Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
by Chungah
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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!
Featured Comment
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
Video
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.
Delicious and so easy. I did not mean to change it up but I used what was on hand- green chiles enchilada sauce in stead of red sauce and can of green chiles. I used Mexican style shredded cheese. I crumbled thin tortilla chips scattered between the cheese on top and that was a great touch.
Hi just wondering what the Serving size is? My bf is on a diabetic diet so I have to be pretty exact with his carb intake . Thanks so much
Delicious! I added more black beans, sliced black olives and used Mexican blend cheese. I will definitely make again.
We LOVE this casserole. We add extra cheese and eat it like a dip with corn chips. I know, maybe not the healthiest, but it so, so delicious!
Oh my goodness, this is so flavorful and delicious! I added chopped olives and onion, as well as some red pepper I needed to use up. Since I was doubling the recipe I used full cans of the corn and black beans as well as more cilantro and green chiles since I love them. It is one of my all time favorite recipes!
Could this be assembled and then frozen to make later?
I was given this as a freezer meal. Although the heat time would have to be longer it still came out great! Hope this helps
Love this recipe! It has become a regular meal in our household because all four of my kids like it!!
OMG this is literally amazing and flavourful!!! My kids absolutely loved it and my daughter is extremely picky and devoured this (with extra cheese of course LOL). I substituted the quinoa for rice as my daughter isn’t a fan!
Normally I watch tv when I eat. I got more than halfway through eating this before I realized that I was not watching anything! It’s so good, I wanted to focus on the food! This is my first time cooking/eating quinoa, and although I’m not sure what it is exactly, this meal is delicious.
Great recipe and healthy. Our family really enjoyed it.
Thanks!
This is absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe because we have big appetites and added cut up green onions and avocado before serving. Great recipe. Thank you!
Added chopped Cubanelle peppers and red peppers. Wanted to try something different –
Baked the cooked quinoa first on oiled parchment paper- ga “quinoa pizza crust”. (Mixed with egg, cheese and seasonings – lots of recipes in Pinterest) Then a layer of refried beans, then the rest of casserole mixture- and topped with chopped cherry tomatoes & avocado as suggested – absolutely delicious!!
This is one of our favorite go to meals. We have made it so many times, I can’t count. It is one of those you don’t have to measure everything exactly kind of recipe. We usually add more corn and beans than called for. Sometimes we add shelled edamame or Gardien crumbles for extra protein. Green enchilada sauce or salsa verde has been used in a pinch with great results. We’ve honed in on a pepper jack/cheddar cheese mix we think is a winner. Definitely serve it with all the accoutrement, like avocado, sour cream, salsa, pickled jalapenos, chipotle tabasco, it’s fun and tasty and makes 6 filling servings for us that freeze and reheat perfectly.
What I like most about it is while the quinoa is cooking, I dump the remaining ingredients, frozen or not, in a bowl, add the quinoa when done and top with the cheese. I can prep this in 15 minutes flat – the time it takes to cook the quinoa. Then I cover it and first one home pops it in the oven for 30 minutes.
I like this recipe because it’s really tasty as is and also has plenty of room to modify for personal preferences. The first time I made this I followed the recipe exactly and we really enjoyed it! Sometimes I use sauteed bell peppers instead of corn or refried black beans instead of whole black beans. We use cheddar or a Mexican blend of cheeses, and often add a little shredded chicken and jalapenos to our bowls. Last night I couldn’t find quinoa at the store but I did find a rice/quinoa blend so I used that instead. Of course these changes alter the calorie count, but it’s easy enough to take the base calculation and look up online how the changes will affect that.
Thanks for a great recipe!
This is one of our all time favorites and a go-to for everything but I need a dairy free version for a friend- what could the cheese be subbed for?
you can find non-dairy cheese in most stores—-we have vegans in our family so I usually only buy non-dairy (be warned, it doesn’t melt as well, though)
Trader Joe’s has great non-dairy shredded cheese options!
Soooo good!! Can this be frozen?
I often make this and freeze half!
This has become a family favorite – even my pickiest eater loves it ! Every ingredient adds such texture and flavor- so easy and quick to make! Thank you for this brilliant vegetarian and healthy recipe !!!!
Wonderful! Very tasty and easy to fix!
This has become a staple in our house. The second day after I make it we have tacos and use this as the “taco meat”. Has anyone tried freezing it before, does it hold up?
I made 3 of these casseroles today. Quick, easy and delicious. Topped with the tomatoes, cilantro and avocado as recommended. I also put out sliced black olives and sour cream. Rave reviews from all 3 families.
Has anyone tried this with cauliflower rice and some sort of ground meat?
This looks amazing – just wondering if I could make it carb friendly