One-Pan Mexican Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

How to cook Mexican Quinoa

The great thing about this recipe is that there isn’t much prep time and chopping. You just have to crush the garlic, dice the avocado, rinse the beans, and you are pretty much ready to go.

You will need:

• Quinoa
• Water (or vegetable broth)
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Cumin
• Black Beans
• Corn
• Chopped tomatoes
• Jalapenos 
• Avocado
• The juice of 1 lime
• Fresh cilantro leaves

First, you need to saute the minced garlic in a bit of olive oil with the cumin, then add the black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes (or tomato sauce), jalapenos, and quinoa. 

After a minute, add the water (or vegetable broth) and bring to a boil. Then cover, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, you can dice the avocado.

Then remove from the heat, and let it rest, still covered for 5 minutes. Resting allows the quinoa to become nice and fluffy whilst absorbing more flavors from the other ingredients. 

Before serving, add the fresh chopped cilantro and diced avocado. Plus a juicy lime wedge on each plate to add a bit of tanginess.

I prefer to eat my Mexican quinoa warm, but it’s great cold as well, especially in the summer.

Extra tips to make Mexican Quinoa

Quinoa

Believe it or not, there are over 100 types of quinoa. I used white quinoa for this recipe, but a mix of any type of quinoa is good. Just check your quinoa’s cooking time and taste it to make sure it’s cooked throughout. 

When I normally cook quinoa, I use 1 part uncooked quinoa and 2 parts water. But, as this recipe contains 1 can of tomatoes, you need less liquid to reach the perfect consistency, which is why I use 1 part of uncooked quinoa and 1 part of water.

Water or vegetable broth?

I normally use water when I cook my quinoa, but if you want to add a bit more depth of flavor, vegetable broth is a great alternative. 

Do you need to rinse Quinoa before cooking?

Most recipes mention rinsing quinoa before cooking it because quinoa grains are coated with a substance called saponin, which can taste a bit soapy or bitter to some people.

If you are sensitive to it, make sure to rinse your quinoa under running water for at least a couple of minutes.

Plus, a lot of quinoa sold these days has been pre-rinsed. Checking your package can help you save time. 

Spices

I used cumin in this recipe, but you can substitute it for dry coriander (also known as cilantro and a Mexican favorite). Other great spices to use in this recipe, depending on how spicy you like your food, are chili powder or paprika.

Did you know?
Cumin was actually discovered in the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia regions and introduced to Mexico by the Spanish. It’s normally used in most red chile sauces, including enchilada sauce

How to meal prep Mexican Quinoa

I love using quinoa in meal prep recipes. It keeps its consistency well for a few days in the fridge.

If you want to meal prep this Mexican quinoa recipe, simply follow all the steps, and, once ready, store it in airtight meal pre containers, like these ones.

If you plan to keep quinoa in the fridge for over 2 days, you should not add the diced avocado. It’s better if you add it the night before eating it, or slice it on top in the morning to avoid it going brown.

If you follow this step, you can keep this quinoa in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.