It’s Recipe Redux time and I’m sharing these Vegetarian Mexican Quinoa Bowls to show you how easy it is to make something with just a few pantry ingredients.
How long could you and your family survive without a trip to the grocery store? Is your pantry well-stocked? Mine nearly always is – we have a shopping problem 🙂 See?
We have thousands upon thousands of calories in our pantry. While some under my roof might consider it a gustatory emergency to be out of peanut butter or cereal, we would certainly not starve if we skipped the trip to the store. For a few weeks.
When I heard about the theme of this Recipe Redux challenge – to make a dish using only items from your pantry and/or fridge (no special trips to the store!), I knew I’d make some form of a Mexican-inspired grain bowl. This is my go-to meal whenever there is leftover rice or quinoa in the fridge. The common denominator is always a whole grain, canned tomato (sauce or diced tomatoes), beans, corn, and a combo of chili powder, cumin and oregano.
A little mild cheddar on top is a nice way to counter the mild heat of the spices.
Recipe Notes for Vegetarian Mexican Quinoa Bowls
→Any kind of leftover grain will work – quinoa, couscous, brown rice, barley, pasta.
→This is mildly hot; add more chili, or a dash of cayenne pepper for more heat.
→Any type of legume works – kidney beans, cannelini, navy beans, lentils – whatever you have on hand.
→Toppings are the best part! Crushed tortilla chips, olives, scallions, yogurt, avocado, red onion…
Vegetarian Mexican Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 can (7 oz) chopped green chiles
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 4-6 oz water
- 1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
Heat oil over medium heat in a large (10" or more) oven-proof skillet or cast iron pan. Sauté onions until nearly translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add chopped green chilies, chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook for one minute more. Add black beans, corn, quinoa, tomato sauce and water. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened; about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the shredded cheddar over the top, and put pan under pre-heated broiler in the over for 1-2 minutes, until melted and bubbly. Portion into bowls and serve topped with plain yogurt, chopped red onion, avocado, cheddar, or any toppings you wish!
If you like this Mexican-inspired dish, you might like these recipes:
Easy Mexican Brown Rice and Beans
Spanish Brown Rice and Beans
I am going to try this. Looks easy and good!
Great! Stop back here with your review 🙂
This looks like the perfect quick + tasty (+ filling) meal! :] I’m definitely gonna have to try this out soon!
This looks great! We love Mexican food so this will be anew one to try!
It’s pretty popular here as well – I thin this is the third Mex dish I’ve posted on the blog and the millionth version I’ve made over the years!
HA! A gustatory emergency to be out of peanut butter or cereal! That’s my house too. Your recipe looks yummY!
Thanks, Serena 🙂 It’s funny that we can kill ourselves in the kitchen to produce beautiful, tasty meals, but it truly just comes down to whether or not there is PB in the house 🙂
Julia these look amazing! We always have these ingredients on hand and I’ve been looking for a new recipe to use up leftover quinoa. Can’t wait to try!
Thanks, Brynn – it’s totally flexible to what you have. Give it a go!
I totally have all of those ingredients on hand. Looks relish!
Thanks, Kim!
Thanks, Kim, for stopping by!