Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Skillet

A delicious Mexican quinoa recipe for your next fiesta! This Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Skillet is easy, nutritious, made in a single skillet, and totally perfect for meal prepping!

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Cheesy Mexican quinoa recipe

This Mexican quinoa recipe is absolute perfection. It has all the makings of a delicious and easy meal for your family, your meal prep, or your next dinner party! Full of beans, cheese, ground beef, delicious seasonings, and topped with cilantro and avocado, you will be more than satisfied with this quick skillet.

With just one skillet and one hour, have this delicious skillet ready to go for your family. I'll bet it'll quickly become a family favorite.

Mexican quinoa ingredients

• ground beef
• quinoa 
• bell pepper 
• onion 
• chicken broth
• garlic
• corn 
• black beans
• fire roasted tomatoes
• red enchilada sauce
• Mexican cheese shredded
• salt
• pepper
• chili powder
• paprika
• olive oil
• Optional: cilantro, greek yogurt, jalapeno, avocado

Mexican quinoa recipe substitutions

• Ground beef: Ground beef is a favorite and tastes great in this recipe, but if you'd like, you could substitute ground turkey or ground chicken.
• Quinoa: If you prefer white or brown rice, use that instead. This recipe's flavors will work super well with either of these types of rice.
• Enchilada sauce: Feel free to use green enchilada sauce if that's your jam!
• Cheese: You can leave out the cheese to make this recipe dairy-free or add some DF shredded cheese on top!
• Toppings: I suggest cilantro, avocado, and lime. However, you can add whatever you'd like. Some other options could be sour cream or crunchy tortilla chip strips.

How to make cheesy Mexican quinoa skillet

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Once hot, add garlic and onion. Cook for 3-5 mins.
• Add meat and brown on all sides before breaking up, about 10-12 mins.
• Add salt, pepper, chili powder, and paprika. Stir.
• Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce, broth and quinoa.
• Bring to a boil, then cut heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Uncover, stir and scrape quinoa off the sides of the skillet. Stir in peppers, corn and beans. Let simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add cheese and cover. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
• Top with cilantro.

How to meal prep this recipe

Like I said earlier, this recipe is a prime one for meal prepping! It reheats well, stores in the fridge, and doesn't lose any flavor along the way.

After cooking your skillet, portion the recipe into 6 servings. Place in 6 airtight containers and store in the fridge. When you're ready to eat during the week, reheat one of the servings.

How to reheat this recipe

Reheat your Mexican quinoa by microwaving for 1 minute increments until it has warmed completely through.

If you don't have a microwave, place the quinoa recipe on a skillet and warm it up on the stove top.

How many calories are in Mexican quinoa?

This Mexican quinoa recipe has 461 calories per serving.

What is the healthiest way to eat quinoa?

Healthy is a subjective word and it means something different for everyone. Quinoa is very versatile and can be served and eaten in a many different ways.

With fruit or yogurt, it can be served with breakfast. It can be served as a side to a dinner with lots of different seasoning combinations. I love using quinoa in salads to make them a bit more hearty.

Is quinoa healthier than rice?

Quinoa and rice both have health benefits. One may be better for someone personally based on their own nutritional needs or food allergies or intolerance. However, both rice and quinoa offer differing nutrition components and one is not better than the other.

Is quinoa a carbohydrate or a protein?

Quinoa is a super interesting food. It is an edible seed that is indigenous to the Andean part of South America. It is considered a complete protein. This distinguishes it from other plant proteins.

It is naturally gluten-free and can be eaten by anyone with a gluten intolerance or allergy. However, quinoa is not low-carb per say. One cup contains about 39 grams of carbohydrates.

More quinoa recipes

Try these other yummy quinoa recipes at Jordo's World:

• Sweet Potato Tahini Bowl
• Stuffed Pepper Skillet
• Harvest Chicken Casserole

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Skillet

A delicious Mexican quinoa recipe for your next fiesta! This Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Skillet is easy, nutritious, made in a single skillet, and totally perfect for meal prepping!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mexican quinoa, mexican quinoa skillet, quinoa

Servings: 6

Calories: 461kcal

Author: Jordan Smith

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs ground beef 93% lean raw
• 1 cup quinoa uncooked (176 grams)
• 2 bell peppers diced (400 grams)
• 1 onion diced (100 grams)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 cloves garlic minced 1 tbsp (15 grams)
• 1 can corn (15 oz)
• 1 can black beans (15 oz)
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes 15 oz
• 1 can red enchilada sauce (10 oz)
• ½ cup mexican cheese shredded (56 grams)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Optional: cilantro greek yogurt, jalapeno, avocado

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Once hot, add garlic and onion. Cook for 3-5 mins.
• Add meat and brown on all sides before breaking up, about 10-12 mins.
• Add salt, pepper, chili powder, and paprika. Stir.
• Add tomatoes, enchilada sauce, broth and quinoa.
• Bring to a boil, then cut heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Uncover, stir and scrape quinoa off the sides of the skillet. Stir in peppers, corn and beans. Let simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add cheese and cover. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
• Top with cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.4g | Protein: 35.4g | Fat: 13.7g | Cholesterol: 76.3mg | Fiber: 10.6g | Sugar: 7.6g | Vitamin A: 27.5IU | Vitamin C: 103.6mg | Calcium: 23.7mg | Iron: 23.7mg

Use This Recipe in a Meal Plan