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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This is a regular meal now around our house! I’m actually simmering a triple batch right now!! Delicious, simple, and very easy to make.
I made this last night and it was easy, quick, and delicious. Loved all the flavors. I will definitely make this again. The avocado and lime on top really make the dish yummy. I threw in some spinach leaves just to get some more dark leafy greens in it. Healthy, Vegan, and delicious.
Are the juices from the can of tomatoes added to the pan?
Yes.
Thank you for this recipe! Made it tonight and the entire family loved it (that includes 8 and 9 year old kids)! After the first bite, my daughter asked (this is no exaggeration) when I would be making it again. It’s so rare to find a meal that’s as delicious as it is healthy!
I did add a little extra broth based on what some other reviewers had mentioned (1 1/4 c broth), and the texture of the quinoa was perfect.
I just love the recipe.Thanks!
This was the first dish I’ve made with quinoa that I’ve actually liked. Just made it tonight and will def be making it again. Delicious, thanks for the easy yummy recipes, you haven’t failed me yet!
Eating this right now for lunch, and this is not the first time I have made this recipe for work lunches. I make a double batch on Sunday, then portion it up for my husband and I to take through the week. My adds this time: 2 red bell peppers, an onion, and 2 zucchini. I didn’t have a jalapeno this round, so I subbed it out and used a can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles and a can of HOT Rotel. Then after I heat it up at work, I top it with a single serving size of guacamole! This is one of my favorite meal prep recipes for the week’s worth of lunches!!!
Great! I made it all in the rice cooker. I used sweet red pepper and some scotch bonnet pepper sauce in place of the jalepeno. Had it alone tonight. I can see leftovers working in a wrap. THANK YOU for posting.
This was SO good. Got approval from my quinoa hating bf. Served with a side of grilled zucchini, and it was a perfect vegan meal. Can’t wait to make it again,
I used this as a filling for cabbage rolls. Fantastic!
I absolutely loved this!!! I added two chicken breast that chopped and browned first. May I add I love all your recipes and I recommend all them time! Keep up the great work
Wow…I made this for dinner last night. This was my first attempt to make anything with Quinoa. It was so delicious…and super easy!
Thanks again for another amazing recipe. Love all of them, and was so excited to get your new cookbook for a Christmas gift from my kids….can’t wait to get cooking some of those soon!
OMG made this for dinner tonight (minus the oil as I am currently doing the Engine2 7 day challenge)
OFF THE HOOK DELISH! I put a serving over a bed of spinach & added a green onion…
THANK YOU! This is going on regular rotation ~ Woo-Hoo!
I cook for one, so cooking can be boring and a bit limiting. This looks simple to make and yum! I was hoping this would be a good lunch option. Do you have a guide as to how long will this keep in the fridge and/or if it is possible to freeze this.
Thanks 🙂
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I make a double batch on Sunday for my husband and I and portion it for our lunches. I reheats very well and is just and tasty on Friday as it was on Monday. In fact, I don’t make it to eat the same day…I purposely make this for a week’s worth of lunches. If it were just me, I would make a single batch and you have your work lunches easy.
P.S. I have frozen anything leftover on Friday night (so that means it stayed in the fridge from Sunday to Friday). I have reheated the ones that were previously frozen, and those were tasty too.
I should have stated I don’t add the avocado to this dish for a weeks worth of lunches. I top it instead with the single serving size of guacamole cups!
oh.em.gee this was definitely delicious! I made it as a meal prep for lunch this week for my husband and I and it is so flavorful. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Trying to make more healthy meals for my family in 2017. This quinoa recipe was delicious!! Thank you for sharing your awesome talents with the world.
A very well colored recipe that makes it appetizing. It look delicious.
I am so happy I stumbled upon this recipe. THANK YOU!! I didn’t put as much jalapeno and didn’t have fire-roasted anything, but…wonderful! It didn’t quite have the Mexican taste (b/c of my changes), but will be lunch tomorrow. Works out the kids don’t like it b/c we can make it spicier (and more for us!).
I love this recipe BUT how do i turn of that autoplay of the video to the right… super annoying. I can’t even make it stop.
My sincere apologies. We are currently in the process to fix these technical glitches. Thank you for your patience.
Just made this for lunch. My fiance and I really enjoyed it. It really is easy to make! There was very little prep (basically opening cans and cutting garlic) so there was very little dish cleanup involved.
And on top of that, most of its ingredients are shelf stable pantry essentials, so I didn’t have to go shopping to make this.
So often, I’m disappointed by promises of “quick” or “easy” recipes with unrealistic time estimates of how long it’ll take to make the recipe, but this recipe is certainly not one of them, which is quite refreshing. On top of that, it uses whole plant based ingredients – and is *actually* healthy! Not just another vegetarian recipe claiming to be healthy yet filled with refined carbs or other processed foods.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. You’ve certainly earned another blog reader!