If you need a simple, fast weeknight meal this Mexican Quinoa Black Beans & Corn recipe also lovingly known as “Beanwah!” could be the answer. We made it in our 6 qt. pressure cooker It uses simple ingredients that you most likely have on hand and it cooks quickly in any electric pressure cooker. (Use your Instant Pot, or any other brand or model). You can get dinner on the table in no time. Serve it as is or adorn it with avocado, and salsa then scoop it up in some no oil Air Fried Corn Tortilla Chips. It is equally as delicious as a taco filling or served over a bed of lettuce with your favorite salsa. Try it with some of Tami’s Easy Red Salsa. Perfect to pack in a back pack for your next hike – yes it’s even good served cold or at room temperature.
I smile everytime I think about making this recipe. Most recipes have a story behind them and this one reminds me of a fun day in my kitchen. We bought our adult son a pressure cooker and I offered him and his girlfriend a day of cooking lessons to go with it. They were delighted so we set aside a day for them to come over and cook with me and get them up to speed on how to use an electric pressure cooker.
We made a few recipes and sampled some for dinner. They were amazed at how easy it is to cook with an electric pressure cooker. They told me about a recipe that they make all the time on the stove top that they found on the internet that they had since renamed “Beanwah!” They usually have the main ingredients on hand – quinoa and black beans and it was a quick and easy recipe to make after a long day at work. I asked them to text me the recipe and I would convert it to a pressure cooker recipe. Of course I couldn’t leave the recipe as is – I felt compelled to put my own twist on it. I added onion, garlic and my own seasonings as well as some fresh lime juice. It quickly became a favorite for me as well.
You can make it with regular quinoa or tri colored quinoa.
Here it is made with a tri colored quinoa. A little fresh lime juice adds just the right punch of flavor.
Watch the video to see how easy this recipe is to make.
Tami’s Easy Red Salsa pairs nicely with Beanwah. When tomatoes are in season try making our Guilt Free Chips & Salsa to scoop up the Mexican Quinoa Black Beans & Corn aka Beanwah!
We used our new Mealthy MultiPot version 2.0 – 6 QT pressure cooker. Use our coupon code NUTMEGNOTEBOOK to save $10 on any purchase of $59.95 or more when you use our Mealthy affiliate link.
Here are the spices I used in this recipe. The 365 Chili Powder is from Whole Foods Market. The other spices are milled in small batches at Local Spicery.
You can order directly from Local Spicery. If you put Nutmeg Notebook in the comments section at check out you can get 2 free sample spice packets with your order. You can even specify which 2 spices you would like to try. Watch our Local Spicery Video and tour of the store.
I texted our son my pressure cooker version of their Beanwah recipe with my changes and they quickly gave it a try. They used it as a filling for tacos and loved it! Yeah!
Mexican Quinoa Black Beans & Corn aka Beanwah!
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups onion chopped
- 1 each jalapeno pepper, seeded, diced
- 4 each garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 3/4 cups salt free vegetable broth or water
- 1 14.5 ounce can organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 each juice and zest of a fresh lime
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Set a 6 qt electric pressure cooker to saute, when hot add a splash of low sodium vegetable broth and then add the diced onions, stir frequently, after 2-3 mintues add the jalapeno pepper and garlic, saute another minute.
- Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, quinoa, beans, corn and spices to the pot.
- Put the lid on the pressure cooker, set the time for 5 minutes on high, natural pressure release.
- When the pressure comes down, open the lid carefully, add the lime juice, lime zest and cilantro.
- Serve hot, cold or room temperature.
- Delcious served as a taco filling, over a chopped salad or over a bed of greens. Take it hiking, pack it in your work lunch bag, serve it with oil free air fried corn tortilla chips.
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I really don’t have room for anymore kitchen gadgets. Can the Mexican quinoa just be made in a crockpot?
Hi LouAnn,
I have never made quinoa in the slow cooker/crockpot but I bet it would work. I don’t know what the ratio of liquid to quinoa to use would be but if you do a google search I bet you can easily find it. If you try it please come back and let me what you did and how it worked.
You could make it on the stove top,follow the same steps but bring everything to a boil, turn down to a simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes just until the quinoa is cooked.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Tami, I am assuming I’d add the quinoa in step 2? Very excited to make this – we love all your recipes!
Denise
Hi Denise,
Thank you for finding that error, I corrected it, yes add the quinoa with the rest of the ingredients in step 2.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Looking forward to trying this! Thanks. I think you omitted adding the “quinoa” in step two though. I assume that’s when you’d add it (with the broth etc.).
Hi Pam,
Yes, I left out the quinoa – thank you for letting me know. I went in and fixed it! I enjoyed your talk at the SacTown Veg Fest!
Happy Cooking,
Tami
This recipe sounds great. I’m guessing that we add the quinoa at the end of step 1 or with the step 2 ingredients. Is that right?
Thanks for sharing. I always love you thorough and positive explanations.
Keep up the great work.
Tami- please be so kind as to include stovetop cooking instructions for ” Beanwah” and ALL of your other recipes as neither I nor many others who enjoy your channel don’t have an Instantpot or crockpot.
Many thanks,
Beth Thomas
Hi Beth,
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately I don’t have time to test each recipe using multiple cooking methods and the liquid to dry ingredients for pressure cooker, slow cooking and stove top can all be different. I don’t know if there some kind of formula to use to convert pressure cooker recipes to stove top – it might be something to google.
For the Beanwah recipe you could make it on the stove top, I would saute the onions and garlic, then add the rest of the ingredients- bring to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer and simmer until the quinoa is cooked. You might need adjust the amount of water – going off the directions given on the quinoa bag. I hope that helps.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
This sounds so good – and using ingredients I always have on hand! Can’t wait to try it!
Question: Do you find that your recipes in the Mealthy MultiPot cook the same as in your Instant Pot?
Hi Anthea,
I have found that the cooking times are exactly the same in both the Mealthy and Instant Pot.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hi Tami and Tom, Making this recipe as I type. It looks and smells wonderful. I tried to go to the Local Spicery video you mentioned in this blog and it won’t take me to it. Just wanted to know if it was my end or if it is something you need to correct. I hope you are feeling better today. Thank you.
HI Pat,
I fixed the broken link to the video. I am so sorry it didn’t work but want to thank you for letting me know so I could fix it.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
I just made the Mexican Quinoa. I love it. So quick, easy and flavorful. Thank you for BBC another spot on recipe.
Hi Norma,
I am so glad you like it. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hi Tami & Tom,
I made this for our supper tonight and we loved it! Just the right amount of spice! I used my Instant Pot though I think at our elevation (Canada) I should increase the time as the quinoa wasn’t quite cooked thoroughly. Still delicious though. We were wondering – have you tried this with rice instead of quinoa? I would guess the ratios would be different and perhaps the cooking times as well. Anyway thank you for a delicious recipe we will add to our rotation.
Hi Carol Anne,
I am glad you liked it! Yes there are adjsutments for higher elevation. Mealthy has a chart I can post it on Facbook.I havent tried it with brown rice but that would change the water ratio. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
What’s left to say?? Absolutely delicious!!! We will definitely make this again!!
Hi Lori,
Aaaah – thank you so much – I really appreciate your kind comment. I am so happy that people are making this recipe and liking it!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
First time I made quinoa in my Instant Pot. Came out perfectly. My husband ate his on a tortilla and I ate mine with a few lime flavored tortilla chips. Delicious recipe!!!
Hi Chris,
Thank you so much for your nice comment. I am so delighted that you and your husband enjoyed this recipe.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Just made this for my not-totally-plant-based husband and our plant-based friend and it was a hit. I’m plant-based and always looking for new recipes that my husband will like, so thank you! I can’t get canned tomatoes where I live (Mexico) so I chopped up roma tomatoes. It came out a little watery/mushy (but still yummy!). Should I maybe cut back the vegetable broth a bit? Or does it need a longer cooking time for the quinoa to soak more of it up?
If it was a little too wet you could cut back on the broth next time and see how it is. Recipes are just an idea and you can change things up to suit your personal preferences.
I am so glad you husband and friend liked it!
Happy Cooking,
Tami
My husband and I loved this. I made a slight change, I used low sodium taco seaoning. It was sooooo good. Thank you so much for sharing your cooking and lifestyle with us.
Delicious! We ate it 2 nights in a row. Perfect seasoning. Next time I will try adding more beans and corn. The lime zest and juice really made the difference!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Tami,
I want to say thank you for sharing this recipe. I was so intimidated to try using my new pressure cooker. This was the first recipe I made in it! It was so easy. However, I didn’t use the jalapenos and don’t have chipotle seasoning yet. Still, I find this recipe so delicious! The second time I made it, I added peas to it that I needed to use up. Still so yummy. This is my go-to favorite meal.
Carrie
Hi Carrie, I am glad you liked it!
My husband loved this! (I did too!) We will definitely put this on regular rotation. So good.
Have you tried freezing it?
Hi Anthea,
I am so glad you both enjoyed this recipe. It is a good one! I haven’t tried freezing it but I think that should work fine.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Love this recipe!
Have made it as directed and also as a curry with chickpeas instead of black beans and curry spices instead of Mexican. Both so good. A added bonus – the leftovers work excellent as filling for collard green wraps.
Can’t wait to make this! How much jalapeño powder should I add to equal one fresh jalapeño? Thanks!
Hi 2catmom
There isn’t really a tried and true ratio because the heat of peppers varies so greatly and so does our individual perception of what is hot or too hot. Start with a 1/8 teaspoon perhaps and add more if needed.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Thanks, Tami! I added 1/2 tsp of jalapeño powder and would definitely add more next time. It was delicious. Thanks for sharing!
HI Catmom,
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe – it’s fun to add our own little tweaks and make it just perfect for our taste preferences!
Happy cooking,
Tami
Thanks Tami, I tried this recipe tonight…so easy and good!
I am glad you like it!
This was delish. My husband and I are real “newbies” to the WFPD and are looking for recipes. We found your YouTube channel and website.
Thank you. Your videos are very informative and te banter between you and Tim is adorable.
But seriously, what we did we made wraps with romaine lettuce leaves, and topped with salsa.
I assume we need to eat lots of veggies on the side.
You should publish a cookbook
Thanks again
This was delish. My husband and I are real “newbies” to the WFPD and are looking for recipes. We found your YouTube channel and website.
Thank you. Your videos are very informative and te banter between you and Tim is adorable.
But seriously, what we did we made wraps with romaine lettuce leaves, and topped with salsa.
I assume we need to eat lots of veggies on the side.
You should publish a cookbook
Thanks again
Love this stuff – it looks like a lot of ingredients, but it goes together quickly and makes a good amounts and it’s soooo good!
The only thing I do different is mix everything together except the tomatoes – I gently dump those on top before putting on the cover to ensure I don’t get the IP “burn” error.
Thank you Tami ❤
Thank you Lynn. I am so delighted that you like this recipe. It is a go to type recipe because it is so easy to make yet delicious.
We like to take it with us when we hike because it is so filling! Happy Cooking.
I’ve made this recipe twice in one week! It is flavorful AND easy to make! Love that! I cook for my me, my husband and daughter, so I left out the spicier ingredients (for my daughter) and we all loved it so much! We have enjoyed eating this over a chopped salad, some roasted veggies, and added fresh salsa on top. So good! Thank you so much, Tami!
Thank you Rosie. I am happy to know its been a hit with the entire family. It is so versatile and can be enjoyed by all. Happy Cooking!