These spicy kimchi quinoa bowls are the perfect weeknight dinner. They're quick, easy, and super healthy, packed with protein, fermented veggies, and greens!
Spicy kimchi quinoa bowls. Best. Meal. EVER.
I’ve been kind of loving kimchi lately. It’s spicy, tangy, sour and has a slightly wacky flavor that surprises my taste buds every time. And I love that each batch is just a tiny bit different. If you’re not familiar with kimchi, it’s a traditional Korean side dish that’s made from a variety of fermented veggies typically seasoned to be spicy. The main ingredient is usually napa cabbage – and I’m using usually as a fairly loose term because it can really be made with any vegetables that you like.
While I haven’t personally made my own kimchi yet, I know that it’s not hard to make at home. That’s on my list next because a little jar at my grocery store is pretty darn expensive.
Importance of Gut Health
I love talking about gut health. It’s something I’ve been reading a lot more about and I’m really starting to understand how integral our gut is to our overall health.
Without a healthy gut, we can see problems such as:
Digestive issues like gas, bloating, and diarrhea
Food allergies
Autoimmune diseases
Skin problems like eczema
…and even diabetes
Good thing is, there are things we can do to improve gut health, one of them being the foods we eat.
And fermented food is a great place to start.
How to Support Gut Health
Fermented foods, like kimchi, are filled with bacteria. But not the scary kind of bacteria. The kind of bacteria that helps the flora in our gut flourish. The good kind.
Removing inflammatory foods – like gluten and dairy – is another way that we can help our guts get back on track (like the recipes here on Simply Quinoa!). You can also take probiotics which is something that I try to do on a daily basis.
So kimchi, the star ingredient in these kimchi quinoa bowls, is a food that tastes good and is good for us too. Win-win!
How to Make Kimchi Quinoa Bowls
This brings us to these amazing spicy kimchi quinoa bowls! These bowls are another one of my meals that couldn’t be easier to make. They’re kind of like the veggie quinoa fried rice, but just swapping in kimchi and adding the egg on top instead of mixing it in.
Here's what you need to make them:
- Toasted sesame oil: I love the flavor this brings! If you don't want to use it in your cooking, you can also drizzle it on top to still get the gorgeous sesame flavor.
- Ginger + garlic: these two ingredients really help add flavor and give it that nice little zing!
- Quinoa: you'll want to have cooked quinoa already on hand to make this. You can use any type of quinoa – or another grain if you wanted.
- Kimchi: next kimchi! Feel free to use any type of kimchi you have access to.
- Kale: I'm always trying to add greens and the kale is wonderful in these bowls. I love it combined with the runny eggs!
- Sauces: for additional flavor, we're also adding two sauces – gluten-free tamari and hot sauce (I use sriracha)
- Toppings: and lastly, we have our toppings! This is where the egg comes in. Just pop a fried egg on top and add some sliced scallions – simple and so yum.
Is Kimchi Vegan or Gluten-Free?
You can find kimchi in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. You'll likely see it near the other “health food” products – things like tofu, sauerkraut, hummus, vegan cheese, etc.
Naturally kimchi is gluten-free since it's just made with veggies. But it's not always vegan. Sometimes you'll find fish sauce in kimchi. If you are vegan, just make sure to read the ingredient label!
Storage & Serving Suggestions
These kimchi quinoa bowls make a great lunch or an easy dinner. You can whip it up in less than 15 minutes or reheat it when you get to the office. It’s filled with protein, fiber, greens, and good bacteria, so you’ll feel full, healthy and your tummy will be smiling.
- For storing: allow the bowls to cool completely, then pop them into a sealed container and leave them in the fridge.
- For serving: I love to top it with a fried egg, but feel free to top it with whatever you'd like!
Subsitution Ideas for These Quinoa Bowls
Lastly, let me quickly just share some ideas for making them your own!
- to make them vegan: swap the egg with tofu and mix the tofu with the quinoa and kimchi
- for meat eaters: dd additional protein like chicken, shrimp or even strips of beef if you eat that
- the grains: not a quinoa fan? feel free to swap out the quinoa with rice!
And now… you are ready to make and enjoy these delicious bowls! If you love quinoa bowls as much as I do, you'll also LOVE our how to make quinoa bowls: 6 ways post!
More Healthy Kimchi Recipes
- 5-Ingredient Kimchi Fried Quinoa
- Vegan Kimchi Queso Dip
- 5-Minute Kimchi Tofu Scramble
- Vegan Quinoa Sushi Bowls
Spicy Kimchi Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 cups cooked quinoa cooled
- 1 cup kimchi chopped
- 2 teaspoons kimchi "juice" the liquid from the jar
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free tamari
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
- 2 cups kale finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions for garnish optional
- Fresh ground pepper for garnish optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 - 60 seconds until fragrant. Add the quinoa and kimchi and cook until hot, about 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in kimchi juice, tamari and hot sauce if using. Turn to low and stir occasionally while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a separate skillet, cook the eggs on low until the whites have cooked through but the yolks are still runny, about 3 - 5 minutes.
- Steam the kale in a separate pot for 30 - 60 seconds until soft.
- Assemble the bowls, dividing the kimchi-quinoa mixture and kale evenly between two dishes. Top with green onions and fresh pepper if using.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Used my homemade kimchi that was regular green cabbage and switched the kale for garlic, chili flake roasted baby bok choy. So amazing. I think my 5y will love it.
Love that!
This has become a go-to recipe in my house. It’s delish, quick and nutritious!
Hi! How long would this meal last in the fridge? Can I meal prep this?
Yes! you can meal prep everything except the egg and leave it in the fridge for a couple of days! 🙂
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Hi! How long would this last (without the fried egg) in the fridge? I’m thinking of meal prepping this if posiible…
You could leave it in the fridge for a couple of days and then add your egg 🙂
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Just made this for breakfast and it was fantastic! I have struggled to find ways to eat kimchi that I enjoy and this was a winner. I replaced the kale with spinach though.
YAY! So glad you enjoyed it, Val 🙂
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Will cooking the kimchi kill the probiotics?
It should still be great for you!
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This was SO good. It’s not as “kimchi-ey” as I was expecting. I don’t eat eggs, so I added chickpeas to the quinoa mixture for some extra protein. Seriously one of my favorite meals. Thank you for the recipe!
Lovely! I’m really glad you enjoyed it 🙂 xx
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Hi Alyssa! I plan on making this tonight- I ADORE kimchi and am trying to get back on track with my plant based/mostly vegan diet. I have had some recent health scares and need to do this! My husband and I don’t eat eggs anymore though (but your pictures made me drool…I loved eggs over my bibimbap and kimchi once upon a time….), I noticed you mentioned that you could add chickpeas in as a source of protein. I have a couple cans of chickpeas but I am new to using them how would you add them in? Just toss them in at the beginning with everything else? Do I rinse them first? Or would you put them in at the end just over the top? Sorry if it’s a silly question- I’m just so new to them! And definitely a cooking novice 😉 Thank you for the great recipe- can’t wait to try!
I made this as promised and added one can of rinsed chickpeas. I wasn’t sure how many to add or if I should have added them earlier (I did so at the end along with throwing the kale in too) and it was delicious! I think because we added such a large amount of extra it needed more hot sauce but that is a super easy fix and definitely to taste preference. My husband isn’t a big spice guy and even he added more but being part Korean, I love my spice. 😉 Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for the recipe and to report back that not only was it delicious but if anyone else wanted to add chickpeas, I would recommend a tad more spice to keep all the flavors popping. Yum!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it with the chickpeas!! I’m definitely going to try that for meal prep this week 🙂 xox
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Checked the Korean store down the street. All their kimchi contains fish sauce or shrimp. I have not found a vegetarian kimchi.
The brand I like is called Mother and also Mrs Kim’s!
We have just made kimchi ourselves and omitted the fish sauce, still tastes great!
Thanks so much for sharing!
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Forgot to include link to my above post: http://www.thisgalcooks.com/cajun-shrimp-quinoa-casserole/
Great kimchi recipes (and other Korean recipes) can be found here: https://www.maangchi.com/recipes/kimchi
The one kimchi recipe you are posting in your comments is not a traditional Korean recipe, so I thought u might like to check this website out, if you are looking for more authentic. 🙂
Hope u enjoy as much as I do!
Will definitely need to check out some of the quinoa bowl recipes u posted, thanks!!! Here is a good quinoa recipe that isn’t a “bowl” but still very tasty! Enjoy.
Thanks for sharing!
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I really love this dish. Do you think you can freeze it without the egg or green onions?
Definitely! Just saute the egg after wards 🙂
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This tasting really delicious, but boy Kimchi really does stink. I was almost knocked over by the smell when I opened my bag of kimchi from whole foods, and it’s still lingering around the kitchen hours after I made it. Won’t stop me from eating it again though, just not when I’m planning to have guests over 🙂
Haha I know, right!? You get used to it the more you use it, but it definitely is stinky!
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I made this for dinner tonight – it was my first time trying Kimchi, and although I didn’t know what to expect, I really enjoyed it! Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you liked it! xo
Probably my favorite dish as of late. So flavorful and a great way to incorporate kimchi!
So glad you’re enjoying it! xo
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This is an excellent dish. My family loved it!!!
So glad! xo
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Ive never had kim chi before but ordered some on amazon. And we had this recipe tonight. I poach the egg. OMG this is really yummy! I love asian foods but never had korean before. Can you make your own kim chi?
So glad you enjoyed it!! Isn’t kimchi delicious?! And yes, you can make it at home (although I’ve never tried) – NutritionStripped.com has a recipe that looks and sounds yummy. Here’s the link! http://nutritionstripped.com/the-ultimate-kimchi/
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I’ve never had kimchi before. I do love anything with a fried egg though so I bet these are super tasty!
This is a must-try for you then 😉 Even if you’re not a fan of fermented foods, this is a great intro to kimchi. It’s so yummy!
This looks amazing! I mean anything with a fried egg catches my eye, but I happen to love kimchi too. Don’t know why I never think to make it at home! This is so going on one of my menu plans soon!
You can never go wrong when topping things with a fried egg 🙂 And yes, totally agree on making kimchi at home. I seriously need to try. Here’s a great recipe if you’re interested: http://nutritionstripped.com/the-ultimate-kimchi/
I LOVE kimchi – now if I could just get the hubs on board we could enjoy this delicious bowl together
I bet he’d never even realize it was kimchi in there! I say sneak it and see what happens 😉 (that’s what I usually do!)
Love kimchi! I used to buy it all the time – need to start doing that again.
I know same! I just hate how darn expensive it is at Whole Foods. I think I’m going to have to start making it at home (apparently it’s super easy!)
Do you have an Asian market in the area? It maybe cheaper there.
I probably do…I’ll definitely check that out. Thanks for the tip! xo
I’ve been trying to get the hubs to eat more fermented foods and this kimchi quinoa bowl is JUST the ticket! Looks DELISH. Pinned!
Thanks girl! Hope you both love it! xxo
Kimchi is so awesome!
It’s the best!! xo