Quinoa Enchilada Crockpot
A slow-cooker quinoa enchilada casserole with ground turkey, black beans, corn, and enchilada sauce; topped with cheese and cilantro.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 tablespoonolive oil
- 1/2 cupdiced yellow onion
- 1/2 cupdiced bell pepperI use red
- 1 poundlean ground turkey
- 1 teaspoonminced garlic
- 1 tablespoonchili powder
- 1 teaspooncumin
- 3/4 teaspoonsalt
- 1/4 teaspoonpepper
- 1-1/2 cupsuncooked quinoa
- 1 15-ounce canblack beansdrained and rinsed
- 1 cupfrozen corn
- 1/2 cupsalsa
- 1 14-ounce canfire-roasted diced tomatoesundrained
- 1 cupchicken stockor chicken broth or water
- 1 19-ounce canred enchilada saucesee note 1
- 2 cupsCheddar cheeseor Mexican blend cheese; I use 1 cup extra sharp cheese and 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese
- 1/3 cupfresh cilantrofinely chopped
- Toppings as desiredsee note 2
Instructions
Instructions
- Lightly spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Rinse the 1-1/2 cups uncooked quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve; set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add 1/2 cup diced yellow onion and 1/2 cup diced bell pepper. Sauté 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add 1 pound lean ground turkey to the skillet. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through. Drain excess grease if needed.
- Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the turkey mixture. Cook 1–2 minutes more, stirring, until fragrant.
- Transfer the turkey mixture to the prepared slow cooker.
- Add the rinsed quinoa, 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 cup frozen corn, 1/2 cup salsa, 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (undrained), 1 cup chicken stock (or chicken broth or water), and 1 (19-ounce) can red enchilada sauce to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove the lid and stir the mixture. Add 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro and 2 cups Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and evenly incorporated; if needed, cover and let sit on LOW or WARM a few minutes to finish melting.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
- Serve warm, and add any desired toppings at the table.
Equipment
- large pan
- 6-quart Crock-Pot
Notes
Recipe Notes
Note 1
:
For the enchilada sauce, I use Old El Paso® mild enchilada sauce, which I don’t find overly spicy. Some enchilada sauces can be very hot, so taste the sauce before adding to the slow cooker.
Note 2
: Toppings
: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, sour cream, cilantro, etc. (whatever toppings you like on enchiladas).
Storage
: Let the meal cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For freezing, portion into airtight containers for up to 3 months. Reheat with a splash of stock or water, and add fresh toppings right before serving.
Note 1
:
For the enchilada sauce, I use Old El Paso® mild enchilada sauce, which I don’t find overly spicy. Some enchilada sauces can be very hot, so taste the sauce before adding to the slow cooker.
Note 2
: Toppings
: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, sour cream, cilantro, etc. (whatever toppings you like on enchiladas).
Storage
: Let the meal cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For freezing, portion into airtight containers for up to 3 months. Reheat with a splash of stock or water, and add fresh toppings right before serving.