This one pot masterpiece will be your new go-to for Meatless Monday! Southwest Quinoa filled with veggies, beans, and quinoa is an easy skillet meal that can stand up to being a meal on it’s own or the perfect side to your favorite protein.
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Originally published May 4, 2017. Post updated January 19, 2022 with new photos and writing.
Southwest Quinoa
One of the best tricks I have learned as a parent that has to get dinner on the table every. single. night. is that one-pot dish are AMAZING! I mean no side dishes necessary and you only have one dish to clean. Perfection.
This I one of those amazing one-pot meals. Even better is that it is meatless and filled with vegetables, beans and quinoa!
This is an old recipe I originally developed in the early days of my food blog, usually when I revise old recipes there is a considerable amount of improving the recipe so that it is better for everyone. This one though I barely touched. It was still as good as I remember! So exciting!
So grab goodness like bell peppers, jalapeños, garlic, black beans, corn, and quinoa and let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
- Red Bell Pepper – I prefer that flavor of the red bell pepper here but you can use other colors if you want.
- Yellow Onion – Or white onion will work okay here too!
- Jalapeños – Diced with inner white parts and seeds removed. Taking the white and seeds out helps reduce the spiciness!
- Garlic Cloves – Minced garlic to help with the flavor of the dish. If using pre-minced garlic you will want about 2 teaspoons.
- Olive Oil – For sauté the veggies in.
- Canned Corn Kernels – For best results make sure that these are rinsed really well. If you prefer to use frozen corn kernels that are thawed you will want to use about 1.5 cups.
- Black Beans – These will be best if drained and rinsed off as well.
- Diced Tomatoes – For the diced tomatoes you will NOT want to drain these, leave the liquid in the dish to add flavor! Also feel free to use flavored diced tomatoes if you think it sounds good.
- Ground Cumin & Ground Chili Powder – For the seasonings I wanted it to keep it basic and stick to the southwest flavors, so cumin and chili powder got the dish there.
- Kosher Salt – And of course salt to add to the flavor of the dish.
- Quinoa – Last but not least quinoa, everyone’s favorite fake grain. Quino does come in different colors, you can really use any color you wish including a mix. I find that the light tan color is the variety found most often in grocery stores.
Garnishes for Serving:
Including but not limited too:
- Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt
- Lime Wedges
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a high-sided large skillet over medium heat, I find that my large cast iron skillet works best here. Add the diced peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, 4-5 minutes until onions start to become translucent.
Add corn, black beans, diced tomatoes with the liquid, cumin, chili powder, and salt to the pot, stir to combine.
Add quinoa and 2 cups of water to the pot, stir to combine. Cover, bring to a boil. Turn to medium-low and let cook 15-18 minutes until quinoa is soft and fully cooked. Feel free to stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom.
Remove the lid and give the pot a stir. Let slowly simmer for 4-5 minutes until dish is saucy and the quinoa is fully cooked.
Remove from heat, add cheese if using to melt over the top. Serve immediately with preferred garnishes.
TIPS & TRICKS:
- This dish isn’t super spicy but if you are sensitive to spice switch out the jalapeños for a green bell pepper
- This dish can be made vegan by omitting the cheese and sour cream
- If you are using a large skillet make sure you use one with high sides like this one I have (It is part of a set and love this whole set)
Complete your Meal:
- Add my Easy Southwest Chicken on top if you are looking for a larger complete meal
- Drizzle on some of my Greek Yogurt Southwest Sauce
- Pair with my recipe for The Easiest Chicken Tacos
If you like this One Pot Southwest Quinoa you might also like:
- Easy Veggie Halloumi Fajitas
- Slow Cooker 3 Bean Vegetarian Chili
- Black Bean Quinoa Tacos
- Easy One-Pot Black Bean Taco Spaghetti
- Easy Red Lentil Taco Recipe
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup
One Pot Southwest Quinoa
A perfect meatless weeknight meal featuring quinoa, black beans, and lots of fresh vegetables! This southwest quinoa is great as a meal on its own or a great additon to chicken or your favorite protien!
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 jalapeños, diced seeds removed
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 (15oz) can corn, drained
- 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained
- 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup quinoa
garnishes for serving:
- pepper jack or cheddar cheese
- avocado
- cilantro
- sour cream/greek yogurt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a high-sided large skillet* over medium heat . Add peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, 4-5 minutes until onions start to become translucent.
- Add corn, black beans, diced tomatoes with the liquid, cumin, chili powder, and salt to the pot, stir to combine.
- Add quinoa and 2 cups of water to the pot, stir to combine. Cover, bring to a boil. Turn to medium-low and let cook 15-18 minutes until quinoa is soft and fully cooked.
- Remove the lid and give the pot a stir. Let slowly simmer for 4-5 minutes until dish is saucy and the quinoa is fully cooked.
- Remove from heat, add cheese if using to melt over the top. Serve immediately with preferred garnishes.
Notes
*or large pot if you don't have a skillet with high sides
If you want a less spicy option sub the jalapeño for green bell pepper or a poblano pepper. Keep in mind though that the jalapeno loses most of its spice when the white parts and seeds are removed.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 604mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 13gSugar: 8gProtein: 18g
Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made. Nutrition does NOT include garnishes.
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Original Post:
So this past week I have been trying to purge myself of my smart phone addiction. This story doesn’t really have anything to do with today’s recipe, One Pot Southwest Quinoa but I am so excited about it I needed to talk about it. So prepare for a non recipe related side story. If you are here just for One Pot Southwest Quinoa please feel free to scroll down.
I was visiting my parents back in Minnesota a couple weeks back and we had a couple hours to spare one sunny afternoon so we took Archie to a big playground so that he could play. Archie is still only one and a half so it is basically slides, swinging, and digging in the sand, but as we were playing I could not help but obsess at this one mom. I don’t mean to call anyone out because we have all been guilty of it and she could have been in the middle of something really important but this mom was sitting on a bench so zoned into her iphone that she didn’t even hear her poor daughter beg for her mom to watch her go down the slide, this girl wasn’t even asking for the mom to get up off the bench she just wanted her mom to look up from her phone for 10 seconds and watch her go down the slide. I don’t know why this specific moment stuck in my brain but I wasn’t able to shake it.
A few days later I came across an article about smart phone usage in parents and how a staggering amount of children have had to ask their parents to put away their phones during dinner. Yikes! As I found myself thinking about these different scenarios I continued to find myself sitting on my iphone on Facebook for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Just mindlessly scrolling. Am I kidding myself?!?
So I went cold turkey, well mostly. This past weekend I put my phone in the charging area Friday night and left it there until Monday morning. Let me tell you it was absolutely amazingly refreshingly awesome (is that enough describing words). I have continued to stay off of it for the most part this week, this biggest reason I have gone on is to do blog stuff! Over this purging weekend, I responded to text messages and the occasional Snapchat but on my own time, I didn’t even check email it was wonderful. Going into this week I outright took Facebook and Netflix off of my phone, I can check Facebook on my laptop once a day if I feel so inclined. I kept Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat (so far), Instagram because I can’t post my lovely picture recipes from my laptop, Pinterest because that is a food bloggers bloodline, and Snapchat because believe it or not my parents have Snapchat, and my family has a group snap chat in which it is mostly me sending pictures on Archie (if my family didn’t live all over the country I would say Snapchat would probably be gone as well). And although I have kept these apps on my phone, I have not been checking them very often if at all during the day, letting myself catch up with any blog related things once Archie is in bed.
But with all that is said and done is I have found myself happier, with so much more time, and not kidding, a cleaner house. I am going to continue to limit my screen time, purge myself when necessary, and prove to my son that my iphone isn’t a part of me. So on top of making One Pot Southwest Quinoa, consider giving yourself some less screen time this week š
So lets get back to what you came for, this delicious, nutritious, and easy dinner, One Pot Southwest Quinoa. Full of vegetables and healthy grains, ready from start to finish in less then 40 minutes, and only one pot to wash, a guaranteed winner!
MK says
I’ve been looking for ways to use up a bunch of fresh salsa and it seems like your recipe could be tweaked to do that. Thanks!
I try to be careful about missing out on life to due smartphone use, too. Once or twice my almost three year old has said “mama, put your phone away” and that never feels good! Always inspires me to try harder.
the Schmidty Wife says
This recipe could definitely be tweaked to include salsa! I hope you enjoy it š
And I am glad I am not the only mama worried about my smart phone usage!
Jess K says
This dish is EXTREMELY spicy! I would suggest adding teaspoons of the spices instead of tablespoons! I didnāt even add in the jalapeƱos, and even used less Chili powder than the recipe stated, yet it was crazy how much spice was packed into this dish! I tried adding sugar, cheese, sour cream and half and half and nothing fixed the spice enough for me to enjoy the dish š it has great flavour and great potential if there is less spice added!
Lauren Schmidt says
I am sorry that this didn’t work out for you! I have made this dish many times as written and thought the flavor was right on but I thank you for your feedback and I will take it into consideration.