One-Skillet Mexican Quinoa Recipe

Wow this was easy and delicious! I planned extra time to make it since it was a first, but I was blown away at how quickly it was prepared and cooked. I sautéed some shrimp with lime and garlic and added them on top which was the perfect addition. This will be a regular meal in my house!

I don't really like Mexican dishes, but this is exceptional. It IS a bit spicy for me, but I can make adjustments to the spices in the future What's even more important to me is that I was able to make this in my Instant Pot! I sautéed the garlic and added a quarter onion in with the garlic. Then I added that into the rest of the mixture. I cooked it on high pressure for 9 mins and used quick release. I then added the lime juice, avocado, and cilantro, gave it a good stir, and then served. It was moist and the beans were just right in texture, not mushy and not hard.

When I went to make this dish I was dismayed to find I only had 1/2 cup of quinoa so I used that with 1/2 cup of brown rice. I used 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of what was called for and I also used a whole can of corn (because what was I going to do with the little that was left). I had to use another 1/2 cup of liquid for the brown rice. Because of the brown rice it took 10-15 minutes longer to cook but it tasted wonderful! Next time I will be sure to have enough quinoa. I loved how it was so easy to put together and really didn't take all that long to cook. Like another reader, I sautéed some shrimp in a little lime juice and garlic salt in a separate pan, then added it to the top of the dish. Hubby loved it and went back for seconds. I am so happy to have this in my rotation.

Reading all the comments about the red pepper flakes, I decided to skip them as my husband doesn't like food too hot. Good choice for us. 1 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp cumin was perfect for our taste. Also, I used a can of Del Monte Mexican tomatoes with Hatch Green chilies so which added some heat vs red pepper flakes.

The Quinoa after 20 mins was still too crunchy and as written it calls for way too much lime juice, unfortunately it was all you could taste. I will remake at a later date with additional changes to the cooking time and also only add 1/2 a lime and some onion. I did make a change to the submitted recipe, I only added 1 tsp of red pepper flakes as suggested and the heat of the dish was perfect for us. We do appreciate spicy food but as written, 1 Tbsp of red pepper flakes would have been way too hot

Only used 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes as we are whimps!! Served in a bowl over salad to make one dish meal.

My husband and I love this easy to make dish! At step 3, I put 2 tilapia fillets or loins seasoned with salt & pepper on top and everything comes out perfect. Its a great way to include quinoa (and fish) into our diet.

My husband absolutely loves this and he is very finnicky about “eating healthy”. I used hot rotel instead of roasted tomatoes and substituted 1/4 tsp cayenne for chili powder. Forgot to get jalapeños so I used 1/2 bell pepper. The end result was SPECTACULAR!!!! 🤤😋💯

I made this just as the recipe said and it was fantastic! Thumbs up on this dish! One thing I did that the instructions didn’t mention was I took the lime juice and pored it over the diced avocado before I added it to the dish, so it would stay nice and green.

My quinoa did not bloom at 20 minutes. I added another 1/2 cup of broth and additional seasonings and then cooked it another 30 minutes at low versus simmer. It turned out great.

I've struggled to find quinoa recipes that I like, so I'm happy to say this was delicious! I did leave out the chili powder and used tamed jalapenos to tone down the spice level. I'll be making this again.

Healthy and satisfying with some shredded slow cooker chicken on top.

I've made this many times. It's great for meatless Mondays. Sometimes I add shredded chicken to it for variety. Great both ways!

Easy, quick and delish!

This was so delicious I wished I had doubled it! Really easy, just bought a roasting chicken already done, so the only thing was chopping up the garlic and jalapenos! I appreciate all your recipes Nicole, quick, easy and one pan…perfect!

No changes...it's perfect as is!

This was easy and quick to prepare. Most of the ingredients were in the pantry. The cook can adjust the heat as desired. It was a hit with husband.

It came together so quickly and tasted amazing.

I made as directed, except I left out the pepper flakes.My husband doesn't like spicy dishes. It was delicious. The lime juice really makes it pop!

I doubled the spices (including the jalapeno pepper) and added some shredded cheese, next time I'll try adding ground beef and a second avocado!