Looking for a quick, healthy, and satisfying dinner idea? This One Pot Mexican Quinoa recipe is ready in under 30 minutes and is the perfect weeknight meal. It's a plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free recipe packed with quinoa (a complete plant protein), black beans, and a colorful mix of fresh vegetables. Not only is it a delicious and balanced vegan main dish, but it’s also a great option for meal prep or easy leftovers. In this post, you’ll find the full Mexican quinoa recipe, tips for keeping your pantry and fridge stocked with essentials, and creative ways to repurpose leftovers.
Mexican Quinoa Recipe Ingredients
I only grocery shop once every three weeks and stick to a grocery budget of $135/person. We make healthy and flavorful meals that are packed with fresh produce. This one pot Mexican Quinoa is a meal that is easy to make and can be used for leftovers in a variety of ways.
If you find that you are missing one of the ingredients, most likely you can skip it and just add more of something else that you do that. This recipe can be customized to meet the preferences of your family members.
Fresh Produce Tips!
Bell Peppers: This is a great recipe if you buy bell peppers all of the time with good intentions but then don't know what to do with them once you get them home. There is no set number or color of pepper to add; I just use what I have on hand. This time I had the equivalent to 3 bell peppers, but I used a mixture of mini and large ones. The larger ones were actually from a shopping trip over a month ago. They were starting to get a little wrinkled and it was time to use them up. Here is a video about keeping peppers fresh.
Lemons or Limes: I serve this meal with either a lemon or lime slice for the extra kick at the end. If I don't have a fresh lemon or lime, I try always to make sure I have some bottled lemon and lime juice in my fridge. It doesn't expire for a year to 18 months. Lemons and limes should be stored with other citrus and avocados in your crisper drawer. Keep them away from apples and pears.
Cilantro: When you bring cilantro home from the store, snip the ends and put it in a jar of water in your fridge like you would flowers. Depending on how fresh it was at the store, it should last a week to 10 days in the fridge at home. Check the water every couple of days to see if it needs more. The cilantro is normally the deciding factor on what night I am making this Mexican Quinoa. If it looks like it is starting to wilt then I make it sooner. Here is a full video about how to keep herbs fresh.
Avocados: I used to think that if I wanted to make something with avocado I had to run to the store and then use it that day. I have now started putting them in the fridge and they last 2 weeks. They will not ripen anymore in the fridge so I make sure they are to the desired state of ripeness before putting them in. I don't buy the rock-hard avocados anymore either, so they can go straight into the fridge. Here is my blog about picking the perfect avocado.
Since I am the only one in the family to like avocados I have tried so many techniques to keep them fresh. I found that putting a cut-in-half avocado into a pint-size wide-mouth mason jar with the lid on and it will keep it green for another week. This is how I keep them fresh for my whole 3-week produce shopping trip cycle.
Zero Waste Produce Guide
If you're looking for information for washing and storing 75 produce items all in one place, check out the Zero Waste Produce Guide. This hardcover book has all of the produce instructions as well as over 40 recipes. You can order yours in The Cross Legacy Shop.
Pantry Essentials
Quinoa: I store all of my dry pantry items in glass mason jars. This extends the shelf life of the item as it is airtight. For example, quinoa will last 3-4 years in a jar.
Broth: If you buy store broth and are on a gluten-free diet make sure you read the label. This was one item that we were letting gluten sneak in for a while and I didn't even think to recheck it. Companies change how they make products, so you need to keep checking the label. Just because it is the same brand you always buy doesn't mean it's safe. After that, I started making all of ours from scratch. I always make sure I have some quarts of broth on hand, either frozen or pressure canned.
Canned Items: Black beans and tomatoes are staples here. I make sure that I always have cans of both on hand. You can use just regular diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes in the recipe. Canned vegetables have a 2+ year shelf life.
Seasonings: Watch out for gluten and hidden fillers in the seasonings as well. Make sure to check the labels and buy organic when you can. I have found around the winter holidays is the best time to get deals on spices and seasonings. The spice level on this recipe is family-friendly; you can add more spices if you like it hot.
Repurposing the Leftovers
Below are some ways you could adapt this recipe or use the leftovers in a way that makes them more fun and exciting to eat.
Stuffed Peppers:
I cut peppers in half and used the remaining quinoa mixture to stuff the peppers. Sprinkle with cheese of choice and put in the air fryer or oven for 20 mins at 350 degrees. I serve this over brown rice. You could also add salsa.
If you didn't want to have the stuffed peppers right away, you can pop them in the freezer and pull them back out for another night.
Quinoa Salad:
Another option is to serve it cold as a Quinoa Salad. I enjoy eating it this way with tortilla chips. You can store chips in a glass jar in your pantry and they will stay fresh for several weeks!
Burritos:
With leftover Mexican Quinoa, you could make burritos easily. In a tortilla of your choice, add the quinoa mixture and cheese if you want, then roll it into burritos. I freeze them in a glass container and you can pull them out individually as needed and warm up in the air fryer. They can be in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Easy One Pot Mexican Quinoa Salad
Equipment
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Large pan with lid
Ingredients
Fresh Produce
- 3 Bell peppers, seeds removed
- 1 Jalepeno, seeds removed
- 1 cup Corn, fresh, frozen or canned
- 1 Onion, medium
- 3 cloves Garlic
- ¼ cup Lemon/Lime juice - can use either
- ½ cup Cilantro, (for garnish)
- 1 Avocado
Pantry Ingredients
- 1 cup Quinoa, uncooked
- 1 cup Vegetable broth or stock
- 1 can Black beans, 15 oz. can, rinse before adding
- 1 can Diced tomatoes, 15 oz. can
Seasonings
- 1 tsp. Cumin
- 2 tsp. Chili powder
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the peppers, onion, garlic and jalapeno and put them in the pot.
- Turn on stove to medium heat, add about a tablespoon of your preferred oil to the pot and stir occasionally until everything is tender, about 3 min.
- Add the 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, and salt/pepper to taste
- Stir until veggies are evenly covered.
- Add in black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, quinoa (uncooked) , vegetable stock/broth
- Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce to a simmer and cover with tight fitting lid. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add lemon or lime juice to the quinoa mixture, either in the pot or while serving.
- Top with cilantro, avocado and enjoy!
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