Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
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A lightened-up, healthy enchilada bake that you can enjoy guilt-free, chockfull of quinoa, black beans and cheesy goodness. And the leftovers taste even better!
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I think it’s safe to say that I have somewhat of a love affair with Mexican food. Whether it’s fish tacos, cheesy enchiladas or a giant burrito the size of my forearm, I could honestly live off of all of these for the rest of my life.
So when Old El Paso asked me to be their brand ambassador for the next year, well, how could I say no? It just gives me an excuse to make even more of my favorite Mexican-inspired dishes to share with you all! And to start things off, I just had to share my favorite Mexican comfort food lightened-up.
Now this is a super easy enchilada bake with quinoa instead of tortilla. By using quinoa, we’re adding in some fun healthy goodies, like protein and fiber, and there’s absolutely no rolling or wrapping of any kind. You can simply throw everything into a bowl, mix it up, and bake it from there. Yes, it doesn’t get easier than that!
After you let this bake through, you’ll have the most amazing cheesy enchilada bake! It’s so good, you’ll never want to have traditional enchiladas ever again!
Quinoa Enchilada Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions
You can use about 2 cups cooked quinoa.
Absolutely! This is our favorite recipe for homemade enchilada sauce.
Mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, and/or carrots would be great additions.
Ground taco meat and/or leftover rotisserie chicken can get mixed in with your quinoa-enchilada-sauce mixture.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat in the oven until completely warmed through.
You can substitute vegan cheeses for the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses to make this a vegan quinoa enchilada casserole.
Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
- ½ cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- ½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, enchilada sauce, green chiles, corn, black beans, cilantro, cumin and chili powder; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Spread quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses. Place into oven and bake until bubbly and cheeses have melted, about 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with avocado and tomato, if desired.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Old El Paso. All opinions expressed are my own.
I made this recipe last night for my family and we absolutely loved it! My kids and husband couldn’t believe it didn’t have any meat! I doubled the amount on the recipe, as I have a big family, and wanted to have a little more left over for the next day. Thanks so much for posting this! I am looking forward to seeing and making more of your recipes =)
instead of cooking in oven, can you use a crock pot? Plan on taking to a potluck.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-converting-recipes-to-the-slow-cooker-189343.
I just made this and it turned out great! I added some sautéed onions and peppers and it turned out relish. Thank you!
What is the serving size for this recipe? It says yields 6 servings but does not say the size of an individual serving.
A serving size is roughly 1-2 cups.
If you have leftovers and reheat them would you recommend microwaving them or putting them back in the oven to heat up?
Thanks!
I prefer reheating in the oven but either option should work just fine.
Think I can use brown rice instead of quinoa? And if so, would you say the same amount (1 cup dry rice). I have all the other ingredients on hand but no quinoa.
Yes, the same amount of brown rice can be substituted.
We featured an adaptation of this recipe in a weekly meal plan at http://www.themenumaster.com!
This looks so delicious! I bought quinoa on an impulse, and have been looking for a recipe that I can incorporate it in. I love mexican dishes, and the fact that it’s a healthier option really appeals to me. I honestly prefer cooking to eating at restaurants, so I know what I’ll be trying tonight 🙂
I made this tonight, and it was amazing! I used a little more beans and corn, and ate it with corn chips. So yummy 🙂
Question on the green chiles. if i can’t find that in the store; how many chiles can i use to make up for it? want to make it tonight!!! by the way love your website!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would estimate anywhere from 2-4 chiles depending on the size.
I have made this a few times as written never disappoints. I thought that I would try a pizza version, using pizza sauce and my favourite toppings in place of beans, corn and chilis….OMG!
LOVE THIS. I’m making it for the second time to serve to guests. I did end up using the whole can of beans because I didn’t want to waste half a can, and subbed vegan cheddar shreds for the cheeses to make it vegan. Still delish, especially with extra cilantro (you can never have too much cilantro).
I’m single, so last time I ate it for a week and I didn’t mind a bit–it was even tastier on day 4! Awesome, awesome recipe–thanks!
Oh my goodness…I have never cooked quinoa, and I saw this recipe while on break…went and bought all the ingredients….I made a double batch, so I can also take for lunch. I also used some adobo sauce in mine, topped with avocado, tomato and lettuce. This is a keeper, will definitely be making again, may add some ground chicken or turkey to change it up sometime. Thanks this…no more rice for me- quinoa is a keeper!
I just made this dish for dinner tonight. My 8 year old son said, “Who ever thought of this recipe is a genius.” =) I told him after he was done that it was vegetarian and he looked shocked. He is a meat loving Korean boy. I have been using your website several times a week for dinners now. So glad I found you.
Turned out great! One question though. Is it one cup dry or cooked quinoa? The recipe talks about 2 cups water which would indicate 1 cup dray. Just seemed like a lot of quinoa when I made it last night. Thank youl
The one cup of quinoa in the recipe refers to dry, uncooked quinoa.
This was great. I added scallions and used a fresh jalapeno instead of the can of chilies. I also substituted queso fresco for the mozzarella, and smoked paprika for the chili powder. We love spicy, but I knew the enchilada sauce would be enough. I think next time I will just use the whole can of beans. What a great way to use quinoa and have a non meat dinner. Kudos.
I had kept a printed copy of this recipe on my fridge forever, knowing I would make it someday. Well today was the day! I made the quinoa first thing this morning and it sat in the fridge the whole day (just to get a jump on putting things together), then added everything else when we got home. My husband and I both loved this. Its a keeper. Thanks for posting.
I made this last night – so easy and soooo yummy! I added mushrooms and peas for a few more veg points!
This was, well, I hate to be just another cliche, but this was damn delicious!!
I am loving that you feature so many vegetarian-vegan-loving recipes. Most cooking sites and cooking shows just look over their designer reading glasses with scorn at us while they are slicing the veal or the coq as vin !! Lol!!
But seriously–I’m very grateful that you have that statement about quinoa and its complete value in a veg diet. We strict vegans have known this for a while. I’m excited that you are showing such delicious ways to eat and be healthy without eating our animal friends. You are great!
Some healthy recipes are deceiving because the pictures look far better than the actual taste. This is NOT the case with this delicious dish. The flavors and textures were spot on, and it was perfect for us paired with grilled chicken. I finally have a quinoa recipe that I LOVE. Thanks so much.