This delicious kasha recipe, or buckwheat with vegetables, is easy to make and spicy. You can serve it with a refreshing yogurt and carrot sauce.
I've been really into buckwheat lately, and this buckwheat or kasha recipe is just as delicious as the Buckwheat Soup or the Roasted Buckwheat Salad. Buckwheat Porridge for breakfast (sweet), or Buckwheat Bread are amazing, too.
I love it, no matter how it's cooked. The best part is that my children eat it as well, despite it being such a new discovery and so different from the usual rice, for instance.
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Bill R: I'm surprised how well this turned out. It's one of the best things I've eaten in a while. It's very healthy too. I never had buckwheat with anything else. It's always been plain. This is going to be a regular for me.
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What is kasha?
Kasha refers to roasted buckwheat groats and the porridge made from them. In the U.S., it's more commonly called buckwheat groats.
Popular in Eastern Europe - especially in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine - kasha is one of the regionโs oldest known dishes, with a history dating back over 1,000 years. Try this Polish Kasha Recipe, too.
Recipe ingredients
What is buckwheat?
Despite its name, buckwheat isnโt a grain or related to wheat. Like quinoa and amaranth, it's a pseudocereal - seeds eaten like grains but not grown on grasses. Naturally gluten-free, itโs ideal for celiacs and can be used in flour or noodles.
You can cook kasha in plain water, but I prefer using vegetable broth. A good-quality broth or bouillon cube works just fine.
Vegetables: I use peppers, tomatoes, onions, and leeks, but you can choose other vegetables if you like. Try eggplants, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, and so on.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to cook buckwheat?
Cooking buckwheat groats or kasha is easy, but timing and water ratio matter - overcooking can make them too soft and mushy.
For soups, I donโt mind if the groats are slightly overcooked - it adds a comforting texture. But in other dishes, I prefer them with a bit of bite rather than soft and watery.
Buckwheat - water ratio
Most kasha recipes call for a 1:2 ratio of buckwheat to water - 1 cup groats to 2 cups water. However, I prefer using slightly less: 1 cup buckwheat to 1ยพ cups water. I also make sure the lid fits tightly to minimize steam loss.
How long should you cook buckwheat?
Thatโs the main issue, if you ask me - cooking times vary a lot. Some packets say 7โ8 minutes, others 15โ18, so always check the package instructions, no matter what a recipe says.
For this vegan kasha recipe, I used roasted buckwheat groats from a Russian store - a typical Russian product. There were no instructions on the package, so I started checking after 8 minutes. In the end, 11 minutes was perfect for the texture I wanted.
How to make this kasha recipe?
Timing: The buckwheat and the vegetables are cooked separately, which makes the roasted buckwheat recipe a good one for people who are cooking with buckwheat for the first time. By cooking them in separate pots, you can make sure that you do not overcook the groats while you wait for the veggies to be cooked.
Step #1: Sautรฉ onions, then add garlic, peppers, and leeks and cook briefly. Add tomatoes, spices, and broth. Simmer 10 minutes, then season.
Step #2: Add the cooked buckwheat to the vegetables and stir well but carefully.
Tip: Follow the packet instructions, but start checking the kasha 2โ3 minutes early to ensure the grains donโt overcook.
Step #3: Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Add herbs.
Step #4: Make the sauce. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover buckwheat with vegetables for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
You can also serve the leftovers without reheating, like a salad.
Vegetable Buckwheat or Kasha Recipe
Ingredients
Buckwheat:
- 1 cup buckwheat groats Notes 1 and 2
- 1ยพ cups vegetable broth
Vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions about 150 g/ 5.5 oz
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 leek about 120 g/ 4 oz, Note 3
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- ยฝ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ยฝ teaspoon turmeric
- ยผ-ยฝ teaspoon hot chili flakes to taste
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Carrot and yogurt sauce:
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 cup dairy-free yogurt Note 4
- juice of ยฝ lemon
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon runny maple or agave syrup
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Vegetables:
- Prepare the vegetables: Chop the onions finely. Chop the garlic as well. Cut the peppers into thin strips. Halve the leeks lengthwise, if very thick, and cut the halves into thin half rounds. Set aside.2 medium onions + 2 garlic cloves + 2 bell peppers + 1 leek
- Cook buckwheat: In the meantime, bring the vegetable stock used for cooking the buckwheat groats to a boil. When the liquid boils, add the rinsed buckwheat groats, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer on low heat until done to your liking. 1 cup buckwheat groats + 1ยพ cups vegetable broth
- Cooking time: Check the buckwheat's package instructions regarding the cooking times; they can differ from pack to pack and sometimes a lot. Check the buckwheat 2-3 minutes earlier than indicated on the package, just to make sure you don't overcook it. It should be soft but still have a good bite. Mushy buckwheat is not so good.
- Cook vegetables: Heat the oil in a larger and deeper pan. Cook the onions for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, peppers, and leeks. Stir well and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until slightly softer.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add spices: In the meantime, halve the cherry tomatoes. Add them to the pan together with the smoked and sweet paprika powder, turmeric, chili flakes, lemon juice, and vegetable broth.15 cherry tomatoes + ยฝ teaspoon smoked paprika powder + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder + ยฝ teaspoon turmeric + ยผ-ยฝ teaspoon hot chili flakes + juice from 1 lemon + 1 cup vegetable broth
- Simmer vegetables: Cover, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until done to your liking.
- Add the cooked kasha to the vegetable pan and stir well but carefully.
- Adjust the taste generously with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and the remaining lemon juice.fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Carrot and yogurt sauce:
- Grate the peeled carrots on the larger box grater. Place them in a bowl.2 medium carrots
- Add the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, dried mint, sea salt, and pepper. Stir well. Add a few tablespoons of nut milk to give it a runnier consistency, if desired. Adjust the taste again and serve. 1 cup dairy-free yogurt + juice of ยฝ lemon + 1 ยฝ teaspoon runny maple + 1 teaspoon dried mint + fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Notes
- Measurements: Either use grams and milliliters together to weigh the buckwheat groats and vegetable broth or only cups; do not mix the two measuring methods together. 200 g buckwheat groats are slightly less than 1 cup.
- Check the buckwheat's package instructions regarding the cooking times; they can differ from pack to pack and sometimes a lot. Check the buckwheat 2-3 minutes earlier than indicated on the package, just to make sure you don't overcook it. It should be soft but still have a good bite. Mushy buckwheat is not so good.
- Leeks: I indicate the gram/oz quantity because leeks can come in very different sizes.ย
- Dairy: You can use Greek yogurt and honey if not cooking vegan.
Barbara says
Can you freeze the leftovers?
Adina says
Hi Barbara. I suppose you can, but I never did, so I can't say for sure.
Helen says
Easy to make and delicious. I served it with broccoli on the side
Ella says
My husband loved this recipe. Thank you
Adina says
Thank you for the feedback, Ella.
olga says
awasome! i ve found parboiled buckwheat Grechka http://www.grechka.co.uk
This is real Russian buckwheat, not polish or chinese tastes much better
Tikva Haham says
After I rinse the grain a break an egg mix with the groats ad one tbspon oil in a pan and roast 5min ad the boiling water and cook until is ready serve with a stew or roast souses
Adina says
It sounds great!
Helen Gillespie says
This states it is vegan: the uses of Greek yogurt and honey mean it clearly isnโt. Please change to dairy free yogurt and agave or maple syrup
Adina says
Hi Helen. The dish itself is vegan, only the serving suggestion is not. But you're right, I will change that to make it clearer.
Charlie says
Thank you for this fantastic recipe. Buckwheat has such a strong taste that it's difficult to know what to cook it with but it combines with the vegetables perfectly.
Adina says
Hi Charlie. Thank you for your comment. I am happy you liked the recipe.
Pohudet.Guru says
Add all chopped vegetables and the chickpeas to the kasha. Mix the lemon juice and remaining ingredients well and add them to the kasha, stirring so that the dressing is distributed evenly. Serve mounded in the center of a large platter, with butternut lettuce leaves. To eat, spoon some of the salad into a lettuce leaf and eat like a taco or burrito.
Adina says
Sounds good, love the salad leaf burrito idea. Thank you.?
Diets.Guru says
I decided to do something a little nontraditional with my medium-grain kasha and used it instead of bulgur wheat in a salad called kisir, the Turkish form of tabouli. But then I had trouble. I couldn t find the Turkish hot pepper paste that most kisir recipes call for, so I used Sambal Oelek chili paste instead. And though I was eager to use my pomegranate molasses in the dressing, when I took it from the refrigerator door, I found it had turned into a pomegranate rock and I had to use agave nectar instead.
Adina says
Kisir with kasha sounds good, I've made a similar sweet and sour buckwheat salad a few weeks ago. Try putting the bottle or jar of pomegranate molasses in a pot of warm water, maybe it will become pourable again.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I've never had buckwheat before. I'll need to look for it in the store. This looks like a delicious, hearty dish.
Kelly | Foodtasia says
Adina, this Kasha would make the perfect meal! I love the texture of the buckwheat and all the veggies! Looks delicious!
allie says
ADINA!!!! Had no idea buckwheat is gluten free. I learn so much here. This is very important for me because my littlest guy Hudson (Down syndrome and autism) is suffering from a lot of gut issues and we have been at the GI dr. a good bit lately. We are moving towards a gluten free diet for him, and he has lots of sensory issues related to food. So he eats next to nothing. But one thing he dearly loves is pancakes. I am sure he would eat buckwheat pancakes and be none the wiser. This is wonderful information. Thank you so much! Your vegetable dish also looks delicious. Cheers. XO
Evi says
Love the combo of roasted buckwheat and all these yummy veggies! I bet that smoked paprika makes this dish especially amazing ๐
Mimi says
Whoah. This brings back memories! Back in college in California, during the dark ages, it was buckwheat everything! And I wasnโt that fond of the taste. Although I do like mixing buckwheat flour in with a whole-grain pancake mix. But boy has it been a long time... I do you the whole idea of the dish, plus that sauce is spectacular!
angiesrecipes says
This makes such a healthy weekday lunch! I need to visit Russia store to get some roasted buckwheat to try too.