Mexican Quinoa Skillet
This Mexican Quinoa Skillet is bursting with texture, spice, and yumminess. It’s a quick and easy weeknight meal made in less than 30 minutes, all in one skillet, and it’s sure to satisfy everyone.
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This Mexican Quinoa Skillet is one of my favorite go-to weeknight meals.
When I weighed nearly 300 lbs, I never ate quinoa. My tastes weren’t very adventurous. I grew up a meat and potatoes girl and didn’t stray from that style of eating very much. However, once I started losing weight I began to develop a taste and a curiosity for different foods. Now that I have lost 125 lbs, I have discovered a lot of delicious foods including quinoa.
Is quinoa good for you?
Healthline.com says, “Quinoa is one of the world’s most popular health foods. It’s gluten-free, high in protein, and one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids. It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E, and various beneficial antioxidants.
Click HERE to learn more.
How do you cook quinoa?
Quinoa is simple to cook. You will use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to quinoa, or 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry quinoa. I suggest using another liquid besides water, such as vegetable or mushroom broth, in order to make the quinoa more flavorful.
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Can you freeze quinoa?
Yes, you can freeze cooked quinoa, and it’s a great healthy life hack! Allow the cooked quinoa to cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe resealable plastic bag. Press all the air out before sealing, then pat the quinoa into an even layer and freeze.
I like making this meal even easier by using frozen quinoa. If you’re looking for a shortcut, check out the Alternative Cooking Method at the bottom of the recipe.
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How To Make Mexican Quinoa Skillet
#1 Prep and Measure your ingredients
#2 In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add sweet potato and onion. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.
#3 Add cumin and chili powder and stir to coat vegetables.
#4 Add broth and quinoa. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
#5 Add salsa and black beans. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes or until heated through.
#6 Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Toppings For This Recipe
Cilantro
Avocado
Jalapenos
EAT TO LOSE!
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MEXICAN QUINOA SKILLET
Mexican Quinoa Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, chopped I prefer purple sweet potatoes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 16 oz salsa or diced tomatoes
- Optional avocados, jalapenos, cilantro, tortilla chips, non-dairy cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add sweet potato and onion. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.
- Add cumin and chili powder, stir to coat vegetables.
- Add broth and quinoa. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Add salsa and black beans. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes or until heated through.
- Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Alternative Cooking Method Proceed with steps 1 and 2. Use cooked quinoa in step 3 and omit 1 cup of vegetable broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Proceed with the final steps and enjoy!
Nutrition
Tips For Making Mexican Quinoa Skillet
I mentioned in the recipe that I prefer purple sweet potatoes in this recipe. I prefer them because they are less sweet, denser, and drier than a typical sweet potato. However, either type will work or you could use a regular white potato.
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If you want even more Mexican, then check out these Black Bean and Pumpkin Enchiladas!
Did you make this Mexican Quinoa Skillet?
Let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #Intentionallyeat or @intentionallyeat
Hey, I’m Cindy! I used to be morbidly obese! I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a family history of heart disease and cancer.
Slowly, I began to steadily change my habits and nourish my body with a plant-based diet. Now, I weigh 125 lbs less, my blood pressure is 110/70, no more high cholesterol, and best of all – no medications!
If you’re interested in how I did it and if it will work for you, check out How to Start a Plant-Based Diet.
Or if you just want to dip your toe into plant-based eating… snack smart with one of these fantastic recipes for FREE!
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Congratulations on doing such a great job losing that weight! I actually have a very similar recipe to this that we make all the time. But we will put chicken in it to make it more filling. Thank you for another great idea.
The Mexican quiona skillet looks amazing. Firstly amazing photos , just love the vibrant colors. I will pin this to try later for sure. Looks like an interesting recipe
I’m so happy I came across your food blog! Intentional, healthy eating is something I really want to get into this year. This Quinoa recipe looks delish!
This looks amazing! I’d love to try and make this, it doesn’t seem like it would be overly difficult.
Thanks for sharing.
everything looks so very delicious! I would definitely love to try it as well!
This looks really good! I think I’ll cook it this week.
Congrats on your amazing weight-loss! I am sure that learning portion control was a huge help for you. It is my number one struggle!
One thing I’m looking for when it comes to food, a quick and simple recipes which this will just be perfect.
I haven’t done a lot with Quinoa before. But I do know it’s supposed to be really good for you. And this looks delicious. I will have to try this out.
That recipe looks so good, I need to try to make it this week, we have been incorporating healthier meals to our dinner plan
Love the recipe idea!!
This recipe looks and sounds really tasty. I will be trying it one of these days.
This is a great alternative to tacos! I am going to try this out next week!
I did not know you could freeze quinoa so I am taking this tip with me so I can cook it in bulk next time, this also looks like a fab recipe
I’ve heard good things about it. This recipe looks so delicious!
Ooo this is right up my street. I love Quinoa and will be deffo giving this a go for sure. x
Ooh this is right up my street, looks delicious 🙂 I know my kids would love it too
Thanks for sharing
Laura x