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!
Delicious! Nutritious and easy to make. Thanks.
I noticed a brown rice question above and thought I’d chime in. I substituted 1 cup uncooked white rice for quinoa, same 20 minute simmer time, and the dish turned out great. Brown rice, however, would probably take much longer so I would pre-cook it before adding into the mixture. This dish lends itself very well to experimentation. Cheers!
This is delicious and very easy to make!! We added the avocado to our individual plates so we could keep any leftovers without them going bad.
Stumbled upon this recipe today while searching for inspiration. I decided to make quinoa for the first time and this was the perfect introduction for my family! My husband loved it, which says a lot! He and my 3 year old polished off their bowls! (and I polished off the pan). Will definitely be telling people about this recipe and will make again. Thank you so much! I changed based on what I had on hand (need avocado next time) and it came out delicious. Love that it is customizable and amazing 🙂
Looked great but didn’t get to cook through the quinoa – came out a bit crunchy. Is it supposed to be only 1 cup broth per 1 cup quinoa?
Yes, that is correct. But you are also using 1 (14.5 oz) can UNDRAINED fire-roasted diced tomatoes. The liquid from the tomatoes will also attribute to the liquid-to-quinoa ratio.
Am I the only one who hates these long, boring, drawn out stories that come before the recipe? Who freakin cares?! Just give us the recipe!
Jared, you can simply scroll down for the recipe. Easy peasy.
Be nice, Jared.
I made this recently and followed the receipe. It turned out great. I used red quinoa which made the dish rather dark. I will use white next time. Also, it took allot longer to cook the quinoa, about 45 minutes. I had to add a bit more chicken stock to keep it from getting dry. I did rinse and drained the quinoa well. I used the lime, cilantro and avacado as a garnish as I wasn’t sure my guest liked them. I served it with marinated grills chicken breast on skewers and corn bread . My hubby even liked it and normally considers quinoa trendy rabbit food. I would say it made 6-8 side servings. Thanks
Made it tonight for dinner and it was “damn delicious” one pan delight. Seriously it was. Very simple and oh so very Tasty…yes that’s tasty with a capital T 😉
I served mine with a dollop of mexican crema. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe.
This looks so good! However I’m not a fan of quinoa (I really wish I was). If I substituted it for brown rice and adjust the cooking time it should work, right?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
This is the best quinoa dish I’ve ever eaten or cooked. My previous attempts at different ways of cooking it were okayish, but this one was really tasty. I omitted the avocado as I didn’t have any. We love Mexican food & will definitely be eating this often!!
Does it have to have the cilantro?? I never use it and it tastes like soap to me.
Parsley would be a great substitute.
Spectacular and super easy!!! Used rotel tomatoes and added onions, zucchini and bell pepper. Sprinkled some cotija cheese on top. Best veggie meal ever!
Hi there,
this recipe looks amazing. I really don’t like tomatoes and wondered if you had a suggestion for a substitute or do you think i can get away without adding tomatoes?
Unfortunately, there will be a difference in liquid ratio if the tomatoes are omitted, which is crucial in a one pot recipe. With that said, I do not recommend omitting nor substituting.
OMG! This really was “damn delicious!” Thank you; I shared this recipe on my website.
I made this a couple of nights ago for myself and my kids, age 12 & 10, who aren’t necessarily picky eaters, but they tend to shy away from the “health” foods I cook–and they devoured this!! I did make slight variations (I know, I hate when people review a recipe and totally change it, but I was working with ingredients I had on hand!) I used chicken broth instead of vegetable, only about 1/3 of a jalapeño so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the kids, and I omitted the cumin and cilantro because I don’t really care for those. Instead of mixing in the avocado, I added it to my plate, and my kids added sour cream and cheese to theirs. We all really enjoyed this, and my kids were fighting over the leftovers the next day! I will definitely make this again!! Thanks for sharing!
Although the fiber is high, the protein is not. How about adding cooked ground turkey or lean ground beef?
Yes, absolutely.
Actually, quinoa and beans are a protien. You will be getting enough protien in this recipe plus fiber.
Love love LOVE this recipe!! This is one of the best Pinterest recipe I’ve tried. Healthy and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
Thank you for a great recipe! I wanted something warm, hearty & nutritious & this fit the bill perfectly! Using what I had in my pantry, and because I needed a double batch, I used one can black beans and one can kidney beans. I used one can diced tomatoes and one can rotel. It was perfect! Thank you!!!
This was so good!!! I left out the avocado as I already had one with lunch but I panfried some tofu seasoned with chilli powder, garlic, cumin and oregano and added it in.
Yummy and full of protein!!
This was the first time I had ever made quinoa. It was absolutely delicious! Even my 13 month old ate this. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!