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?
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My family LOVES this dish! So fast, so easy, so delicious, so healthy, AND it makes enough for a little leftover at the end. This absolutely got me hooked on your site! Thanks!!!
Just made this for lunch today and my family wasn’t too impressed. It didn’t taste bad but the tomato flavor was just overwhelming so we couldn’t taste much else. It was easy to make though and didn’t take much time so I might make this if I’m in a rush but I will cut down on the tomato next time.
Yes, absolutely! If the tomato flavor is not to your liking, you can reduce the amount, to taste, for next time. That’s the beauty of home cooking! 🙂
I made this tonight and it was absolutely over spicy ( I may have put a little too much jalapeno but not sure) BUT when it cooled from the stove it tasted EXACTLY like chili but no meat and preservatives 😀 ((MEATLESS MONDAY)) We absolutely loved it and HEALTHY!! This made me taste fire roasted tomato’s for the first time and now I see a outstanding homemade salsa recipe too. Thank you for a healthy recipe and salsa 😉 😉 <3
Made this for dinner tonight! It was great! I put it up on my Facebook page! It’s really easy and I can make it with things I normally have on hand, except the avocado.
Made this tonight and was surprised at how simple and delicious it turned out! I added some yellow squash and used some fresh corn on the cob, as well as a little canned corn. I also added a few shishito peppers (just for flavor; they aren’t hot) along with the jalapeno and topped it off with a little shredded cheese, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and some fresh cilantro. I did add a bit more cumin and chili powder than the recipe called for, but I like a little kicked up flavor. The amount of liquid was perfect for cooking the quinoa. It’s my new go-to quick meal AND I have plenty of leftovers for lunch this week! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
OMG! I can’t believe I waited so long to make this. It’s absolutely delicious. I needed to let it cook a little longer than suggested in the instructions but it was so tasty. This is a perfect weeknight meal (I would have no excuse not to whip this up even after working a full day–so fast and easy)! Thank you for the recipe!
This this today without jalapenos because I don’t like spicy them. It was so delicious, even my picky 10-yr-old ate it. I also did a Peruvian chicken breast to complement. Wish I can take a picture for you guys to see it. Here is the Peruvian chicken recipe.
http://www.onceuponachef.com/2013/01/peruvian-style-roast-chicken-with-green-sauce.html
We had this for dinner tonight. I didn’t know quinoa could be this good! Me and my other half loved this! It will definitely be in the rotation, as we are trying to eat healthier. 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!
If I don’t like spicy, can I just take out the jalapeños and chili powder? Would that mess it up?
No, not at all! There’s plenty of fun goodies happening here, although you may want to include a little bit of the chili powder – I promise, it’s not very spicy! 🙂
I made this yesterday and loved it. Thank you for posting it.
what do you consider a serving in this recipe to equal 401 calories?
A single serving is roughly 1-2 cups.
I made this tonight and it tasted excellent and, best of all, was sooo easy! I am pleased beyond belief, and feel inspired to try other vegetarian meals now. Thank you for sharing!
Made this today for my daughter and me and it is the first time either of us have actually loved a dish with quinoa!! Awesome recipe!
The recipe sais to served immediately, but I was hoping to make it ahead for a BBQ. Would it still work well the next day served at room temperature? I haven’t cooked with quinoa much…
Yes, this can be served at room temperature.
If you’re going to make-and-take this dish, I would bring the lime juice, cilantro, … along with me and add them at serving time. Even at room temperature, I think adding the final ingredients on-site will make a big difference. Fun flavors, like the tangy lime and pungent cilantro, can be dulled when left to sit; the grain will absorb a lot of the flavor fairly quickly (similar to soy sauce and rice — if not consumed right away, the soy sauce is absorbed and much of the flavor is lost (although the sodium doesn’t go away).
Saw this recipe sounds amazing, just curios, u said serve immediatly, U see im going to a pot luck and it wont be served till 4hrs later. Can i still serve this, or any suggestions u can give me, we are feeding 16-20 grown men
Yes, this can still be served at room temperature.
I’ve never made quinoa before, but I bought a bag from Sam’s Club. I loved this recipe because it was really easy, and it was a good “quinoa first time user” recipe! I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE all of your recipes. You’ve got a huge variety, and I love your Asian dishes. I’m from Hawaii, and we eat Japanese, Chinese, and Korean dishes all the time, so I like seeing your take on dishes that are familiar to me.
A question: How exactly is quinoa supposed to taste? Is it like rice?
P.S. My husband and super picky toddler loved this dish!
Here is a great article on what quinoa tastes like: http://brownbagonline.com/quin-what-the-brown-bag-explains-quinoa/. They mentioned that “the taste and texture of quinoa is a bit like brown rice crossed with oatmeal. It’s fluffy, creamy, crunchy and somewhat nutty, all rolled into one”.
I just made this but skipped the avocado because the man doesn’t like it (stupid, I know!) and added sweet red peppers. It is seriously epic! Great recipe!
If I wanted to add ground turkey to this what kind of adjustments should I make to the other ingredients?
You may have to reduce the amount of quinoa to compensate for this addition.
If I double the recipe, do I have to cook it longer so the quinoa is thoroughly cooked or will it still be fine at 20 minutes?
Kat, I do not recommend doubling the recipe. One pot recipes can be a little finicky when altering the recipe like this so if you need to serve more, I recommend making it twice.
Thanks for sharing. It was delicious.
I have made this several times-my DH LOVES it! Thank you for the recipe.I also make many of your other recipes, too. Question on this one–do you think it can freeze well? (omitting the avocado) Sorry of someone has already asked this…there were many comments to read through!
Thank you-
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.
It freezes INCREDIBLY well. This is my toddler’s favorite meal (with green pepper instead of jalepeno) and I freeze 6-7 single portions for him every time I make it.
I never comment on things, but this recipe has been hands down the most valuable one I have every gotten from the internet so I wanted to pay it forward. So many valuable nutrients in one pan for my picky vegetarian eater. THANK YOU!