Name: Quinoa Enchilada Slow Cooker
Yield: 6

Quinoa Enchilada slow cooker: seasoned ground turkey, quinoa, tomatoes, salsa, beans, corn, enchilada sauce, and plenty of cheese. Top with cilantro, lime, guac, or your favorite enchilada toppings!

Pair this meal with a simple salad like this Italian Salad or this Mandarin Orange Salad.

Quinoa Enchilada slow cooker

This meal is one of my favorites! It’s so straightforward to bring together, and the slow cooker does all the hard work!

You can also serve this meal in any way you like—it can be eaten as is, layered in tortillas or lettuce wraps, cooked into actual enchiladas, or eaten as a dip with chips!

How To Make Enchilada Quinoa In The slow cooker

Sauté onion and bell pepper in olive oil in a wide skillet, then add ground turkey.
Mix in spices and garlic, sauté briefly, and move to a slow cooker.
Add uncooked quinoa, black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, salsa, enchilada sauce, and chicken broth (or water and bouillon).
Stir everything together until evenly mixed.
Cook on high for 2.5 to 5 hours, stirring once halfway if possible, until the quinoa cooks and absorbs the liquid.
mix in freshly grated cheese until melted, then serve with your favorite enchilada toppings.

Ingredients including onion, bell pepper, and turkey being added to the slow cooker, mixed, and undergoing the cooking process.

Quinoa Enchilada slow cooker Tips

Use freshly grated cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating that keeps it from melting well. You can use it, but it will get a bit greasy and not melt as nicely.
Cook on high. This recipe doesn’t work well on low. The quinoa takes too long and cooks unevenly.
Use fire-roasted diced tomatoes for more flavor.
Don’t forget the toppings. They add so much to this dish! Add what you like on enchiladas—my top picks are avocado, cilantro, lime, and cherry tomatoes. You can also try sour cream, extra cheese, pico de gallo, guac, thin radishes, or green onions.
slow cooker® is just one brand. You can use any slow cooker you like.

Variations

Add heat: A tablespoon or two of diced jalapeños, hot sauce, or fire-roasted diced green chilies are all great ways to add in some heat. You can also use a spicier salsa or enchilada sauce.
Reduce heat: If you use mild salsa and mild enchilada sauce, this dish is already pretty mild. For even less spice, use just 1–2 teaspoons of chili powder. (Pick a mild one like McCormick®.)
Make a from-scratch enchilada sauce: If you prefer, make your own!
Replace ground turkey with lean ground beef.
Make it vegetarian: Leave out the ground turkey. Then no other changes are needed.

Alternate Cooking Methods

Oven: Try this Quinoa Enchilada Bake. It’s just like this recipe but baked instead of slow cooked.
Stove top: Do steps 1–4 in a large pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil over a hot burner. Then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until the quinoa “pops.” Stir every 5–7 minutes. Lower the heat if the quinoa sticks, or turn it up if the liquid isn’t soaking in.
Pressure cooker: I haven’t tried this in a pressure cooker, but one reader said it worked great: “Made this yesterday in my electric pressure cooker: 9 minutes on high (added about 1/2 cup more water).” (Thanks Lisa!)