Instant Pot quinoa enchilada casserole has delicious Tex Mex flavor and no rolling! Talk about easy prep: no sauteeing required means this is a simple 'dump it and go' meal. Freezer-friendly, gluten-free and vegetarian.
I sure do love enchiladas, but they can really feel labor-intensive sometimes! My solution? Turn my enchiladas into a skillet, casserole, and even twice baked sweet potatoes! This Instant Pot quinoa enchilada casserole might just be the easiest of the bunch to prep!
Made mostly of pantry staples, but tasting fresh, light, and full of Tex Mex flavor, this is the perfect recipe to keep in your back pocket.
With creamy enchilada-spiced quinoa, corn, black beans, fresh tomatoes, and (of course) cheese, it's simple but delicious, and is perfect to load up with all your favorite enchilada toppings!
Reasons you'll ♡ Instant Pot quinoa enchilada casserole
- no sautéing means this recipe can get cooking quickly
- it's made with simple pantry ingredients
- you can store it in the fridge or freezer after cooking
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped my Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
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Pantry staples hero
If the words 'pantry staples' make you think of bland or heavy food, you are in for a treat! This Instant Pot enchilada quinoa casserole is infused throughout with bright flavors of chili powder, cumin, and enchilada sauce, and is loaded with healthy ingredients: quinoa, green chilies, corn and black beans.
While the recipe calls for fresh onion and tomatoes, you can leave them out or swap for other vegetables that you have on hand in the fridge.
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The enchilada sauce
Enchilada sauce includes a delicious blend of spices that gives a characteristic flavor to enchiladas: chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and salt. The enchilada sauce infuses so much flavor into the quinoa, and is essential for this recipe.
For this recipe, you can use store bought or homemade enchilada sauce. I've tested it using Fronterra and La Victoria brands and they both worked great. If you can't find enchilada sauce, I love this homemade enchilada sauce recipe (without the salt). Double or triple it up and freeze for later!
Avoid that burn warning!
When this recipe was originally published, I included the enchilada sauce with the rest of the ingredients during the cook time, and never had an issue with it. Unfortunately, a number of people did have the burn warning issue, so we changed up the recipe to add in the enchilada sauce after cooking. Same great flavors, no burn warning!
If you plan on swapping the fresh tomatoes for diced tomatoes, I'd advise stirring them in after cooking through, or make sure to add them in on top of everything (don't stir them in).
Fresh ingredient options
While this is a total pantry staples hero recipe, I encourage you to get creative with it: fresh ingredients boost the flavor and nutritional value of this recipe! Here are some fresh ingredients that go so well in this recipe:
- fresh tomatoes
- red onion
- bell peppers
- riced cauliflower or broccoli
- zucchini
- fresh corn
Serving enchilada quinoa
I love how versatile this recipe is! Not only can you get creative with the fresh ingredients you add, you can also get creative with how you serve it!
- top with avocado, cilantro, sour cream and salsa
- wrap it up, burrito style
- reheat in a pan and crack eggs into it
- serve as a side dish to chipotle chicken
Meal prep and storage directions
This recipe is a seriously perfect meal prep recipe, in fact it's one of the recipes I used in this 24 freezer-friendly lunches in 2 hours post! Here are storage and reheat tips:
- fridge- after cooking, portion out into meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- freezer- you can also store in meal prep containers in the freezer for up to 3 months
- reheat- thaw completely (if frozen), then heat in the microwave until steaming hot. You could also reheat in a frying pan
- freezer packs- you can also assemble the uncooked ingredients (excluding the quinoa) in a gallon freezer bag or meal prep container, squeezing out air and freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw completely, add the quinoa, and cook as directed.
Find my favorite meal prep containers here!
More Instant Pot recipes
- Slow Cooker Smoky Chickpea Chili (Vegan)
- 7 Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes
- Instant Pot Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Instant Pot Moroccan Lentils
- Instant Pot Fiesta Rice Bowls
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Instant Pot Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ red onion (diced)
- 4.3 oz can green chiles (127 mL; I used mild)
- 11.5 oz can corn kernels drained (341 mL)
- 15 oz can black beans drained & rinsed (540 mL/ 19 oz also works)
- 1 cup fresh tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
To Serve
- 1 cup enchilada sauce see note 1
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- avocado
- cilantro
- diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Place the red onion, green chiles, corn, black beans, tomatoes, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, quinoa and water into the stainless steel inner pot of your Instant Pot.
- Stir to combine. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the steam release handle to 'sealing', and select 'pressure cook' (or 'manual' on older models) to 1 minute.
- The pot will take 15-20 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once the Instant Pot finishes cooking, allow it to sit for 15 more minutes before releasing the remaining pressure (set the steam release handle to 'venting').
- Stir in the cheese and enchilada sauce, and enjoy.
- Serve with cilantro, avocado, and additional diced tomatoes.
To prepare ahead and freeze:
- Place all ingredients except the quinoa in a gallon-size freezer bag.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before adding all ingredients to the Instant Pot with the quinoa and cooking as indicated above.
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Tips:
- after cooking, store in the fridge for up to 4 days
- portion out into meal prep containers and freeze for up to 3 months
- thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave
Video
Nutrition Information
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Lindsay says
Loved this! I would have never thought to put quinoa in this but it totally works and is a nice alternative to rice. I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes and actually mixed it in because I didn't see the note that it might not be good to mix those and it actually worked just fine. I also had a leftover chicken breast from a prior dinner. After the pot finished the natural release I added the chicken which was cubed. Also - at first I tasted it and thought it didn't have enough flavor. But then I realized I didn't add the seasoning that your meant to add at the end!! But even if that wasn't enough - if it lacks seasoning it's quite simple to shake some extra chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic or onion powder. I also added a scoop of light sour cream to mine. YUM. And I used light cheese in mine so overall I feel this was a healthy meal that I don't feel guilty eating yet it was delicious!
Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you for taking the time to share your creative personalizations. I also like a bit of spice so extra chili is enjoyed. Sour cream too, great ideas.