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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I make this all the time and add some sliced grilled chicken on top. I keep sending it to my health-conscious friends who don’t know how to make their quinoa taste good
My husband is not a quinoa fan, but he loved this. What a great recipe. I sprinkled a little Daiya cheddar on top, and remembered to run and pick some cilantro from my garden just as we sat down to eat. Definitely making this again when my kids come over.
The husband is not such a fan of quinoa, but really loved this! Great recipe! We were sitting down to eat when I remembered to run outside and pick some cilantro from my garden. Looking forward to making this again when my kids come over.
MAKE THIS RECIPE! It was my first time making quinoa, I’m a fairly new vegetarian (it’ll be a month next week!) and wow I am so impressed with this. My husband loved it — asked if we could make it again soon — and he’s not even a vegetarian or vegan!
I have been coming back to this recipe for years. I have probably made it a few dozen times for family, friends, roommates, etc. and it is always a hit. This quinoa is loved by vegans and meat eaters alike! I can’t believe how easy this recipe is, especially given that it tastes so wonderful!
This has seriously become one of my favorite go-to dishes. Yummy, cheap to make and incredibly filling. This one’s a winner!! Thank you so much for sharing it, Chungah!
This is delicious!!! Thank you! I fixed it today, as I am in a new path to eating plant based foods!! This recipe was fast, easy and super tasty!
This is easy to make and it’s so good! I had to use beef broth instead of vegetable broth (store shelf was empty). Also used diced jalapenos from a can because I forgot to get fresh ones. Other than that, followed recipe to a ‘t’. It makes a lot and it’s very filling. Thanks for sharing this. I will make it again!
So simple and so delicous!
I had to review this dish. It is so simple and of course, delicious! Its a great side or even a meal in itself when you are in a hurry! I can’t stop eating it.
This was really good. :). I subbed black-eyed peas for the black beans (was serving black bean burgers, and needed a non-beany side to go with…), doubled the chili powder and cumin, sautéed some diced onion with the garlic, added a little ground chipotle for smoky heat— delicious! It was a little dry after cooking, though, and I added about 1/4 cup extra veg borth before serving. A keeper— thanks!
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it never fails to disappoint. I could honestly eat it every day! So simple and quick, and packed full of flavour.
I love this recipe. Has anyone tried to convert it to the Instant Pot? I just got one and would love to try that.
This recipe is a real winner. I’ve made it several times now and it’s always a hit. Thanks for sharing!
ware you sure it’s only 1 cup of water and 1 cup of quinoa? Usually when you make quinoa it is 2 cups water 1 cup quinoa.
It is 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup vegetable broth. Please note that the tomatoes should not be drained – the liquid from the tomatoes are also needed for this one pot meal. 🙂
Can you add fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes?
You can, but they do have a higher water content than canned tomatoes and less tomato juice, so it might end up more watery and less flavorful. As always, please use your best judgement when making modifications and substitutions.
This dish is super easy, budget-friendly and a family favorite! It’s full of flavor. We serve it with chips and Mexican shredded cheese topped with sour cream too. It’s a keeper in my recipe book!
I’ve made this about a dozen times now as an easy, delicious weeknight dinner. I’ve also started adding some chrizo sausage, right at the beginning, and it gives the whole dish an extra bit of savoury flavor.
One thing I want to flag for others is that both my wife and I don’t love adding the avocado right at the end. The pot and all the ingredients are so hot that it ends up cooking the avocado a bit and you lose that nice cool creaminess and get more of a mushy quality. I’d recommend keeping the diced avocado at the table and almost treating it like garnish. That way everyone can add them at the perfect time to their own bowl.
This is ABSOLUTELY one of my favorites! I make it every couple of weeks and take it to lunch in my mini-crockpot and life is good. 🙂
Oh that’s awesome!
I’ve made this recipe so many times, I love it! One question. What is the serving size? It doesn’t actually say what the serving size is.
Hi Caitlin! You would have to divide the full amount by 4 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
One of my favorite dishes. Easy to make, not much chopping involved and simply delicious- thanks