Packed with protein and vegetables, it only takes 20 minutes to have this healthy, nutritious, gluten free One Pot Mexican Quinoa on the table!
Hello! Tiffany from Feel great in 8 back again! I am thrilled to be here sharing this incredibly easy and delicious dinner. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish and it’s packed with healthy ingredients. Quinoa is an awesome source of protein and fiber. Add beans, veggies, and healthy fat from the avocado and you’ve got a nutritional powerhouse meal that the whole family will love! My kids gobbled this one up!
One of the best things about this meal is that you literally dump all of the ingredients into one pan and cook. You don’t even have to cook the quinoa separately!
Before I get to the recipe, let me share just a few tips to make this the best meal possible:
- Rinse the quinoa before cooking. Rinsing quinoa removes it’s natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Even if the quinoa I buy is pre-rinsed, I always take a minute to give it an extra rinse. If you have a fine enough strainer, you can just run water over the quinoa until the water runs clear. I don’t have a fine enough strainer, so I just put the quinoa in a bowl, fill it with water, and stir the quinoa until the water is cloudy. Then I drain that water and start with a fresh batch. It usually takes 2 or three rinses before the water stays clear.
- Adjust the spices for your family tastes. I have little ones so I avoid making meals that are too spicy, but I do like a little kick. Feel free to adjust the amount of chili powder and cumin to fit your families taste buds.
- This meal makes great leftovers, but I don’t love mushy avocado, so I just add the cubed avocado to individual bowls. That way when we eat leftovers I can add more fresh fresh avocado.
I hope those tips help. I just know you’re going to love this recipe!
And, when you’ve tried and loved this one, definitely go checkout my Easy One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta!
One Pot Mexican Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 clove garlic
- 2 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 30 ounce black beans, canned
- 30 ounce fire-roasted tomatoes, canned
- 2 cup corn, canned
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1 medium avocado
- 1 medium lime
- 4 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn and spices. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Mix in lime juice and cilantro. Top each serving with chopped avocado and enjoy
