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 receipe is amazing!!! A must try!!!!
THIS WAS AMAZING. Lovely paired with some chicken sauteed with cilantro, lime and garlic!
This is great! Seasoning is just right. I needed to increase my cooking time by a couple more minutes, to soak up more liquid, but I might not have had my heat set right. Tasted really, really good – hit all the right notes! Thanks so much!
I made this dish on wednesday and it was amazingly delicious and so easy. Thanks for sharing!
Tried this dish last night and it turned out so well! Thank you for the recipe!
i always rinse my quinoa before using to get rid of the bitter, soapy protective coating. I will drain it very well but will this make it thinner in texture? Hope not because this looks delish. I don’t see pre-washed quinoa in my area often.
Rinsing the quinoa will not alter the taste/texture of this dish.
Great recipe. The lime and cilantro adds great flavor. I also threw in some chickpeas. Easy recipe.
This recipe is great! It’s almost like a chili, with a few more Mexican flavors. I added chicken to make it a little heartier, but it’s a great recipe that can adapt to whatever you have in the kitchen. Thanks for posting!
I just featured this recipe on my blog and would love it if you checked it out 🙂
http://bigcitydreamsbyabby.blogspot.com/2014/11/mexican-quinoa-stew.html
I made this the other day. It was absolutely amazing!
Eating this now. Delish. It was too many carbs for me(diabetic) so I eliminated the corn and used fresh tomatoes and Kale, and used a little more broth and made it into a soup. Yum!
Really liked the quinoa! so tired of the pasta traditionally used in these stove top dishes. Thank you too for the nutritional values. Great for Weight Watchers calculations.
This was a very good meal, and a nice escape from the usual quinoa cooking drudgery. I’m a big fan of one pot meals and this can’t be beat. Thanks for sharing!
Made this for dinner last night. Added grilled chicken for the family. Excellent! My husband and I added diced red onion (just a bit) at the end with the cilantro.
This recipe has become one of my “regulars” and it’s easy to adjust… I like to cook the quinoa ahead of time and then it’s REALLY fast to throw together. I rarely have a ripe avocado around when I need it, but it’s delicious without it too. I’m trying to eat more plant-based meals and this one is a winner!
This looks so good! Approximately how many cups does this make? I’ve been making big batches of recipes like this for my dude and I for lunches during the week and need to plan out how much of this recipe to make! 🙂
I took out the avocado and used this as an empenada filler and it was amazing. The wrappers I bought at my local grocery store – you can find them in the frozen food aisle (I used Goya Discos) and baked them in the oven at 350 for 10 or so minutes. I then just used the avocado to make some guacamole dip for them and it really made the dish.
I just made this very good recipe. I used try-colored quinoa and organic non-gmo black soy beans. I thought I had picked up black beans but had picked up soy. It was still very good. I will make again.
Made this today, and oooohhhhhhhhh my! Delicious! I did add to the recipe–chopped an onion and a red bell pepper and started by sweating that, then went with the recipe. Also added a good bit more chili powder and cumin than specified, so season to taste! But wow, oh, wow. It is definitely going on my “favorites” list!
I have made this and every one that had it, loved it… I have even doubled the recipe…
This also works GREAT as a cold summer salad!!!!
Make the quinoa with the broth as usual. After it has been cooked add all the ingredients listed and chill overnight. You can serve once it is cooled, but I think it is better after things have had a chance to mix overnight.
***Save the avocado just before serving.
I also add some minced red onion for another pop of flavor!
This would be amazing as the filling for a supreme quesadilla! Then topped with a little quac and sour cream! I also love the suggestion someone else posted about serving as a cold summer salad with a bit of chopped red onion!