This Southwest Quinoa Power Bowl is made with quinoa, corn, black beans, pico de gallo, avocado, and a delicious spicy mayonnaise.
This bowl is packed with flavor and perfect for a weeknight meal. This is an easy vegetarian dish filled with protein from the beans and good fat from the avocado. It takes less than 20 minutes to make and the flavors are a perfect combination of savory and spicy.
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Crab Marinara with Linguini and my Lobster Bucatini.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Corn
- Quinoa
- Black beans
- Pico de gallo
- Avocado
- Mayonnaise
- Sriracha
- Sesame oil
See recipe card for Southwest Quinoa Power Bowl quantities.
Instructions
In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, add the oil and butter and wait for the butter melt and oil to shimmer. Toss in the corn and cook for 5-6 minutes, tossing frequently. The corn will pop like popcorn, that just means its working! Once the corn is golden brown, place on a plate to the side.
Add 2 cups of water (or however much the ratio is on your package instructions for 1 cup quinoa) and wait for the water to boil. Pour in the quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or however long the instructions say on the package.
Once the quinoa is cooked through, toss in the corn. Add the quinoa mixture in a bowl.
In a separate small bowl, add mayonnaise, sriracha and sesame oil and mix. Pour the mixture into the quinoa bowl and mix. Top with beans, pico de gallo, and avocado.
Substitutions
- Corn kernels: I used fresh corn on a cob but you can opt to using corn from a can.
- Quinoa: You can use white, red or black quinoa. Red quinoa is rich in protein, fiber, and has a ton of nutrients.
- Beans: You can use cooked black or pinto beans from a can. If you want to make your beans from scratch, cook them in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes on high with water and salt.
- Pico de gallo: You can use store bought pico de gallo found in the produce section of your grocery store or make your own. Get creative with it!
- Avocado: Use a perfectly ripe avocado that have a darker color that feels soft, but not mushy.
- Spicy mayonnaise: You can buy premade spicy mayonnaise, or yum yum sauce, from the ethnic food section of your grocery store, or make your own. It is super easy: all you need is mayonnaise, sriracha, and sesame oil.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
- Deluxe - add guacamole, crispy onions or jalapeno slices.
- Kid friendly - add crushed potato chips (ketchup chips!)
Check out this Cream Cheese Poblano Pepper recipe.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
Cook the corn until it feels like its borderline burning. It will pop and turn golden brown.
Quinoa Power Bowl
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
This Quinoa Power Bowl is made with quinoa, corn, black beans, pico de gallo, avocado, and a delicious spicy mayonnaise.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup quinoa
- ⅓ cup cooked black beans
- ¼ cup pico de gallo
- ½ avocado, sliced
Spicy mayo
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, add the oil and butter and wait for the butter melt and oil to shimmer. Toss in the corn and cook for 5-6 minutes, tossing frequently. The corn will pop like popcorn, that just means its working! Once the corn is golden brown, place on a plate to the side.
- Add 2 cups of water (or however much the ratio is on your package instructions for 1 cup quinoa) and wait for the water to boil. Pour in the quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or however long the instructions say on the package.
- Once the quinoa is cooked through, toss in the corn. Add the quinoa mixture in a bowl.
In a separate small bowl, add mayonnaise, sriracha and sesame oil and mix. Pour the mixture into the quinoa bowl and mix. - Top with beans, pico de gallo, and avocado.
Notes
Corn kernels: I used fresh corn on a cob but you can opt to using corn from a can.
Quinoa: You can use white, red or black quinoa. Red quinoa is rich in protein, fiber, and has a ton of nutrients.
Beans: You can use cooked black or pinto beans from a can. If you want to make your beans from scratch, cook them in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes on high with water and salt.
Pico de gallo: You can use store bought pico de gallo found in the produce section of your grocery store or make your own. Get creative with it!
Avocado: Use a perfectly ripe avocado that have a darker color that feels soft, but not mushy.
Spicy mayonnaise: You can buy premade spicy mayonnaise, or yum yum sauce, from the ethnic food section of your grocery store, or make your own. It is super easy: all you need is mayonnaise, sriracha, and sesame oil.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 407.3
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 277.6 mg
- Fat: 13.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.8 g
- Fiber: 13.8 g
- Protein: 15.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Donna
I loved this 0 I skipped on the mayo to make it healthier but it was delicious.
★★★★★