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 love this recipe and my kids love it too. It’s the first time I’ve ever gotten them to eat quinoa. I usually throw a couple of cups of rotisserie chicken in at the end to make it more of a complete family meal. Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to go because it’s just that quick.
wow grate post thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for sharing this! I first made this as a new wife and wanting great tasting and healthy recipes for my husband and I. He loved it and so did I. It is a time friendly recipe that has wholesome goodness in it. Thank you so much-if their were reviews for this I would give it a 5 star. I have made it several times and shared it with friends & has changed some of the flavors to our preferences.
Love this recipe. Very satisfying. I was describing it to my daughter who lives across the country and she exclaimed that she had made this recipe several times. Great minds think alike.
I’ve been making this recipe for about 2 years. It’s one of my beef-loving husband’s favorite meals (mine, too), and it doesn’t need any meat – it’s fabulous! We’ve served it to family and friends who have asked for the recipe. THANK YOU.
I have had a bag of quinoa in my pantry for months. I had no motivation to do anything with it until I saw this recipe. I love that it cooks in one pan, without having to precook the quinoa. Thank you for the recipe! I will be making your Salmon with teriyaki and sriracha cream sauce tonight! Love your site!
Made this tonight and it was amazing. Only change I made was cooking the jalapeno and garlic in veggie broth instead of oil. Thinking I will take this for lunch tomorrow and try it cold with a little salsa added!
Just wanted to note that I’ve been making this dish for a couple years now and came back to check out other recipes! I’ve recommended this one to family & friends that love it. One thing I’ve done lately with it is wrap portions in tortillas to make burritos, sear the outside, and freeze them for quick lunches (wrapped in plastic wrap). Makes about 8. Just unwrap, wrap in paper towel, and microwave for 2 mins!
Absolutely delicious! Easy ingredients and quick preparation, plus there is plenty for leftovers. Thanks for sharing!
I just made the dish, but didn’t have any advocodo’s or veggie broth, it was still delicious great healthy meal, definitely will make it again
Hi,
Wonderful recipe! thank you! didn’t have a pepper the recipe calls for and added regular tomatoes. it still was amazing!Can you useRoast in this dish instead of quinoa? I have a ton of roast I’m looking to use up..
Yes, absolutely.
Thank you! We loved this receipe. I would like to make it for a dinner party. Could you please suggest a veg soup and sides to complete the meal?
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
This was great!! I used a can of rotel and a pack of taco seasoning instead. Also didn’t drain the beans!! Perfect over tortillas or chips!!! Didn’t have to add salt or pepper. Perfect taste!
I found this lacked flavour and wasn’t very good at all, I’m sorry but I found it very plaim
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested and retested. But with a little bit more information, we can troubleshoot what went wrong to have a successful turnaround next time. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
This is a great recipe, but as I am cooking this.I will have to make another pan before the week is out. I love batch cooking quinoa and have been looking for creative ways to use the leftovers.
i wouldn’t change a thing about this meal. And i love to read more posts of yours on regular basis
Thank you! We loved this receipe. I would like to make it for a dinner party. Could you please suggest a veg soup and sides to complete the meal?
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Any ideas on what to sub for the avocados? Or just leave it out?
You can omit as needed. 🙂
I just became vegan a little over a month ago. A friend shared this recipe with me and this is the best vegan dish I have tried yet. This is one of my top dishes period. Great flavor, variety, and it’s healthy. You cannot ask for more. Many thanks for sharing your talents with us.
Very nice recipe, I’ve made it a couple of times as I am trying to incorporate more power foods into my diet and quinoa salads are starting to get to me. One thing I did differently the second time is to roast quinoa first before adding the vegetables. Loved the roasty flavor.
I did a search on my phone for “mexican quinoa” and this recipe came up first in the results. I needed look no further as I had all the ingredients on hand. I made this for my family tonight. It was really easy to make and everyone loved it. I served it with refried bean tacos, sauteed greens from our garden, and grilled summer squash from our garden. Thanks for the great recipe! I already printed it for our recipe file.
I added 2 mahi mahi steaks and it wad great!
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