Shrimp Fajita Quinoa Bowl

5 from 6 votes

Shrimp Fajita Quinoa Bowl is a quick and flavorful option if you are craving fajitas but don't want to eat tortillas. Made with juicy, perfectly spiced shrimp, fresh peppers and onions, it's served over quinoa that's brightened with lime juice and cilantro.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: servings

Calories: 438kcal

Author: Agnieszka

Ingredients

1 ½ lb raw jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
2-3 bell peppers sliced into strips
1 large onion sliced into strips
¼ cup neutral tasting oil such as avocado oil
1 cup dry quinoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 lime
½ cup cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon homemade taco seasoning or good quality store bought fajitas seasoning, I like Simply Organic

Instructions

If your shrimp is frozen, make sure it is completely thawed. Dry the shrimp in paper towels and toss with 2 tablespoon oil and taco/fajitas seasoning. Set aside to marinate.
Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the package or follow the 1:2 ratio (1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water), stir quinoa into cold water, add ½ teaspoon salt, bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Once cooked, let cool slightly, squeeze in juice from ½ lime and stir in chopped cilantro saving about 1 tablespoon for garnish.
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a skillet and sauté peppers and onions until soft and slightly caramelized, stirring from time to time, about 5 minutes.
Remove the onions and peppers from the skillet and set aside. Cook the shrimp in the now empty skillet for about 2-3 minutes on each side until pink.
Transfer peppers and onions back to the skillet and toss everything together, squeezing the remaining ½ lime over the shrimp-veggie mixture.
Assemble the bowls. Place some quinoa in a bowl and top with the shrimp fajitas mixture. Serve with your favorite toppings: sliced avocado or guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, cheese and more chopped cilantro.

Notes

Tail on or off the shrimp? Typically, when you buy peeled frozen jumbo shrimp, the tails are still on. Personally, I remove the tails for this recipe because it can get messy to eat but it’s up to you.

For bell peppers, you can use any colors you like. I like to have a nice variety of color, so I typically use red, orange and/or yellow peppers.

If you make my homemade taco seasoning, store the rest in an airtight container or jar and enjoy again for another Mexican inspired dish.

If you are using store bought fajitas seasoning, that will save you some time! However, make sure to use good quality fajitas seasoning, NOT taco seasoning. Taco seasoning tends to have starch in it to bind and thicken taco meat but for this recipe you only want dry spices.

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