This Mexican Quinoa recipe is one of the most popular quinoa recipes on the blog. It is a versatile dish that you can serve for breakfast with an egg on top or turn it into a 30-minute weeknight dinner with a plant-protein packed nutritious meal.
2small bell pepperschopped (or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped)
1teaspoonground cumin
½teaspoonground coriander
2clovesgarlicpeeled and minced
1cupquinoarinsed and drained
115 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1cupcorn kernelsfresh or frozen
1candiced tomatoeswith all their juices (15 oz.)
½teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
1cupwater or vegetable broth
¼cupfresh cilantrochopped - plus more as garnish
As Garnish:
1ripe avocado
2stalks of scallionschopped
1limecut into wedges
Handful of pumpkin seedsoptional
Instructions
Heat oil in a 12-inch pan with a lid over medium heat. Add in the onion, peppers, cumin, and coriander. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, 7-8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add in the quinoa, black beans, corn kernels, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Give it a large stir.
Pour in the liquid, put the lid on, and bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 20-23 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Let it sit for 5 minutes or so and fluff with a fork. Right before serving stir in the fresh cilantro.
Spoon the Mexican quinoa into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado, and scallions. Serve with wedges of lime.
Video
Notes
A few notes for the best results:
Spices: Do not skip on sautéing ground cumin and coriander at the beginning. They are both oil-soluble spices, which means in order for them to release their flavors they need to interact with oil. If you want to make this recipe spicier, you can swap bell peppers with sliced jalapeños.
Top it off with a dollop of sour cream or Mexican cotija cheese: I wanted to keep this recipe basic and vegan so I just garnished it with avocado slices and some fresh cilantro. However, if you don’t mind it being vegetarian, you can (in true Mexican fashion) top it off with some sour cream or cotija cheese as well.
You can follow the recipe as written and cook your quinoa with the vegetables. Doing so takes about 20-25 minutes. However, if you are short on time and have some leftover cooked quinoa (like I did in the how-to video), you can add that in after the vegetables are cooked. This way you do not have to wait for the quinoa to cook. Once it is warmed throughly your meal will be ready.