Easy Quinoa Enchilada Crock Pot Meal

Confession: I often get serious dinner time anxiety. The thought of planning, prepping, cooking and cleaning up from dinner after a busy day is enough to make me want to curl up into fetal position and call it a day. This quinoa enchilada bowl is my number one go to because it’s healthy and takes about 5 minutes to make. It requires absolutely no chopping or cooking (unless you want to quickly brown some ground turkey to add, which is totally optional) so it’s the definition of my kind of meal. 

Whether you love to cook or it gives you serious anxiety like me, everyone should have a few super fast recipes on hand for those crazy days. I love that there are always leftovers for lunch the next day and it’s perfect for having guests over because it easily feeds 4 people with plenty to go around. I often grab cans of organic ingredients for this recipe but you can use whatever you prefer. 

Ingredients:

·       1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

·       1 15-ounce can yellow corn, drained and rinsed

·       1 28 ounce can of mild or medium red enchilada sauce, divided

·       1 15-ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes 

·       1 4.5oz can of green chilies 

·       1 cup un-cooked quinoa + 1/3 cup water

·       1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese

·       optional: ground turkey, diced avocado, squeeze of lime 

Directions: 

Combine black beans, yellow corn, enchilada sauce, tomatoes, green chiles, quinoa and water to crock pot. Stir ingredients together. Top with Mexican cheese. Set crock pot to cook for 4-6 hours. Serve and enjoy! 

Optional directions: I often brown a bit of ground turkey and add it to the ingredients before toping with cheese (you could also add chopped bell peppers, onion or any other veggies from your fridge if you want to get fancy!). We usually top our quinoa bowls with some sliced up avocado and a squeeze of lime (you can also top with whatever your favorite enchilada toppings are… think cilantro, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, pico de gallo, etc).

I love that you can make this meal as dressed up or dressed down as you like. I always keep cans of the main ingredients on hand for one of those busy days when I know I don't have time to cook. I really hope having this recipe on hand makes your week feel a bit easier! Enjoy! 

xo, 

Kelly