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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Oooh, yummy. Thanks for the idea Chungah. We tried it and lived to write about it: http://www.thesegirlslovefood.com/2015/06/the-no-chop-quinoa-chili.html
We had to reduce the heat s bit for our developing taste buds. It was a winner!
I made this today and…wow! This dish is absolutely delish and sooo easy to make. I never thought that I would like Quinoa and boy was I wrong, I love it! Thank you for posting such a great recipe!
Just made this and it was delicious! Thanks for posting!
This sounds amazing! Any way that i could leave out the tomatoes?
You can certainly try omitting the tomatoes but the juices from the tomatoes are actually crucial for a one pan meal like this. You may need to adjust the amount of the broth as needed to compensate for this.
OMG AMAZING!!! My boyfriend and I just made this for dinner and dayuuuummmm it’s good. We didn’t have cilantro and I used lemon juice instead of lime juice but it was absolutely delicious! This will be a new staple of our apartment, thanks for the amaaaazing recipe! 😀
I’ve made this recipe 3-4 times now. It’s nice and filling, and my non-vegan friends love it. I add onion and chopped bell pepper to add to the veggie content, and I use red kidney beans since I can’t get canned black beans where I live. I also add oregano, cinnamon, and more chili. It’s perfect as a taco or burrito filling, as well as on its own. I make it in a large pot and find it usually takes about 35 minutes for the quinoa to be cooked.
just made this tonight. I have to say it was probably one of the best dishes I have ever had. I am not a vegetable person but I am really trying to eat more. This was a fantastic dish to do so. Thank you.
I made this for my boyfriend and I for dinner tonight. We substituted shredded chicken breast for the black beans, since he is allergic, and it was great! He was apprehensive about the “kwee-no,” but absolutely loved it! Awesome recipe!
Just made this and it is delish! Thank you so much for the recipe! I was thinking next time it might be fun to add some plain Greek yogurt. 🙂
Thank you – this is going on the Menu for this week. Looks fantastic, and easy, and healthy. Wow!
Made this for dinner tonight! It’s a Taste Sensation!!
I didn’t have avocado, but I did add some green onions chopped,
And some plum tomatoes….HoneyHusband loved it!
(The quinoa was still sort of crunchy, was it finished cooking, or is supposed to stay tiny and crunchy?) we liked like this and nobody died, so I’m thinking it went o.k..lol…
I’m so glad you tried this recipe! As for the crunchy quinoa – this may be attributed to a high heat source, toasting it a bit too much. You can try to reduce the heat a bit more for next time.
You need more than 1 cup of water I followed exactly I had to add another cup of water
The amount of water listed is correct as there are other sources of liquid present in this dish, like the can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes. But please feel free to add as much water as needed to suit your preferences. That’s the beauty of home cooking, right? 🙂
Omg I just cooked this for dinner and it was so good for something healthy. It has plenty of flavored and my husband loves it too! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
THANK YOU I’ve made this several times now and it is amazing. Love it.
Chungan! We made this tonight and marinated some boneless skinless THIGHS in a grill seasoning pack, cooked them on the grill and served the chicken on the bed of the quinoa dish. Very good! Also to everyone worried about the spiciness of the jalapeno-only include the jalapeno and none of seeds and the heat will be non-existent-this is what we did (although we love hot food so next time we will include the jalapeno seeds). Thank you for this healthy recipe-we are trying to be more conscience about our diet and this helps. We are also on a quinoa food-kick so I will be trying your asian-flavored quinoa dish too. From way up in Alaska thank you!! 🙂
Any good substitutions for tomatoes? I have an intolerance to them but the dish looks great. I wasn’t sure if there would be a difference in liquid ratio for the quinoa without the tomatoes.
Vicky, yes, 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 a substitute.
Seriously FABULOUS! Whole family enjoyed it. Def keeper 🙂 THANKS!!
I tried this a few weeks ago- turned out so delicious. I am someone who cannot handle spicy but the jalapeño, chilli and cumin were perfect. I found it kind of difficult to cook the quinoa inside the dish… It requires constant stirring to do it this way. Making a double recipe tonight so I will halfway cook the quinoa first to save my arms! Used parsley and lemon the first time because I am Italian and parsley works! It’s truly a healthy recipe because even if I splash more olive oil I don’t feel guilty. I love love this recipe. Thanks!!
Made this today for a family lunch. Delicious and will make again! Only changes I will make going forward – a bit more spice and much less lime (maybe depends on the size of the line, but mine was medium and it overpowered everything). So easy and love the one pot meal! Definitely a keeper and one to play around with for variety.
I just made this and it amazing!!!!!!!
The flavors are so intense. No salt or pepper needed to taste. Thanks. Will be sharing this recipe with friends. Greetings for Curacao!!!