Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa

I have experimented with several slow cooker quinoa recipes. They were good, but something was missing for me. That is until I discovered this Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa recipe. This quinoa dish offers the perfect amount of spice and creaminess. Thanks to the cream cheese!

I love making baked quinoa dishes in the oven. As busy as we get throughout the year and especially during this time of year, the slow cooker makes putting dinner on the table just a little easier.

The original instructions called for the cheese to be sprinkled on top at the beginning of the cooking process. The first time I made this dish, I did not have much luck because a lot of the cheese on top fell into the quinoa mixture. So, I ended up just stirring the cheese topping into the quinoa mixture. Honestly, I loved the flavor because the cheese stirred throughout the dish was so good. However, the next time I made this dish, I sprinkled the cheese over the top in the last 30 minutes of the cook time. That made for a prettier dish and just as flavorful.

If you like your dishes with extra spice feel free to use a hot enchilada sauce. I used 1 can mild enchilada sauce and 1 can medium enchilada sauce. The Rotel tomatoes also give some nice heat to this dish. We balanced the heat out with creamy and cool sour cream and diced avocados.

Hot, medium or mild, this Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa is a definite winning dish for the family!

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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa

Enchilada favored quinoa with black beans, corn, and tomatoes. Topped with cheese and cooked right in the slow cooker.

Course: Main Dish

Servings: 4 -6

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa thoroughly rinsed and drained
• 2 15 oz cans red enchilada sauce (mild, medium or hot, if you dare)
• 1 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies (I used the Rotel brand)
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 oz cream cheese cut into small cubes
• 1 cup grated cheese you can use cheddar, Colby jack, Monterey jack, etc.

Instructions

• Pour the quinoa, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes with green chilies, black beans, corn, water, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and cream cheese in the slow cooker and stir.
• Cover and cook on low for 5 - 7 hours or on high for 4 - 5 hours.
• During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, give the quinoa mixture a good stir to make sure the cream cheese is incorporated into the quinoa. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Cover and let the cheese melt (about 20 to 30 minutes).
• Serve topped with your favorite toppings such as diced tomatoes, diced avocados, sour cream, etc.

Notes

Recipe Source: Creme de la Crumb