Mexican Quinoa Stew
You're going to love this Mexican quinoa stew! It's hearty, easy to make and tastes amazing. This delicious soup recipe is vegan and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
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Sometimes I get really excited about a recipe because it sounds delicious, but it almost seems too easy—do you know what I mean? Like, am I about to get duped here? Am I going to end up with a so-so meal? Maybe I’m too skeptical, but I’ve been let down before.
This soup sounded both delicious and easy, and it proved to be even better than that—it’s amazing! And so easy! The recipe comes from my friend Megan’s brand-new cookbook called No Excuses Detox: 100 Recipes to Help You Eat Healthy Every Day. All of the recipes are vegetarian (mostly vegan) and gluten free, with short ingredients lists and prep times.
I love Megan’s approach to detoxing—the term often makes me think of scary juice fasts and extreme measures, but there’s nothing extreme about this book other than the ease of the recipes. She shares simple recipes made from whole foods that support your body’s natural detox mechanisms.
Plus, she shares tons of real-world tips on how to eat well when you’re short on time, money and energy. Megan manages to run a blog, write cookbooks, work as a greeting card designer, and raise two adorable kids all at the same time. She definitely has a few tricks up her sleeves and doesn’t let excuses get in the way. I’m the queen of making excuses and overthinking, so I’m taking notes.
I am especially pumped about her tips for pressure cooking, since I just caved and bought an Instant Pot. (Have you guys tried pressure cooking yet? I’m scared. So many buttons. The unopened box is resting nice and cozy next to my hamper.)
Anyway, her book’s full of recipes that look and sound delicious, and seem easy enough for busy weeknights. This hearty Mexican quinoa soup hit all of those marks. I could eat this soup every day until spring and I just might, since it freezes well.
Megan modeled this recipe after chicken tortilla soup, but made it a hearty vegetarian soup with quinoa and black beans. It tastes remarkably fresh and flavorful, thanks some basic aromatics, herbs and spices. I love that she used water instead of vegetable broth, too—something to consider in future soup recipes. Please let us know how you like it!
Watch How to Make Mexican Quinoa Stew
Mexican Quinoa Stew
You’re going to love this Mexican quinoa stew! It’s hearty, easy to make and tastes amazing. This soup recipe is vegan and gluten free. Recipe yields 4 large or 6 more modest bowls.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil (I opted to use 1 tablespoon olive oil instead)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups cooked black beans or 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ cup quinoa (dry/uncooked)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (for extra heat, optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Optional garnishes (my ideas): extra chopped cilantro, small wedges of lime, diced avocado, crumbled tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream…
Instructions
- In a medium Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and jalapeños. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add the water, tomatoes, beans, cumin, salt, quinoa, cilantro and cayenne pepper (if using). Season with pepper and bring the soup to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Once the quinoa is tender, add more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. You can serve this soup right away or use an immersion blender to purée a couple cups of this soup—this helps to thicken the soup while still leaving some texture (I may have overdone it a bit).
- Divide into bowls and serve with any garnishes that you’d like. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from No Excuses Detox, copyright © 2017 by Megan Gilmore, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Megan’s Instant Pot guidance: Sauté the aromatics (everything listed in step 1) in your Instant Pot with the olive oil. Add the ingredients listed in step 2. Securely seal the lid according to the manufacturer’s instructions and cook for 8 minutes on high pressure. Allow the pressure to release naturally, then carefully remove the lid. You might want to blend a couple cups of the soup as suggested in step 3. Serve with garnishes of your choice.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
OMG!!!!! This is a MUST do it recipe!! It’s so delicious and easy to make. Where is the 10 stars button?
Hello I always have problems knowing which quinoa to use tri colour or white. In this soup what would you recommend?
Hi, Marie! Either should work fine here. Let me know what you think!
Used tri colour it was awesome thank you
So yummy! This immediately went to my favorite make again and again list. I did add some diced zucchini and used canned diced tomatoes with green chile’s since i had that on hand.This sou/stew is So flavorful and I’m a big fan of quinoa.Thank you
Love your recipes! How can I add chicken to this so it all cooks at the same time?
Hi RK! Sorry to disappoint, but I’m a vegetarian so I can’t provide cooking instructions for meat as it’s just not something I very familiar with. I assume you could always cook it separately and then add it in?
I brown 4 chicken thighs or 2 chicken quarters in olive oil, then remove. Continue with recipe in the same pot and add the chicken back before bringing to a boil. At the end, remove chicken, dice and add back to soup. Yummy! (I also use chicken stock instead of water.)
Loved this! Full of healthy and inexpensive ingredients. Very filling. The quinoa did soak up most of the liquid, so may be adding some vegetable broth. My pizza/donut loving boyfriend also enjoyed this!!
Excellent, I added a teaspoon of cocoa powder, zuchinni and used kidney beans I had soaked overnight.
Usually love the recipes but, this one was a bit bland for me. I thought it would be like your vegetarian chili (one of my absolute favorite recipes) but, it missed the mark a bit.
Just found this…it’s so amazing! I subbed pinto beans and used paprika instead of cumin, and no cilantro because my family won’t eat those, and added green chile because in NM that’s how we roll :) This is our new favorite. Thank you!
So good. Thank you.
Kate, I love your vegan, gluten-free recipes!
I’m sorry, I’m so anxious to eat it,I don’t take the time to take a picture! The Mexican quinoa stew was over the top great!
We love dogs as well. Two elderly, incontinent dogs share our house in Overland Park, as well as a foster cat, who puts up with them!
This was absolutely amazing!! My roommates raved about the smell, so I let them have some. And then they raved about the taste! I am so happy and so impressed!!!
How nice to share. :) I’m glad it was a hit, Sara!
Perfect for a cold night when you don’t want to spend too much time cooking!
Made this for my friend Monday and we both loved it! Thanks as always!
WOW! This stew is AWESOME! I made it for dinner but I have made several trips back to the pot all afternoon to “test” because it’s so delicious. I blended 2 cups in my vitamix and the consistency is perfect. I added more cilantro (…because I am one of those few people that loves cilantro…). Serving with ALL the recommended accompaniments later.
Thanks so much Kate!
Thank you, Dave! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Just made this tonight–it was delicious! 6 min in the Instapot was more than enough. I will definitely make this again. The whole family enjoyed it. Thank you for your great recipes
Everything turned out great. Instead of black beans I used a can of black Pinto and red beans. I used tomatoes that had no salt in them and a cup out of the 3 and a 1/2 cups of water woz broth. Delicious
Love this recipe. So simple but so delicious. It’s definitely part of meal planning.
This is fantastic!!! Whenever I need a good meal idea or great soup to try I head to your site. Thanks for all the great recipes!!
I love that, Marcie! Thank you for taking the time to comment and review.
SO GOOD! Seriously. I can’t believe the flavors you packed into there – so simple! I did substitute low sodium chicken broth and only did 1 tsp salt instead of 2… it was perfect! Thanks again!
One of the easiest most delicious meals I have ever made!
Great to hear, Susan! Thank you for your review.
Hey—this is a delicious soup. Easy to execute too. Will definitely repeat!
I’m happy you enjoy it, James! Thank you for your review.
This was delicious! For non-vegetarians like me: I added 4 seared chicken thighs which I deboned and shredded at the end. Also added fresh corn, used chicken stock instead of water and forgot the cilantro. It was so flavorful and filling.
Thanks for another great recipe, and thanks to your friend for sharing!
I happened to also be making your Romesco sauce at the same time, and on a whim I pureed an extra jar of roasted red peppers and added it to the cooking liquids of the stew… I very much enjoyed the sweet and earthy undertones it added, and would do it again in a heartbeat.
(Anyone reading this comment who hasn’t made the Romesco sauce – stop what you’re doing and check it out right now. Ahhhh-mazing!)
Thanks again, C+K!
You’re welcome, Jen! Thank you for your review.
Made it for the first time! it was a hit with my husband who ate it for dionner.
I made this tonight! It’s a decent soup, but doesn’t have a ton of flavor. I recommend adding more peppers or spices, a pinch more salt, and definitely not skimping on lime. I used cheese, guacamole, lime, and corn chips as garnishes and they helped a lot. Overall, it’s an easy healthy soup that doesn’t cost a lot and is fun to customize! Will make again. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. I appreciate your feedback. Be sure to use fresh spices as that can impact flavor.
Everyone enjoyed! Thank you for this recipe!!
My family (read kids) aren’t fans of heat/spice so substituted jalapeños with a 7oz can of mild large green chiles peppers and I used two 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes. One was plain. But the other was fire roasted tomatoes with chiles too. This was the perfect amount of heat for my family’s taste! Also, just to help others, I didn’t have fresh cilantro – just dried, so I used 2 TBLS of died instead of fresh – delicious!!
I’m glad this one was great for your family! I appreciate your review.
It is a very cold day here, so I knew soup would be on the menu. This is wonderful!!! I served it with quesadillas and the kids loved it!
Hooray! I’m happy to hear that, Miranda.
I love this recipe! It has become a favorite for my family. I am serving this as a main dish for a get together dinner with friends this weekend.
I decrease the salt and omit the chiles.
This was such an easy, healthy, and delicious recipe. My whole family loved it.
Can I substitue crushed tomatoes for the diced?
Thank you! Looking forward to making this.
Hi Dorothy, you could try it but it will change the texture and taste slightly. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Thank you Kate! I did try the crushed tomatoes (b/c I didn’t have diced). You’re right it did change the texture, but your recipe was wonderful! It tasted so good. I will try it next time with the diced tomatoes, but wanted to let you know the crushed made a great soup as well! Thanks for the blog, I recently started eating healthier and love the recipes you have.
I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it, Dorothy!
This was so delicious! I only used one carrot. I added one sweet potato, can of corn, can of red beans, doubled the quinoa and added a teaspoon of chili powder and half teaspoon oregano in addition to what was called for. Everybody loved it. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Eliana! I appreciate your review.
This was tasty and satisfying. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
I stumbled across this recipe while looking for some “dinspiration”, and made it with a few alterations based on my on-hand ingredients (and taste). I used avocado oil instead of coconut, canned jalapeños, soup stock, couscous, dried cilantro, and also added chilli & dried oregano. I served it topped with a little grated cheddar, toasted tortilla chip bits, chopped avocado, and a dollop of sour cream. I absolutely loved how it turned out! Such an easy, and quick recipe to make, and a delicious & hearty meal!! As a former vegetarian, I still love to skip the meat once or twice a week, and this is definitely going to become a regular item on my menu. Even the hubby liked it!
I’m happy it turned out with your modifications! I’m glad you loved it.
Hi Kate,
sounds delicious – do the black beans need to be cooked prior if using the instant pot version ?
Thanks in advance.
The best soup! It’s not only delicious and filling, but makes you feel energized! I love a good meal packed with flavor and nutrients.
Great to hear, Morgan!
We really liked this stew recipe, flavors were great. Nice that it makes a large amount so a couple portions could be frozen for later and yet could still enjoy it for a couple days. Stays tasty in refrigerator or freezer. Will keep this recipe in a rotation.
This is quite possibly the best thing I’ve made. I’ve shared it hundreds of times and it is a staple throughout my family and friends!
That’s great to hear, Theresa! I appreciate your review.
I used two chipotles in place of the jalapenos (removed the seeds and membranes from one) because I wanted to use them up. The heat was just right. Perfect on a cold winter’s day! Thank you for the simple, healthy and delicious recipe.
Kate, STOP COOKING CILANTRO! Notice that many (most) cooks add cilantro after a recipe is finished cooking. That is because, if you cook cilantro, it just disappears! There are many Mexican recipes that simply add cilantro as a garnish, never cooked at all.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Heather! Thank you for your review.
I’ve made this soup so many times over the years and I decided it is time to take the time to comment. This soup is one of about 10 soup recipes I use in regular rotation. I always double the recipe and it makes a full pot. The only change I make is that I cut the salt in half. My husband has to watch his sodium intake and in my opinion, the flavor is still excellent. I am also sure to use beans and tomatoes with no added sodium. I highly recommend this recipe. Sometimes I crumble salt free tortilla chips on top, sometimes diced avocado, sometimes a dollup of Kite Hill Plain Yogurt.
Every soup recipe I’ve made from your blog has been a hit! Finally leaving a comment to say this one was also a favourite of the house. Even the meat eaters took to it and had no complaints about missing anything. Thanks for the recipe!
Tasty :)
I’m glad you loved it, Marisa!
Wow! One of the best soups yet!
This was very easy and quick to throw together after a long afternoon hiking and it was filling. It made enough for 5 meals. Prepping all the veggies it did take longer than 40 minutes to prepare (closer to 1 hour). For me it was “OK” but I would make again if my vegetarian, or vegan friends were coming over (I would serve some of the suggested garnishes which I didn’t this time)
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Joanne. I appreciate your review and feedback!