Beef Green-Chile Quinoa Skillet

For an easy one-pot dinner, look no further than this Beef Green-Chile Quinoa Skillet. Combine ground beef and vegetables with leftover cooked quinoa and black beans, or cook them from dried, for a savory and naturally gluten-free meal. 

Mexican food is a natural for a gluten-free meal because the corn-based options are gluten-free already, such as tacos, tamales, tostadas and enchiladas.

Ingredient tips for this gluten-free meal

This beef green chile quinoa skillet is a great meal to serve eaters who can eat gluten as well as those who can't. No one expects bread or pasta to be on the table, so gluten becomes a non-issue!

In this recipe quinoa, which contains more protein than corn, complements the beans, soaks up the rich flavors and makes the dish extra hearty.

If you leave out the canned corn, this is a grain-free meal - but the color and sweetness of corn add a lot to the dish.

Like many skillet dinners, this recipe is also quick enough for a weeknight meal, requiring just 40 minutes if you start with cooked quinoa and beans. I use my Instant Pot to cook my beans - this post describes how to soak and cook dry beans.

Prep tips for this green chile quinoa skillet

I usually prepare a batch of beans each week, and freeze any that I won't use right away. For this recipe, I move my frozen beans out of the freezer to the refrigerator the night before, then continue to thaw them if needed with warm water as I'm prepping the other ingredients before dinner.

Making quinoa is a quick enough process - about 15 minutes - that I can rinse and cook it while I'm chopping the onions and garlic and prepping the other ingredients.

TIP: Costco quinoa is pre-rinsed, but I usually give it a quick rinse anyway.

My family seems never to tire of Mexican seasonings in soups, casseroles and stews. This skillet dinner recipe is easy to customize with: 

• More or less spice: substitute mild enchilada sauce for the medium green chile salsa, for example, or add diced jalapenos
• Salt: be sure to salt to taste before garnishing; quinoa and beans can absorb a lot of salt
• Quinoa or beans: I often double the amount of quinoa or beans in this dish, though it might not fit into this skillet if I do that so I'll use my Dutch oven instead.

Can this Beef Green-Chile Quinoa Skillet be made dairy-free?

Make this recipe dairy-free by garnishing with a non-dairy cheese such as Daiya. A low-lactose cheese option, though still a dairy product, is Mt. Vikos Feta. 

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What other dishes go with this skillet dinner? 

Though this beef skillet is already a one-pot meal with the quinoa and beans mixed in, it would go well with this Mexican quinoa bowl, my Marinated Bean and Green salad, or rice.

For a quick prep on a weeknight, we like to serve it very simply with corn or quinoa chips and extra green chile salsa, plus chopped cilantro for anyone who wants extra. 

Thank you to Tourists with Tots for including this recipe in a roundup of 40 Easy Meals for Working Moms! Check it out!

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #amealinmind on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Thank you so much!!

Beth

Other recipes you may enjoy

Roasted Hatch Green Chile Tortilla Soup 

Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup – Gluten Free

Dutch Oven Carne Asada; Paleo

Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

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5 from 4 votes

Beef Green-Chile Quinoa Skillet

For an easy one-pot dinner, look no further than this Beef Green-Chile Quinoa Skillet. Use leftover cooked quinoa and black beans, or cook them from dried, for a savory and naturally gluten-free meal. 

Course Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine Mexican-American

Keyword beef green chile recipe, beef quinoa recipe, Cast iron skillet dinner, one-pan dinner

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Wooden Spoons
• Cutting Board
• Knives, Grater

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa ½ cup dry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• ⅓ cup onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ½ cup medium green chile salsa such as Safeway
• 1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 ½ cups cooked black beans or 1 can, rinsed and drained
• 1 8.75 oz. can yellow whole kernel corn
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon. salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded mixed Mexican cheeses
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped for garnish if desired
• ½ cup chopped fresh tomatoes for garnish
• Optional garnish: sour cream or plain yogurt
• Optional: corn chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (I usually turn the oven on once I’ve combined all the ingredients in step # 4). Assemble ingredients.
  
• Rinse quinoa if it is not pre-rinsed. Stir quinoa in a small pot with 1 cup water and cook according to package directions. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 6-8 minutes until they are softened and slightly golden. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  
• Add ground beef and stir, crumbling beef until no longer pink. Drain fat if desired (see note).
  
• Add quinoa, green chile salsa, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper and stir until mixed. Cook over medium-low heat until heated through, about 15 minutes.
  
• Sprinkle with cheese.
  
• Place in the preheated oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Remove carefully and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and chopped tomatoes and serve with optional corn chips.
  
• Optional garnish: sour cream

Notes

Adapted from this recipe, with thanks for the inspiration.

We use pastured ground beef, which is leaner than grain fed and is also higher in omega-3 fatty acids. We typically don't have enough fat to drain off after this step and prefer to keep the high-quality fats in the meal.

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