Need a tasty, nutritious meal that’s ready in a flash? This easy quinoa slaw bowl is loaded with healthy ingredients and uses the click of a microwave button to deliver a warm, satisfying dish in a matter of minutes. Hearty chickpeas, crunchy cabbage, sweet peas, and juicy tomatoes are tossed together with quinoa and drizzled in tangy lemon juice. Add a few cracks of black pepper and you have the perfect lunch for days when you want to keep cooking to a minimum! This flexible dish tastes great served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Tips
Cooked quinoa: Look for cooked quinoa in shelf-stable pouches or in the freezer aisle. If you’re starting with dry quinoa, in a microwave-safe bowl combine ½ cup quinoa and ¾ cup water. Cover and microwave 9 to 12 minutes. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff quinoa. (While cooking, some water may spill over in microwave.)
Stove-top version: In Step 1, in a medium saucepan combine ½ cup of the chickpeas, the lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons water. Mash mixture into a coarse paste. Add coleslaw mix and peas; mix well. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened, stirring frequently and adding water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Continue with Step 2. (To cook quinoa on the stove, use this guide.)
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (1½ cups)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2½ cups shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl combine ½ cup of the chickpeas, the lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons water. Mash mixture into a coarse paste. Add coleslaw mix and peas; mix well. Microwave 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Stir in the remaining chickpeas, the cooked quinoa, and the cherry tomatoes. Season with additional salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
This is a go to summer recipe. I cook the quinoa in our rice cooker. So quick and easy. Thank you!!!
Can this be frozen?it makes so much!
Did anyone read the article from Cleveland Clinic? It ends with this:
“Bottom line?
Microwaves aren’t inherently bad for you. But using them safely is important. So, use your microwave properly to best enjoy its convenience and other benefits.”
I am making this now. Thank you! How much of this recipe is 438 cal? It says a bowl, is this the whole recipe?
Hi Sharon, the recipe makes 2 bowls; 438 cals is half the recipe. Hope you enjoyed it!
Dressing lacks any thought. Terrible
Can this be made for a crowd of 20 and make a day ahead?
Hi Nancy,
Yes, that will work. The flavors will have melded together more after a day in the fridge.
Light and flavorful. I added raw cashews for crunch.
It seems you need a microwave for this recipe and quite a few others. I have never been a fan of microwaves not were they at the vegan cookery school I attended for two years here in Spain. It would be great if you could also put up a version where no microwave is used. Thank you so much.
Hi Susanne, see the tip in the intro, which includes how to make it in a pot on the stove.
Dressing is weak. Add some vegan plain yogurt too and it’s great.
Could this be also made with rice?
Hi Tracie, yes, cooked brown rice would also work well.
Edamame
Nice easy recipe. Looks delicious. Will try it.
Thanks – FOK
Don’t have microwave
Hi MeiMei,
We’ve just added instructions for how to make this on the stovetop. See tips at the top of the recipe.
The nutritional information is right after the directions to the recipe.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Per serving (1 bowl): 438 calories, 78 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein, 6.6 g total fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 458 mg sodium, 22 g fiber, 19.6 g sugar
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-microwaves-bad-for-you
I dont like peas. Suggestion on what to replace it with?
Cucumber
Green onions
Celery
Peppers
Edamame
I read the reviews and opted to not heat anything and serve this as a cold salad. I didn’t smash the chickpeas. I just added everything to a bowl and squeezed fresh lemon juice over the top. We all loved it.
Love it . . . I am not a fan of peas so I use corn or small brocolli instead. Use lime instead of lemon on occassion. And sometimes add a little tabasco or other hot sauce. Yummy!
It looks good. I cannot wait to try it.
Why you use microwaves when they r toxic..? 😮
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-microwaves-bad-for-you
Great recipe, my husband even liked it. As for the “microwave” issue, ridiculous! I used it and have used a microwave for years, 61 years old and still going strong. Keep up the great recipes!
I made thus a added a touch of white wine vinegar for a-bit tang, took it to a pool party and people liked it as well. I’ll make it again.
The ingredients don’t come together. Just like someone else said, it was bland. I threw out the entire bowl after trying to eat 3-4 spoons.
I dont like to pick on anyone and try to treat others the way I want to be treated. That said, there is absolutely no reason to throw out food unless it is rotten. If it is bland add spices to your liking or vinegar of some kind, garlic and herbs or fresh citrus juice squeezed over it..there are so many options to suit anyone’s taste and to personalize a dish – wasting it by throwing it out without trying some way to make it more palatable seems to be a lost opportunity to explore flavors you may learn to love.
I didn’t have a lot of time, so used left-over cooked wild rice in place of the quinoa. We loved it! Next time I will use the quinoa.
I found it to be bland so I added red vinegar and some ginger.
Awesome recipe, thanks. Easy, fast, tasty, and filling.
Delicious!!!!! Just made this for lunch. Prepped the quinoa beforehand so it came together quickly when it was time for lunch.
I added fire roasted frozen corn. Heated everything to soften the vegetables, the corn is still crunchy. It tastes great!
I love this salad / side dish. I added frozen fire roasted corn and heated it like directed. The corn offered a little more crunch! It tastes great!
I haven’t tried the recipe. I’m diabetic. Fo you have carb counts for your recipes?
Would like more kidney friendly recipes please.
The ingredients were good, but it would have been much better with raw vegetables only and served cold. I think I will add some parsley or cilantro to brighten the flavor, and roasted chickpeas for a garnish.
I made this for lunch today. Quick and easy. Cabbage and tomatoes from the farmer’s market. I did adda bit of maple syrup to the lemon juice mixture to take some of the bite off. We liked it better hot. The microwave made it really easy.
Just made this for supper. Easy and quick meal. Everything was in the freezer or pantry. Tomatoes were fresh from the garden. Two bowls plus leftovers for two more! Cook once eat twice!
Microwave will change the molecular structure of milk – warning from the gov! So I believe it can affect all done in microwave
Don’t use microwave. Too much radiation!!!
This is delicious, very fresh tasting. I didn’t have any peas so skipped them.
Where is the nutritional info?
What is the calories per serving?
Is this to be eaten hot or cold?
In the write up before the actual recipe, it says it’s good warm, room temperature or chilled! Can’t go wrong!
The ingredient combination sounds yummy; however, I don’t understand why you recommend microwaving since it is not favorable to our health. Cooking on the stovetop will a accomplish the end result—it just might take a few more minutes—-but overall health is worth it!
Carol…microwaving vegetables is not always a bad thing. In doing research, I found that certain veggies are healthier when microwaved and I was surprised. However, if I prefer cooking stovetop, I just do.
Please let me know why microwaving is not healthy.
Hi! This sounds like a good lunch for work. What would be a good serving size? I usually bring a cup of rice and a cup of vegetables, so should I plan on tow cups per serving? Thanks
Serving size ??? Ever how much you want to eat of it.
I would do two cups of this, plus another cup of something else. Plus some raw veggies for a snack
While the recipe states “green peas”, the write up says “sweet peas”, please note that the seeds from the sweet peas grown in the flower garden are toxic and not the same as garden green peas.
It states green peas in the ingredients. If you read the sentence where it states sweet peas it states crunchy xxx, hearty xxx, sweet peas, etc. sweet is a descriptor not talking sweet peas the flower (or seed which you would never see in a recipe)