There are some days when time seriously seems to fly by and I realize that it’s time to prep dinner. I love making healthy meals for my family and if it doesn’t require me to be in the kitchen for long periods of time, I’m ecstatic.
I try to plan all of our meals the week before so that by the end of the week, if you were to look in my fridge, it would be quite empty. We’re trying to make a better effort at not wasting food.
I came across this one pan meal that includes healthy ingredients, is so simple to make and doesn’t require a lot of time. Spencer loves eating it too and the leftovers can be used as a part of other meals so it’s a win-win in our house.
It’s so simple!
Heat the olive oil in pan. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook for about one minute. (I didn’t use jalapenos when I made it as it would be too spicy for Spencer.)
Stir in the quinoa and vegetable broth.
Add the beans, corn and tomatoes. This time I just used diced tomatoes.
Add the chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.
Top with avocado and serve.
Here are a few other options:
- You could add some chicken to this if you’d like some extra protein.
- Kids love cheese. You could top it with some melted cheese.
- We’ve used the leftovers as a topping for nachos. It could also be used as a burrito filling. The possibilities are endless!
One Pan Mexican Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup corn kernels (frozen, canned or roasted)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 avocado
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook. Stir frequently for about 1 minute.
- Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through (about 20 minutes).
- Stir in lime juice and cilantro.
- Top with avocado.
- Serve immediately.
