Quinoa, Spinach and Poached Egg

By Martha Rose Shulman

Quinoa, Spinach and Poached Egg
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(136)
Notes
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I’m in that third situation a few nights a week, and often all I want to eat is a salad — but a salad with substance. I’m hungry at the end of the day, and dinner is the one meal of the day that I sit down to enjoy in a leisurely fashion, whether alone or in company. I’ve found that one of the most enjoyable ways to bulk up my salads (as well as panini and grain-and-vegetable combos) is to top the dish with a poached egg. Sometimes poached eggs are the centerpiece of my dinner, cooked in marinara or spicy tomato sauce and served with toasted country bread or over rice.

Featured in: Dinner for One: Poached Eggs and Vegetables

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving
  • 1allspice berry
  • 1clove
  • 8coriander seeds
  • ⅛teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ⅛teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Half of a 12-ounce bunch of fresh spinach, stemmed and washed thoroughly, or 1 bag baby spinach, rinsed
  • Salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 or 2eggs to taste, poached (see above)
  • ¼ounce (1 tablespoon) crumbled feta, or 1 to 2 tablespoons drained yogurt, seasoned, if desired, with puréed garlic
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

393 calories; 17 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 936 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Grind the allspice berry, clove and coriander seeds in a spice mill or a mortar and pestle. Add the nutmeg and cinnamon and mix together. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a wide, heavy skillet over high heat and wilt the spinach in the water left on the leaves after rinsing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a colander, and press out excess water with the back of a large spoon. Chop coarsely and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and add the spices. As soon as they begin to sizzle, add the quinoa and stir together for a couple of minutes. Keep warm.

  4. Step 4

    Poach your egg or eggs if you haven’t already done so.

  5. Step 5

    Arrange the quinoa in the center of a dinner plate and make a well in the middle. Pile the spinach into the well. Top with the poached egg or eggs and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the feta or spoon on the garlic-spiked yogurt and enjoy.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: All of the elements of this dish - the quinoa, the wilted spinach and the eggs, will keep for several days in the refrigerator. Keep poached eggs in a bowl of water.

Ratings

4 out of 5
136 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Mark R

I think there is a broken link in this recipe. In the ingredient list for the poached eggs it says "see above" as if somewhere it is supposed to explain how to poach eggs. But it's not there.

Also, it's a bit misleading to say this recipe takes 20 minutes when it calls for cooked quinoa. It takes another 25 minutes or so to boil the water and cook the quinoa.

SonomaSMB

I always make extra quinoa and freeze it flat in a storage bag so it thaws in no time.

The spice mixture elevates this to another level. It is perfect with the spinach. One of my favorite poached egg dinners - or brunch or lunch!

marlette

I think the writer assumes a person knows how to poach an egg.
Yes, it takes longer because of the quinoa. Perhaps some people keep it on hand in the fridge because it's so versatile. A good reason to always read the recipe first!

Jennifer

Just made this for lunch and it was a tasty, simple meal with the spice mix plus feta. I think this would also make a nice breakfast. Like other commenters, I also freeze extra quinoa flat in a freezer bag, so it's always at the ready.

Lisa

I did it with barley. I think this dish needs an onion, and I would cut the spices in half. Satisfying but flavors don’t come together as well as they could.

Jessie

I wanted to love this but didn't. I don't know if I did something wrong, but it didn't have a lot of flavor. For something similar that is delicious, check out the Indian Spiced Eggs recipe. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019702-indian-spiced-eggs-with-spinach-and-turmeric-yogurt I made extra spinach and quinoa so might try to meld the two recipes for leftovers in the next few days.

Kelsey

This was really good-- I threw some mushrooms, radishes, and peas in with the quinoa and added some siracha to give it a bit of a kick. I would recommend adding any extra vegetables in your refrigerator to this dish.

Maryrita

On the internet, there is a link in the article above the recipe entitled, “How to Cook Eggs.” I suspect the direction “see above” refers to this link.

Doodles

Why is this a single serving recipe? How do I serve three people?

Ted C.

interesting flavors with spices, but it just didn't pull together for me to make it. Probably me.

Pamela

I had leftover black quinoa that I had cooked earlier in the week and always keep a box of spinach in the fridge. I love poached eggs, so it sounded like a perfect idea for lunch. I used my own spice mix for the quinoa (fenugreek, coriander, caraway) and put a clove of garlic in the pan with the spices which I later discarded.
The preparation took less than 20 minutes and while each ingredient was quite tasty on its own, I found the texture of the quinoa did not pair well with a poached egg.

SonomaSMB

I always make extra quinoa and freeze it flat in a storage bag so it thaws in no time.

The spice mixture elevates this to another level. It is perfect with the spinach. One of my favorite poached egg dinners - or brunch or lunch!

Mark R

I think there is a broken link in this recipe. In the ingredient list for the poached eggs it says "see above" as if somewhere it is supposed to explain how to poach eggs. But it's not there.

Also, it's a bit misleading to say this recipe takes 20 minutes when it calls for cooked quinoa. It takes another 25 minutes or so to boil the water and cook the quinoa.

marlette

I think the writer assumes a person knows how to poach an egg.
Yes, it takes longer because of the quinoa. Perhaps some people keep it on hand in the fridge because it's so versatile. A good reason to always read the recipe first!

Tim S.

I think you're right about the broken reference with the "see above." I was tripped up by that, too.

@marlette, clearly the writer does not assume this; otherwise she would not have written "see above," which is likely a legacy reference from when this recipe appeared in print with a poached egg recipe.

And the whole point of a time estimate is that you use it to help choose a recipe without having to read the whole recipe, so I agree--it's misleading.

Joan

You have to click onto the introduction which will open up the entire article to learn how to poach eggs. In fact, I think the topic of the article was poaching eggs!

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