One Pan Mexican Quinoa
Wonderfully light, healthy and nutritious. And it’s so easy to make – even the quinoa is cooked right in the pan!
Despite my daily 3-mile runs, all the morning donuts have finally caught up with me. So Jason and I made a pact to lighten up our diet before our Cabo trip in 6 weeks. But instead of eating bland, boring salads, I decided to make a fun, healthy quinoa dish that we would both really enjoy.
And that’s exactly what this quinoa dish is. With a fun Mexican twist, this dish is chockfull of so many amazing flavors, from the tangy lime juice to the hint of spiciness from the chili powder and jalapeno. And not only is this healthy and nutritious but it’s also unbelievably easy to make. Simply throw everything into the skillet and that’s it. Even the quinoa is cooked right in the pan, really letting the flavors soak in.
Now who said healthy food has to be boring?
One Pan Mexican Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
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My family thoroughly enjoys this recipe!
I typically cook a pound of beef, and season it, adding it to the whole mix. It helps it stretch and it it’s so yummy!!
Hello,
While the recipe did turn out pretty good as directed- please please please indicate in your recipe instructions to wear gloves before chopping the jalapeno. I had to learn the hard way since i’ve never cooked with one before.
best,
burning, tingling hands reader.
I can’t tell you how many times this recipe has saved me. Lunch or dinner made SOOOO easy with literally ONE pot. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I think I forgot to give this recipe the five stars it deserves (with my review I just gave). Please add five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amazing and easy! I’ve made this so many times. Sometimes I add diced and baked sweet potato if I happen to have some. It is so good! This is the only recipe I’ve found so far where I actually really enjoy quinoa. Thank you!
Making this tonight for about the 30th time over the last few years. I usually double the cumin and halve the chilli powder, as Australian chilli seems to be a lot hotter than American. I also leave out the cilantro to save money unless I happen to have some, and while it’s definitely a little less amazing without cilantro it’s still one of our favourite meals. Cheap, healthy and delicious. Can’t ask for more than that.
Joshua, the chilli powder referred to in US recipes is a blend (I learnt that the hard way after making a dish with 2Tbsp of cayenne powder!). You can either make your own blend (there’s some great recipes online, or buy the Masterfoods Mexican Chilli Powder Blend. It’s in a jar with the other Masterfoods spices and available at most Woolworths and Coles. Obviously you’ve already adapted this recipe to suit your tastes, but I thought I’d let you know in case you make other US recipes that contain Tbsp of chilli powder as you’d miss out on the flavour if you just use straight chilli powder.
Adding on to what Elle said, you can also find Old El Paso brand “Spice Mix for Chili” in Australian stores. This is what American recipes mean when they call for “chilli powder”.
I literally make this every week, I love it so much!
I tried making this recipe twice. The first time it took a couple of two a week to polish it off, forgetting the minced jalepeno. After including it (and fully cooking the black beans*) it only took us (2 people) to finish the pan in one night! It was so damn delicious!
I have made this at least 20x. I use taco seasoning in place of the individual spices and it is FABULOUS. I cannot get enough of this. I have added steak and chicken. All just fantastic.
You’ll need more stock or water, I’ve found, to cook down the quinoa but that’s nothing. I love this. Thank you, thank you!!
Cooked perfectly. Served first portion with tuna and jalapeño patties. Delicious and warmed up second portion the following day.
Scrumptious!! And, easy to make.
I love how simple, quick and healthy this is! I saute onion and bell peppers with the garlic and I don’t use jalapenos or cilantro and it tastes wonderful! I’ve even put ground beef in it for a heavier meal and it was delicious. This is a very versatile and forgiving recipe and one of my go-to favorites! Thank you!!!
Just made this during the quarantine. It was easy and delicious just like all of your recipes that I’ve tried! The only thing I omitted was the avocado (not a fan).
Lovely this. I used baked beans in replacement of the black beans too! Whatever I had in the house. Paired with a pan fried tuna steak it is delicious!
Delicious and easy too.
This recipe turned out perfect! I cooked some white onion and green bell pepper before adding the rest of the ingredients to the pan. It’s delicious on its own or wrapped in a tortilla with some cheese.
This is one of our go to recipes when looking for a fast and healthy meal. It has made its way into our monthly recipe rotation.
We haven’t had to change a thing except omit lime or avacado when not on hand, otherwise the rest of the ingredients are part of our regular pantry items.
Delicious and quick! My meat loving husband loved it as well.
I made this quarantine style, with what we had on hand. Baked beans instead of black beans, salsa instead of tomatoes, an onion instead of jalapeño. Pretty dang good—a little sweetness from the beans. ♀️ Better than a plain can of baked beans, guys!
Wow this was delicious! I couldnt find fire roasted tomatoes in the store so I substituted a can of chili flavoured stewed tomatoes. I didnt add beans because my fiancée doesnt like them. I also didnt add the lime juice or cilantro because I realized I didn’t have them. Still came out sooo delicious!! I topped this with ground beef that I had made separately (spiced with homemade taco seasoning). I feel like this might also be good with a dollop of sour cream on top! Will definitely make again. Loved that it was one pan and so easy. Thank you!!!