This one pan Mexican quinoa with black beans and corn is super easy to make, packed with protein, and so comforting! It’s the perfect dinner recipe for busy days! I love eating it with fresh parsley and avocado.
This easy Mexican quinoa is incredibly healthy and I absolutely LOVE making it one busy weekdays. The recipe is super simple and ready in only 25 minutes! We make it all the time!
Ever since I’ve first tried quinoa, I absolutely loved it! I usually use it to make salads and sometimes we also eat it as a side dish. For a salad I mostly use tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, mint, and parsley.
And in the winter, I love making a quinoa soup with tomatoes and kale. It’s actually my mom’s recipe and it’s sooo good!
This One Pan Mexican Quinoa Is:
- vegan and gluten-free
- super easy to make (25 minutes is all it takes!)
- a great weeknight dinner for the whole family
- packed with nutrients thanks to the quinoa and the black beans
- super flavorful
- healthy
One Pan Mexican Quinoa – What You’ll Need
You don’t need any unusual ingredients for this vegan one pan Mexican quinoa. Except for the bell peppers and the other fresh ingredients (parsley and lime), you might even have everything in your pantry waiting for you.
You’ll need:
- quinoa (big surprise here! Haha!)
- black beans
- frozen corn
- 1 red onion
- garlic
- 2 bell peppers (I used an orange and a red one)
- paprika powder
- cumin
- fresh lime juice
- chopped parsley
- vegetable broth
- canned diced tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (optional)
As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate recipe box underneath the text section.
How To Make This One Pan Mexican Quinoa
The recipe is super simple. You basically just sauté the onion and the garlic and then you add the rest of the ingredients and cook everything for 20 minutes.
STEP 1: Heat some oil in a large pot or pan and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes or until it becomes translucent. Then add the garlic and the bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
STEP 2: Add the rest of the ingredients except for the lime juice, the green onions, and the parsley.
STEP 3: Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat. Stir once in a while to make sure your Mexican quinoa is not burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
STEP 4: Then stir in the lime juice, the green onions, the parsley and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Serve with avocado on top.
Recipe Notes:
- For an extra boost of vitamins and iron, I usually add lots of fresh parsley. I always buy a huge bunch and then I just use the leftovers for green smoothies in the morning. Add it just before serving so you don’t lose any vitamins. And don’t forget to add some avocado on top.
- Quinoa has so many health benefits and I love how easy it is to prepare. The one pan Mexican quinoa is also great as some kind of salad or quick lunch. So you can just take the leftovers to work the next day or save them for a picnic.
- I usually cook my one pan Mexican quinoa between medium and high heat. As the temperature varies a bit, make sure to check once in a while that your quinoa is not burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan by stirring with a wooden spoon. If so, lower the heat.
- This recipe works best with a non-stick pot.
- Do you want to make this Mexican quinoa in your Instant Pot? No problem! I’ve also got an Instant Pot version.
- I’m not the biggest fan of fresh cilantro, so I used parsley instead. But feel free to use cilantro for an even more authentic version.
- Make sure to rinse your uncooked quinoa using a fine mesh strainer before adding it. This way you will get rid of all the bitter flavors.
Do you want to make this Mexican quinoa a bit spicier?
Are you a fan of spicy food? Then add some chili powder or jalapeños to the Mexican quinoa. Or stir in some hot sauce before serving it.
Can I freeze the Mexican quinoa?
Yes, no problem! Quinoa freezes really well. So you could even double the recipe and freeze some for later to have an easy dinner ready when life gets busy.
More Delicious and Easy Vegan Quinoa Recipes You Might Like:
- Vegan Burrito Bowl with Quinoa (Instant Pot)
- Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps with Quinoa
- Quinoa Soup with Kale and Tomatoes
- Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers (Slow Cooker)
- 23 Healthy Vegan Quinoa Recipes
I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
I hope you like this one pan Mexican quinoa as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
One Pan Mexican Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers, chopped (I used an orange and a red one)
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked and pre-rinsed
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 3 cups canned diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- juice of one lime
- 2 green onions
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes
- 1 avocado, to serve
Instructions
- Heat some oil in a large pot or pan and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes or until it becomes translucent. Then add the garlic and the bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes on high heat.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the lime juice, the green onions, and the parsley.
Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. As the temperature varies a bit, make sure to check once in a while that your quinoa is not burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan by stirring with a wooden spoon. If so, lower the heat.
Then stir in the lime juice, the green onions, the parsley and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Serve with avocado on top.
Recipe Notes
- For an extra boost of vitamins and iron, I usually add lots of fresh parsley. I always buy a huge bunch and then I just use the leftovers for green smoothies in the morning. Add it just before serving so you don't lose any vitamins. And don't forget to add some avocado on top.
- Quinoa has so many health benefits and I love how easy it is to prepare. The one pan Mexican quinoa is also great as some kind of salad or quick lunch. So you can just take the leftovers to work the next day or save them for a picnic.
- I usually cook my one pan Mexican quinoa between medium and high heat. As the temperature varies a bit, make sure to check once in a while that your quinoa is not burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan by stirring with a wooden spoon. If so, lower the heat.
- This recipe works best with a non-stick pot.
- Do you want to make this Mexican quinoa in your Instant Pot? No problem! I've also got an Instant Pot version.
- I'm not the biggest fan of fresh cilantro, so I used parsley instead. But feel free to use cilantro for an even more authentic version.
- Make sure to rinse your uncooked quinoa using a fine mesh strainer before adding it. This way you will get rid of all the bitter flavors.
Sherie says
September 29, 2018 at 22:13Hi , any suggestions in making in an instapot?
Sina says
October 2, 2018 at 11:49Hi Sherie, I actually got an Instant Pot version on the blog as well. Here’s the link: https://veganheaven.org/recipe/vegan-burrito-bowl-with-quinoa/ I make this all the time and we love it! Hope that helps! :-)
Emma says
August 27, 2018 at 18:55I made this last night for my lunches this week and it was soooo good! I completely forgot the lime, but it was still delicious without it. My boyfriend is super picky but he still enjoyed it as well! :)
Debbie Wilburn says
August 15, 2018 at 3:26This recipe is fantastic! This was the second time I made it. Perfect as it is! I did add about a dozen chopped Kalamata olives. Also for better color and less sodium I rinsed the black beans. This makes more like 8 servings.
Jody says
August 11, 2018 at 1:34Delicious! I subbed fresh tomatoes and fresh corn and increased the liquid a bit. A little jalepeno green sauce vs the red pepper flakes made it perfect for us. Thanks!
Laura says
July 29, 2018 at 17:09Do you rinse the quinoa?
Thanks!
Bev says
June 30, 2018 at 20:19Delicious recipe, I will make this again for sure.
Brooke says
June 26, 2018 at 2:20Loved this recipe. Was a bit confused on which temperatures for everything to be at I only saw high heat at the end.. so I made the whole recipe on high. It did burn. I’d recommend a lower heat, otherwise fabulous dish. Avocado makes it! Mine was not a chili like consistency at all, I believe bc I used diced tomatoes I did blend them but crushed were better!
Patty says
June 1, 2018 at 23:11This recipe was totally amazing! I will make this every week from now on. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Erin Kennedy says
May 30, 2018 at 14:58Hi, have you served this dish cold? I’m trying to get some meal prep ideas for my boyfriend who cannot heat lunches
Many thanks
Erin
Sina says
May 30, 2018 at 15:47Hi Erin,
Yes, it’s also great cold. :-) It’s more like a salad this way.
Let me know how you guys liked it!
Sina
Christina says
May 21, 2018 at 16:31I would agree with the last comment that this needs to be turned down from high during the 20 minutes so it doesn’t burn, or advise your readers to use a non-stick pan. My entire pan was burned and lost a substantial amount of the food due to the high heat and burning on the bottom. Additionally, I was irritated when adding all of the ingredients and needed to search through the comments to find whether or not I should drain and rinse the beans. This should be included in the ingredients: “1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed” like other recipes. Perhaps this is understood among many people who cook regularly, but it shouldn’t be assumed that readers know all the in and outs about cooking. Please update recipe to reflect these comments from other readers (drained and rinsed beans, uncooked quinoa, etc) so that people do not have to assume or read through comments when cooking.
Lindsay says
May 7, 2018 at 18:19Do you usually rinse the quinoa before you add it?
Ruth says
May 4, 2018 at 15:33Being in the uk I am not used to the measurements being in cups! Do I use one can of black beans and 2 cans of tomatoes? One cup of quinoa seems quite a lot!
Duggan says
May 3, 2018 at 9:13Really enjoyed this dish as a newly vegan chef looking for a hearty meal. My few tweaks would be to use half of the onion especially if adding green onions and turning the heat to low when you get it back up to a boil after adding all of the ingredients together so that it doesn’t burn. A few optional extras I decided to put in after I plated was cilantro and a deseeded chopped serrano for kick. Also a dollop of a vegan sour cream compliments the dish nicely.
Lissa says
April 25, 2018 at 4:11Delicious! The whole family enjoyed this dish. We used the leftovers to make nachos the following night. Great dish for a busy weeknight ❤
Raschelle Macreadie says
April 18, 2018 at 10:57Really enjoyed this dish. The flavours were good and so easy and quick to make. Thank you so much.
Heather Aul says
April 5, 2018 at 3:16Amazing and so simple! I don’t even like quinoa and I’ll make this again. So filling and quick, even the kiddos approved ;)
MaryC says
April 2, 2018 at 3:17You have step one as being on “high heat” but you don’t say what temperature it should be at for step 2. Mine burnt.
Anna says
March 14, 2018 at 21:01Wow. This looks awesome and easy clean up. Thanks for the recipe Sina
Kara Jane says
March 8, 2018 at 21:09Made this last night and I am eating the leftovers for lunch right now! This was SO GOOD. One of my favorite dishes is Mexican rice, and this is a fantastic healthier version. Followed the recipe to a tee, except for using a white inion instead of a red onion (red onions give me heart burn) and it was very easy and delicious!
Isa says
January 23, 2018 at 14:21I made this last night for me and my non vegan boyfriend….I will definitely be making it again. We both loved it!