instant for this recipe?
I’ve never tried it but I suspect you could alter the recipe to make it in an Instant Pot.
Just made this and it was great, although my wife likes the kale very soft so i put it in with the onions and carrots peppers etc. It worked very well. Loved the nut butter curry sauce, very clever and healthy alternative to coconut milk…
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for coming back to let us know!!
That is one of the most comforting looking veggie dishes I have ever seen!! Wow!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
So tasty!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
This looks amazing! Do you think I could sub a can of diced tomatoes instead of chopping fresh ones since they arenāt in season right now? If so do you think a 15oz can would be enough? Thank you!!
I think that would work perfectly!
My mother used to make a very similar stew. She would add quinoa, coconut milk, kale, spinach, chickpeas, sweet potato, and a bunch of spices! The addition of peanut butter and the bay leaves has sparked my curiosity, though. I HAVE to replicate this dish and see what the taste impact would be, but I bet it would be stupendous!
Do try adding the peanut butter. It’s so good! I like the idea of coconut milk, too. Coconut makes everything better!
Oh my goodness!
Thankyou so much for sharing this recipe. I made a huge batch and have shared it with all my veggie hating work mates and it is just delish!!
I’m so happy you liked it!
I felt that adding the quinoa just at the end made the vegetables overcooked by the time the quinoa was done. Any solutions for this? Could I add the quinoa with the broth?
Thanks!
I’m sorry to hear that happened to you! If you like your veggies a little less done you could always add the quinoa a little earlier. š
I love quinoa and could eat it everyday in so many ways! If I could win this cookbook I would learn many different ways to cook it! Thanks for the giveaway challenge and chance!
This recipe is DIVINE goodness! It is hearty and perfect for a cold winter day. I happen to be a true avocado lover and added a quarter of a medium avocado after serving myself a bowl. It was perfect!
So happy to hear you loved the recipe! I think I’ll add some avocado next time I make it too š
Amazing. I love everything about this meal. Simple to make, I didn’t change a thing about the recipe, it is perfect how it is.
Is it best to stick with white quinoa, or is black or red okay as well? I thought red might hold up a little better, since ( at least in my experience) regular quinoa can get a bit mushy when cooked.
Hi Neha,
The white quinoa holds up really well, probably since it is added just at the end of cooking. Definitely feel free to switch it up for red or black though if you want. š
I enjoy quinoa, but I’d love to learn more about it so that I can do more than just the breakfast cereal version that I know how to make. š