Instant Pot Mexican quinoa
Fluffy quinoa cooked with black beans, corn, tomatoes and green chiles in one pot, finished with lime and avocado, a 30-minute dinner that also packs well for lunch.
- 30 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.41 a serving
- 420 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles, not drained
- 1 lime
- 1 avocado, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 420 calories, 16 g protein, 67 g carbs and 12 g fat, and costs about $2.41 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Set the Instant Pot to , add the oil, onion and pepper, and cook, stirring, 4 minutes, until soft.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Timer: 4 min
Stir in the garlic, cumin and chili powder for 30 seconds, . Press Cancel.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom well. Stir in the quinoa, beans, corn and salt.
Pour the tomatoes and chiles over the top and don’t stir them in.
Dolly’s tip: Tomatoes sitting on the bottom can scorch and set off the burn warning.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes.
Timer: 2 min
Let the pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep your hand and face away from the valve. The steam is very hot.Fluff with a fork, squeeze in the lime juice and top with the avocado and cilantro.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Mexican red rice with black beans
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30-minute dinners ›One-pan dinners ›What to make with black beans and avocados ›What to make with black beans and corn ›What to make with corn and bell peppers ›