Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa
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Healthy, easy Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa. Just set it and forget it for a cheesy, protein-packed crock pot meal the whole family will love!
Slow cooking minimizes your time in the kitchen while maximizing dinner compliments! Try Slow Cooker Honey BBQ Beef Brisket, Slow Cooker Spicy Cashew Chicken, and Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef to be sure 😉
This may very well be my new favorite dish of all time. And if not all time, certainly the past 93 hours. That means it’s competing with Mom’s Christmas ham – shh! don’t tell.
Sometimes (read: pretty much every day of my life) I need an easy, practically zero-work recipe that I know I can count on to be absolutely 100% delicious to feed my Mexican food obsession. Slow cooker enchilada quinoa, you are heaven sent. Literally five minutes of prep means I can forget it for a few hours and come back when it’s ready to be devoured.
See that picture up there? ^^^ There’s a lot of yum happening in that crock pot and it lasted us several days since there’s just two of us in this here humble abode, which means leftovers for dayzzz and I could not be more happy about that. If there’s one thing I love more than freshly made cheesy quinoa smothered in enchilada sauce and stuffed with corn and black beans, it’s one or two day old cheesy quinoa smothered in enchilada sauce and stuffed with corn and black beans.
I ate this stuff for breakfast. Yes. Cheesy enchilada quinoa for breakfast. It’s a thing that will be happening again friends.
Now who wants the first bite??
Too late! That’ll be miiine……
What people are saying about this Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa
“I threw this together last night and put it in the fridge. I started it in the morning around 7:00 and turned it off at 2:30- it was a fantastic dinner tonight! I added pieces of avocado, some sliced black olives, and a dollop of light sour cream. I’ve already passed this on to two friends and will definitely make this again!” – Bettina
“I’ve been in love with this recipe since I saw the picture. It’s almost dinner time and I snuck a taste…..YUMMY! Serving with tortilla rolls and chips for those that don’t want to eat it like a chili. Amazing post. THANK YOU!” – Anilise
“Made this over spring break for some of my friends since we were all taking classes and needed a little cheering up. I was worried cause it was me cooking for three guys, but they didn’t even question the lack of meat. They used it as burrito filling and they all got thirds, and then they knocked on my door the next morning and invited themselves in for leftovers. Great recipe, really really yummy, easy to make, and great flavors. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure.” – Elisa
“Made this last night and it was sooo good! I browned some ground turkey and dumped that in, too, and it turned out amazingly well! You weren’t kidding when you said leftovers for daysssss because I have enough for me to eat for the next 5 meals (and I could not be happier about that!)!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!” – Lauren
Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can yellow corn, drained and rinsed
- 2 15-ounce cans mild or medium red enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- ½ cup water
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- salt and pepper to taste , (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
- optional: chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, sour cream
Instructions
- Add beans, corn, 1 can of enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes and chiles, quinoa, water, cream cheese, and salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
- Pour remaining can of enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on high or 5-7 hours on low.
- Uncover, top with tomatoes, avocados, sour cream, and chopped cilantro and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m not a huge “leave a comment” person but I must say this is worthy of saying so! . I’ve never made Quinoa before so unsure of what to expect but this stuff is DEVINE!! I just finished the last serving of the first batch I made and tomorrow I’m planning on making this AGAIN. I didn’t add the cumin or garlic and personally don’t feel it needs it. It tastes great on it’s own. However my husband (who prefers a deep flavor profile) would have added more flavor had he been left alone with it ;p I’ve already shared this recipe with 2 friends.
My hubby suggested adding a protein (chicken) and at some point I’ll prob try it but as it stands it is absolutely incredible!
Thank you so much for this!
Loved the enchilada quinoa. What a unique idea and a great way to get my Mexican craving filled without going crazy on calories and carbs! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used pinto beans rather than black beans. I’m thinking next time I might add more beans and maybe skip the corn or keep the corn, who knows, guess it would depend on my mood! Thanks for this fabulous SUPER DUPER easy slow cooker recipe.
Really glad I made this tonight. It looks just like your pictures and serves plenty! I am impressed with the flavor considering how simple it was to throw together. We added the cumin and garlic powder as you suggested. don’t even miss the meat! Thanks for sharing!
This is a good base, but really need some fresh vegetables in it. Added about 1/3 of a head of chopped cauliflower and a zucchini. I also cut the enchilada sauce in half- 1 can was plenty. To make up for the liquid I did only about 2/3 cup of quinoa and added a little bit more water.
I wish I had fresh avocado to top this off- then it would be perfect! It’s like eating a good hearty chilli.
I wish I would have used less enchilada sauce as well. Too watery for me. Leaving the lid off for a bit to see if some of the water will cook out. Super yummy but, yes I agree with your statement entirely. More veggies for sure. Maybe even more beans. Mentioning it on my page though 🙂
I made this for a pot luck supper, I made just a few adjustments. It was awesome, this will be one of my favorites. Thank you kindly for sharing and posting. Namaste ¡
Help!
I made this today after finding the recipe on pinterest. i was so excited to make it , i ran out and retrieved all the ingredients. I did everything right. the only thing i did different maybe was i stirred it around 2.5 hours. The consistency was very, very, very thick. It was also just a solid orange color. I ate some for dinner and it was still great but, i was bummed it didn’t look anything like the photo. The photos it looked more liquidy? it was basically just quinoa with flavor for me 🙂 Still good but, bummed… Any clue on why it would do this?
I saw this recipe yesterday and went to the store to buy the ingredients so that I can make it this weekend. (I can’t wait to try it!!!) I noticed when I got home that the Enchilada sauce that I bought is 19oz. instead of 15oz. Can I use the whole can and omit the water for the quinoa or should I just measure out 15 oz. and use the rest for something else? Thanks!
Hi Kelly! If you still need help on this, I’d recommend measuring out about 15 ounces. Probably doesn’t need to be exact but I’d just use most of the can and still add the water. 🙂
Love love loved! I left out the cream cheese.. Still amazing! Going to use it to top some baked sweet potatoe . The only thing I’ll do different next time is add more beans/ less quinoa. It was a bit much for me. Delicious !
I was reading waiting for someone to ask about Verde sauce. I am going to try it.
Love love loved! I left out the cream cheese.. Still amazing! Going to use it to top some baked sweet potatoe . The only thing I’ll do different is add more beans/ less quinoa. It was a bit much for me. Delicious !
Is there a way to substitute verde sauce instead of the red enchilada sauce?
Hi Madeline, I’m sure you could sub an equal amount of verde sauce – it will change the flavor but I love verde sauce so I bet it would be delicious!