Recipe Files: One Pan Mexican Quinoa

Like I told you all last time I posted a recipe, I've been looking for some healthier meal options for dinners and my gal at damndelicious has not failed me yet. I made another dish of hers (that I'm going to share with you later) and figured I couldn't lose by trying another one. Enter, One Pan Mexican Quinoa!

Yes, I said ONE PAN, and HEALTHY....

If you're like me, when you hear "healthy" you think "no flavor" but that's not the case with this dish. It's packed with flavor. And SO easy to make.

What You Need:

-1 cup uncooked quinoa
-1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
-1 can fire roasted, diced tomatoes
-1 cup corn (I used a little bit more than a cup)
-1 can black beans (we did reduced sodium)
-1 tsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp cumin
-2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp from jar)
-1 jalapeño, minced (I used about 15-20 slices from jar)
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste (I used sea salt)
-1 avocado, diced

-juice of one lime

-2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (if you're inclined to skip this, don't! It's SO good in here!)

What You Do:

1. In a pan (that has a lid), heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and jalapeño until fragrant (about a minute). Make sure to move these around while heating.

2. Add in the quinoa, vegetable broth, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, beans, and corn and season with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Bring everything to a boil, then cover your pan and reduce the heat. Simmer until the quinoa is cooked through (about 20 minutes).

3. Once the quinoa is done, turn off the heat and add in the avocado, lime juice an cilantro. Stir to combine.

(omg, my mouth is watering just looking at this and remembering how yummy it was)

4. Serve immediately. I added a sprinkle of cheese and sour cream before eating and I highly recommend it!

It is SO good, filling, and healthy for you! I am definitely going to be making this regularly now.

MG, my meat-loving husband even enjoyed this one. He told me "I want seconds, but I'm so full I can't do it"....that never happens. 

Try it. You'll love it.

And the clean up is a breeze!

Check out some of the other recipes I've tried out in my Recipes Tab at the top of the page!

Happy (and healthy) eating!