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
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
So flavorful and easy! I added an extra cup of veggie broth and it was amazing. The family agreed to put it in our rotation, and wished we had tortilla chips. Very versatile.
This is one of our go-to super easy, super good, super quick recipes. A few years ago, I decided to slowly but surely start eliminating as much meat from my diet as possible. This recipe was one of the first I stumbled across, and it has become one of my absolute favorites. My husband refers to it as “the yummy quinoa with the beans and corn and avocado in it” and he actually requests it from time to time! I like to meal prep on Sundays to have quick microwaveable meals during the week. This recipe holds up really great – even the avocado! – and I usually will make 6 meals instead of 4 if I divvy it up evenly and add another protein. We love it!
I like this recipe, but you should add to rinse the quinoa first! Not all is pre-rinsed and some people react badly to the saponin, as well as it will taste bad
Looks great, so colorful.
Omg! So yummy! I follow the recipie to a T and we get several meals out of it. Even my 2 year old loves it. I just love the fact that it’s basically a complete meal that happens to be vegan and iss soo delicious! Good job to the chef.
This dish was absolutely delicious, and very filling. I added mushrooms and onions. The sour cream was excellent on top.
So delicious!!! The lime juice at the end adds the perfect zing. My son added some hot sauce, too. Will definitely add this to my dinner line up.
I’ve been making this for years, love it so much. But I definitely have to use twice the amount of broth. I also feel like the chili powder taste is really strong? Still, super yummy, and it will remain part of the rotation.
SO easy to make and SO delicious! One of my new favorite recipes.
GREAT dish
I Love it. Made it 2x already. Mski g again today. THANKS
Great flavour and very easy! However, I thought that 1 cup of broth was not adequate for cooking 1 cup of quinoa (and the can of tomatoes didn’t include much liquid). Am I missing something? I added 2 cups of broth, and it worked out fine!
This is a hit in my house for flavor and ease of making. I love how fast it is to prepare but the flavors are top notch! It’s great that it is customizable as well, my husband hates avocado so I add cheese to his and my daughter cannot have cheese so she gets his avocado!
Made this today and it is so good!! Very easy to make with wonderful flavors. I’m glad I have enough ingredients to make a 2nd batch!
My husband discovered this recipe for me a few months ago. I make a double batch on Sunday and love having it ready to go for lunch meals. A few times, I’ve used jarred salsa in place of the jalapeño and canned tomatoes. I also use Better than bouillon instead of veggie broth. On occasion I do add rotisserie chicken but mostly enjoy it on it’s own. Lately, I’ve been enjoying it as nachos or tacos. Thanks for the recipe ! It is in fact #damndelicious !
This is an easy recipe! I substituted garbanzo beans for black beans and rotes for the tomatoes and jalapeño because I didn’t have the right ingredients. It was delicious!
My daughter sent me the link for this recipe, and it has been my favorite ever since! I am a flight attendant and pack my food for a 3 day trip. This travels well, even after freezing, and is a delicious side, or stand alone dish, (it’s even great cold). I always bring extra for the rest of my crew, and pass along the recipe. They always love it, and I’ve received many thanks and pics of their take on this simple but amazing dish!
I love this meal.!! Was ganna cook it again tomarrow night but not sure if I should make as a side or entree, mainly because I don’t know what entree or any dish to make to compliment the meal. Any advice ?? What do you guys use?
Try it with chicken breasts baked with salsa and topped with cheese! Yum!
This dish is amazing! I love it as-is or when I don’t have jalapeños, I used canned diced green chilies. Also! For those of you who like more savory-ness: we had cheddar cheese to ours. I take a snack size Tillamook cheese packet and stick it down into my bowl and let it melt. Then, I stir it all together. It’s heavenly!
Best quinoa recipe around! Have been making it for years! highly recommend
Love this recipe. I’ve been making this for a couple of years and it is always great. If I’d try to make this in a slow cooker, do I still use a cup of broth or reduce / increase the amount of fluids?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂