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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Wow! This was delicious, filling and easy to make. A real winner! And I am not a vegetarian!
I just made this and it is savory and delicious! Great recipe.
This is a fantastic budget-friendly, delicious, satisfying vegetarian recipe. My carnivorous family of boys ate every bite. Husband even said, “add this to the rotation.” (I substituted rice for half the quinoa just per our family’s love of rice.)
I’ve been using canned diced tomatoes instead of the fire roasted tomatoes listed in the ingredients and my quinoa is very wet and mushy because I always end up cooking it for more than 30 minutes to dry it. What am I doing wrong? I don’t seem to find organic, oven roasted tomatoes in Dubai. Help!
Bummer! You can try using less liquid as needed. Hope that helps!
I leave out the canned tomatoes and then just stir in chopped, fresh tomatoes at the end. Maybe this could help you.
Hi.. Can I use canned diced tomatoes instead of the fire roasted tomatoes?
Yes, absolutely.
Made this for dinner the other night and the husband and I both loved it! Neither of us typically like quinoa either, so this was a real victory for us.
Note: we aren’t big on spice, so we left out the jalapeno and it still had lots of flavor!
We’ve made this a few times, and it’s awesome.
Most recently, we doubled the avocado, lime juice and cilantro (+ salt) and mixed it up as a salad — then it served on top instead of mixed in. Turned out to be a very tasty variation.
I made this tonight – it was *so* *so* good! Great recipe.
Is there anyway you can tell me how much a serving is? I know that the recipe says it makes four, but I have left overs and my sister is counting her calories – and she would love to eat this as leftovers. Thanks!!
I would roughly estimate about 1-2 cups per serving.
Yummy!!! Easy to make. Full of flavor. I’m serving it with a grilled porkchop.
This is delicious and easy to make. It has a bunch of flavors. I sprinkled feta cheese on top and it really complemented it nicely. I’m serving it with a grilled park chip. I’m excited for dinner tonight.
We love Quinoa with veggies. Healthier then rice…
Being that my Hubby eats low Sodium. I’m going to put a can of No Salt, Mexican Ro-tel tomatoes in this.
Saute chicken breast , and put it over this Quinoa recipe..
Have you tried Chicken with this?
Thanks..
I actually have not but it sounds like a great addition!
Made this last night – very easy and very tasty as well! Thanks so much for the recipe – this will be a go-to meal from now on!
I cooked this over the with some salmon it was truly brilliant. Cant wait for next weekend. Nice and tasty.
Like everyone already said, this recipe was delicious! And so easy. But I gotta say you really missed an opportunity by not calling it Mexiquinoa.
Now THIS looks delicious and like something I can pre-make for backpacking trips! Thanks for sharing -Alicia @ http://www.girlonahike.com
I seriously make this every week. I have a bowl right then, and then portion off 3 more bowls for lunches at work. Lime juice keeps the avocado from browning, and it just reheats so well. <3 <3 <3 This recipe was the first one i stumbled upon a year ago and since then this has been my favorite foodie blog. love it.
I made this tonight and the hubby and I both loved it! I substituted mushrooms for corn – too much sugar for us – and it turned out great! Has a good kick to it and the bit of lime and cilantro was an amazing touch at the end.
Thanks so much for posting such a tasty, healthy, and easy recipe!
I sauted onions and red bell pepper with the garlic and topped it off with some white fish just after I added the liquids-was so yummy!
Do you drain the tomatoes??
Nope – there’s no need to drain the tomatoes prior to using.
I tried this dish on Monday and it was amazing! My husband loved it too. I forgot to mix in the lime juice and it still turned out really well. I have been telling all my friends about the dish since then. Thank you for sharing this delicious and healthy recipe. I cannot wait to try your other recipe’s. I was getting really tired of my regular quinoa dishes.