Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa (Easy Mexican Side Dish!)

This Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa is so good!

Just had to put that out there.

As I mentioned when I shared this Easy Coconut Quinoa Recipe, my kids actually like quinoa better than they like rice.

I’m not really sure why so I just go with it.

Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa might sound like a lot of work but it actually is really quick to prepare.

While the quinoa cooked, I followed these tips for how to roast peppers and roasted my poblano pepper right on top of the gas stove.

If you don’t have a gas stove, you can follow the same basic idea using a gas grill.

After the pepper roasted, I peeled away the blacked skin and pureed the pepper.

Then, I chopped up some cilantro.

Mix that with the cooked quinoa and you’ve got Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa.

You get tons of flavor from the roasted poblano and the cilantro adds a nice bit of flavor too, as well as adding a little pop of color.

I like to think of this Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa as a healthier alternative to cilantro rice.

It is a great side dish for any Mexican meal but also works well as the base of a main dish.

Try it topped with some Crock Pot Mexican Chicken, Easy Black Bean Salad, and Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole for a Mexican Quinoa Bowl, as a filling alternative for chicken and rice burritos or Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.

Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa is perfect for Meatless Mondays.

Use it to build this recipe for Mexican Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad rather than plain quinoa or stuffed some Zucchini Boats with a few spoonfuls of Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa.

There are so many options!

Tips for Making this Recipe

Did you know you can quickly cook quinoa in an Instant Pot when you’re preparing this Roasted Poblano Quinoa? Head over to my post: How to Make Quinoa in the Instant Pot for all the details!