Mediterranean Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

This quinoa breakfast bowl is a Mediterranean-inspired savoury vegetarian breakfast consisting of fluffy quinoa with vegetables, eggs, feta and a tangy sun-dried tomato garnish. Satisfying, easy to make, healthy and delicious. If you prepare the ingredients in advance it comes together in minutes.

This Mediterranean-inspired quinoa breakfast bowl is a delicious and easy alternative to a 'sweet' quinoa breakfast recipe (such as overnight quinoa or quinoa pancakes). It features cooked quinoa, vegetables and feta in addition to classic eggs. I also created an easy, savoury and tangy sun-dried tomato garnish mixture, which adds richness, intensity as well as moisture. If you prepare the ingredients in advance your savoury quinoa bowl can be assembled in minutes (see my tips at the bottom of the post).

What makes this breakfast bowl with quinoa special is the layers of textures and flavours it offers. Fluffy, nutty quinoa, mild eggs and buttery avocado taste delicious with fresh tomatoes, savoury olives, tangy feta and crunchy pine nuts. The 4-ingredient sun-dried tomato garnish help bring all the flavours together adding a tangy, zesty element.

Other savoury breakfast recipes with quinoa you might like include quinoa egg salad burrito and quinoa egg muffins.

Quinoa breakfast bowl ingredients and substitutions

• Quinoa: I used white quinoa but you can use any variety.
• Eggs: I cooked my eggs for about 5 minutes so the yolks were just set, but you can poach or pan fry your eggs, if desired. One advantage of boiling the eggs is that you can prepare them in advance.
• Tomatoes: use any tomato variety.
• Avocado.
• Olives: I like Kalamata olives in this dish, but you can use any.
• Sun-dried tomatoes.
• Roasted jarred marinated red pepper.
• Capers.
• Oil: I used the sun-dried tomato oil, but you can use your favourite extra virgin olive oil, instead.
• Feta: goat's cheese makes a good alternative.
• Chives: you can use scallions, instead.
• Pine nuts: you can use sunflower seeds, instead, or omit this ingredient altogether.
• Pepper flakes.

How to prepare the quinoa

Quinoa cooks quickly (only about 13 minutes) and is easy to prepare. Simply rinse it thoroughly (to prevent potential bitterness) then boil according to packet instructions. I recommend a 1.5:1 ratio of water to dried quinoa. Because this recipe uses chilled quinoa it's a good idea to prepare it in advance. Once cooled completely refrigerate it, covered, for up to 4 days.

Alternatively use ready-cooked quinoa.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Prepare quinoa: Rinse then boil the quinoa according to packet instructions. Set aside to cool completely (alternatively prepare in advance).

2. Prepare garnish: Combine the sun-dried tomatoes, jarred pepper, capers and oil. Stir and set aside.

3. Prepare ingredients: Chop the ingredients and dry toast the pine nuts (this only takes a minute or so, be sure not to brown them too much).

3. Assemble: Divide the ingredients between 2 bowls. Spread the quinoa over the bottom of each serving bowl. Add the avocado, eggs, olives and tomatoes. Next add the garnish mixture, crumbled feta, pine nuts, chives and pepper flakes. Enjoy!

*Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a full, printable list of ingredients and instructions.

variations

This vegetarian quinoa breakfast bowl is adaptable and you can tweak the ingredients according to taste. You can add the following optional ingredients:

• Chickpeas.
• White beans, such as cannellini.
• Chopped cucumber: in place of avocado.
• Finely chopped red bell pepper or sweet pointed pepper.
• Half of grated garlic clove added into the garnish mixture.

How to make it vegan

• Feta: Use plant feta or increase the amount of olives or capers.
• Eggs: Use tofu instead (a flavoured variety would work well). Alternatively omit altogether (if also using tofu feta).

Can I prepare it in advance

Yes, you can! You can assemble your quinoa breakfast in an airtight container (or cover tightly with cling film if using a bowl) and refrigerate overnight.

TIP: It's a good idea to sprinkle the avocado with a little lemon juice to make sure it retains its vivid green colour.

Alternatively cook the quinoa, prepare the garnish and boil the eggs the night before, cool, cover, refrigerate and assemble the recipe the following day.

Top tips

• You will need about ⅔ cup of dried quinoa (105g) and 1 cup of water (240ml). Cook the quinoa, uncovered, until the water is completely absorbed. Once cooled, you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Alternatively use ready-cooked quinoa.
• I recommend using ⅔ cup of cooked quinoa per bowl (this is about 125g), but you can adjust this amount according to taste.
• Best served chilled, however, you can assemble the recipe (omitting the hard-boiled eggs) and serve with poached or pan-fried eggs.
• Refrigerate leftover breakfast quinoa mixture, covered, for up to 2 days.
• Not suitable for freezing.

More quinoa breakfast recipes to try next

• How to Cook Quinoa Porridge
• Quinoa Blueberry Muffins
• Quinoa Berry Smoothie Bowl

See also these other easy, delicious breakfast ideas including more vegetable breakfast recipes.

Recipe

Keep in touch

If you make this savoury quinoa breakfast bowl recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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