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 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
Also check out my 20 vegan meals for busy weeknights!
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.
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.
Sandy
Looking forward to trying this! Have you ever tried it with any other grains? I’m a huge fan of farro, but I wonder if it would take too long to cook it?
audrey fisher
I make black beans en masse ( 2 cups dried = about 7 cups cooked) and then freeze the cooked beans in 2 cup aliquots. Then it is just thaw in frig and then add to recipe. That eliminates all the chemicals.
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Kris
Hi! Can prep this recipe and freece it?
Kay
Hi Sina,
Are the canned tomatoes drained, and how many ounces do you recommend to make three cups?
Sina
Hi Kay,
No, the canned tomatoes are not drained as you need the liquid for the recipe. Hope you like it. :-)
Sina
And you need a 28 oz can of tomatoes. Just forgot to mention that in my previous comment.
Maggie Unzueta
It looks delicious. I wish this were in front of me right now.
Sherie
Hi , any suggestions in making in an instapot?
Sina
Hi 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
I 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
This 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
Delicious! 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
Do you rinse the quinoa?
Thanks!
Bev
Delicious recipe, I will make this again for sure.
Brooke
Loved 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
This recipe was totally amazing! I will make this every week from now on. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Erin Kennedy
Hi, 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
Hi 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
I 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.