By Maria Lichty
Updated April 06, 2021
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Quick Summary
An easy Vegetarian Taco Skillet made with beans, quinoa, vegetables, cheese, and your favorite Mexican flavors. This one pan meal is the perfect weeknight dinner!
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We love taco nights, but sometimes it’s fun to mix things up. That is when I pull out my skillet and make this Vegetarian Taco Skillet. You get all of the great taco flavors in ONE pan.
I am always up for an easy one-pan meal, especially during the week. This recipe kind of reminds me our our Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Bake, but taco style. Plus, it’s made on the stove-top and can be on the dinner table in a little over 30 minutes!
The entire family loves this easy weeknight meal and I think you will love it too!
Ingredients
The ingredient list might look a little long, but they are basic ingredients…and I bet you have most of them in your kitchen already. I love that I can make this dish on a whim because I always have the ingredients.
To make this taco skillet, you will need:
- Olive oil– You can also use avocado oil.
- Onion– I use a yellow onion, but red or white will work too.
- Red bell pepper– Feel free to use yellow or orange bell pepper!
- Garlic– Fresh is best!
- Quinoa– I love adding quinoa for a protein boost and it makes the dish super filling. Always rinse your quinoa before using.
- Vegetable broth– Cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth adds more flavor!
- Fire roasted tomatoes– Use fire roasted tomatoes for ultimate flavor. They aren’t spicy.
- Green chiles– Make sure you buy canned MILD green chiles.
- Spices– You will need chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. If you want a spicy kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Salt and Pepper– Always!
- Black beans– I use canned black beans. Rinse and drain before using. You can also use pinto beans.
- Corn– You can use frozen corn or cut fresh corn off of the cob.
- Cilantro– My favorite! If you think it tastes like soap, you can leave it out:)
- Cheese– You can use shredded cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend. Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack would also be good. Use your favorite. If you need the recipe to be vegan or dairy-free you can leave the cheese out. It will still have great flavor.
How to Make Taco Skillet
Now that we have our ingredients ready, it is GO time! I love that everything goes in one big skillet! It’s easy to make and easy to clean up. You can’t beat that!
- Make sure you use a large skillet because all of the ingredients are going in one pan. I love using a cast iron skillet for this recipe.
- Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the onion and pepper until tender and then add the garlic.
- Add the quinoa, vegetable broth, tomatoes, green chilies, and spices. Stir until combined and let come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Pro tip, if your pan doesn’t have a lid you can use a large baking sheet. Simmer until the quinoa is cooked, this will take 15 to 18 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the black beans, corn, and cilantro. Top with shredded cheese and put the lid back on until the cheese is melted. It will smell amazing!!
Toppings
Now for the fun part, the toppings! We love loading on lots of toppings. Here are some ideas.
- Green onions
- Avocado or Guacamole
- Cilantro
- Fresh tomatoes
- Jalapeño slices
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo
Serving Suggestions
Spoon the taco skillet mixture onto plates and serve warm. I highly recommend serving tortilla chips on the side for dipping, especially for the kids. They love dipping and scooping!
Here are some other ways to enjoy this tacos skillet, in case you have leftovers or want to mix things up!
- Burritos– Use the filling to make a burrito!
- Quesadilla– Place the filling inside of a tortilla with some extra cheese and make a crispy quesadilla.
- Taco Salad-Place the taco skillet mixture on top of a bed of greens to make a taco salad. Don’t forget to add extra toppings. Drizzle with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing.
- Spaghetti Squash– If you want to sneak in another vegetable, serve over baked spaghetti squash.
- Nachos– Use the taco skillet mixture to make nachos! Place tortilla chips on a large sheet pan and top the chips with the mixture and extra cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese is melted and add your favorite toppings.
How to Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
This taco skillet also freezes well. Let cool completely and place in a freezer container. Freeze for up to three months. When ready to use, pull it from the freezer and put in the fridge overnight to thaw. Reheat and enjoy!
More Vegetarian Mexican Recipes
- Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Bake
- Vegetarian Fajitas
- Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos
- Butternut Squash Enchiladas
- Enchilada Stuffed Mushrooms
Vegetarian
Vegetarian Taco Skillet
An easy Vegetarian Taco Skillet made with beans, quinoa, vegetables, cheese, and your favorite Mexican flavors. This one pan meal is a dinner favorite!
4.72 from 83 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6
Equipment
Large Skillet (this Lodge one is great and affordable)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeds removed, and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 15 oz fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 oz mild green chiles
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 oz black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
- Optional toppings: sliced green onions, avocado, cilantro, tomatoes
- Tortilla chips, salsa or pico de gallo, for serving
Instructions
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Add the quinoa, vegetable broth, tomatoes, green chilies, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined and let come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. If your pan doesn’t have a lid you can cover with a baking sheet. Simmer for 15 to 18 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.
Remove the lid and stir in the black beans, corn, and cilantro. Top with shredded cheese and put the lid back on for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Top with green onions, avocado, cilantro, and diced tomatoes. Spoon onto plates and serve warm with tortilla chips and salsa or pico de gallo. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
Notes
You can also use the tacos skillet mixture to make burritos, quesadillas, salads, nachos, and more!
If you want a spicy kick, you can add a jalapeño or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Nutrition
Calories: 406kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 972mg, Potassium: 660mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1864IU, Vitamin C: 37mg, Calcium: 287mg, Iron: 5mg
Keywords tacos
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Home » Vegetarian
Maria
I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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4.72 from 83 votes (58 ratings without comment)
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Comments
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Made this tonight and the Kale pasta bake on Monday. Both were big hits!
Your recipes never let us down. Thank you! 🙂Reply
I am so glad you are loving our recipes. Thanks for letting us know.
Looks delish!
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Thanks!
The store was out of quinoa. Any suggestions for substituting with basmati rice, if possible? Thank you!
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Others have had success with rice.
Do I have to add the quinoa????????
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If you don’t care for quinoa, you can leave it out. I would add another can of beans. You could also use rice or if you wanted to add meat, ground turkey, chicken, or beef would work!
See AlsoHow to make Crispy Quinoa
I love your recipes ❤️ A completely random question…what brand/style is the green skillet in this recipe photo? It seems the perfect size for your taco skillet recipe.
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Yes, please share… it is beautiful
So yum yum yummyBeckandbulow
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This was easy, quick and very tasty. Will make again!Reply
Whenever I am on the search for a vegetarian recipe to serve to Vegan family members, I know I can always turn to two peas & their pod for wonderful, quick, and easy recipes like this Vegetarian Taco Skillet. My family thoroughly enjoyed it!Reply
We loved this! I used long grain rice instead of quinoa, and it worked great. Thanks so much for a delicious recipe that I will definitely make again.Reply
As always, the seasonings are spot on! I made it with brown rice which I started in a separate pot with veggie broth before sautéing the veggies, and then I mixed it all together at the end. Delicious meat-free meal, even for non-vegetarians.Reply
So glad you enjoyed it!
My family’s all-time favorite dinner. It’s simple, straightforward, and no need to change a thing.
Thank you so much for this recipe!Reply
First of all this was so easy, but it’s the great taste that makes me want to make it again. I love that it’s a meal on its own, but you also provided great recommendations for how to use the leftovers in different ways. I eat meat but try to have vegetarian a few times a week. This was so good that I need to check out your other vegetarian recipes! Thanks for the great recipe, Maria.Reply
This was AMAZING! My husband loved it and I had my sister try it and they went out to buy the ingredients to make it for her family the next day. The second time I made it , I added cooked ground chicken with the beans and corn and used chicken bone broth (all I had). Came out fantastic as a heartier meat quinoa skillet.Reply
Perfect! Thanks for sharing!
This is delicious! It is a recipe that has fallen into my weekly rotation, I’m grateful for it. Always good.Reply
pretty good,but gave me the runs. definitely needs lime and would taste better with chicken broth but i don’t eat meat so i decided not toReply
Delicious! I have found it works better if you cook the quinoa before everything else.Reply
So good and so much flavor! 10/10. I used regular diced tomatoes and no chilis because I have a little one. Still sooo good. So easy and fast to make. Will definitely be a meal on rotation from now on.Reply
Glad you loved it. One of my favorites too.
This recipe is incredible!! So yummy and simple to make!! It makes alot! We’re only 2 people, we ate it for 3 days lol!! You can put it in taco shells or just use with chips. I used veggie meat instead of quinoa, so it was a little runny. Next time, I’ll put in less vegetable broth. Definitely a “go to” for me!!!
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Yahoo! It is a go to at our house too!
This is a new favorite in the meal rotation! We used two cans of Rotel in place of the tomatoes and chiles, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Such great flavor! My daughter has packed it for her lunch every day for two weeks in a row! I shared with friends who replaced quinoa with rice, added ground beef, added mushrooms and spinach, used different beans, etc, and it all turned out great. Thanks for an amazing dish!Reply
So glad you love this one!
Good– appreciated the idea to use quinoa. Definitely needed way more seasoning, was a bit bland otherwise.Reply
So yummy!Reply
Such a great dinner!
Could this be made ahead and reheated? I have a friend I need to bring a vegetarian meal to.
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Yes! So nice of you!
Made this tonight. Delicious! I didn’t have any bell peppers so just omitted. Would not change a thing. Husband and teenage son loved it too. So filling!Reply
I am so glad your family enjoyed it!
This is an amazing dish. It’s so good and I have been sharing this recipe with my friends and family. Thanks for sharing the recipe!Reply
You are welcome!
My family loves this meal! I’ve made probably 10x and even my 2 year old eats it by the handful!Reply
Yay!
Easy recipe and decent taste, but nothing exciting. A regular taco or Maria’s Veggie Quinoa Chili recipe are both much more flavorful.Reply
I thought the flavor was really nice but way too much quinoa for me. Next time I’ll cut it to half a cup and add more beans and tomatoes. Also threw in chopped jalapeños for a little heat. I may use the left-overs to stuff peppers. Thanks!Reply
This was so so yummy! It was so flavorful and fresh and the quinoa made it hearty at the same time. This is definitely going into our dinner rotation!Reply
Delicious and easy to make. I have a family member who is resistant to new recipes and they loved this.Reply
Oh good!
Tasty dish! I made it for the first time and it was delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! We loved it.
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Oh good! Thanks for reporting back.
I just made it today and it was excellent. Best Mexican Ive had in a long time AND I made it myself! Normally I cant cook.one thing I did learn though is, when doubling or tripling the recipe, spices dont always correlate 1:1 meaning it’s not exactly 2x or 3x the amount of spice. so I went with intuition and it worked!
also i substituted basmati rice and it was better than quinoa.
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Quick, delicious, and doesn’t destroy the kitchen with mess. Went directly into my regular rotation!Reply
Yay!
This is sooo delicious!! Even my meat-loving’ man lived it!! I’ll be making this again…and again!!!
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It’s such a good meal!
