Slow Cooker Cheesy Enchilada Quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 pound ground turkey i used honeysuckle white
- 1 and 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
- 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup onion
- 1/2 cup sweet bell peppers i used orange
- 1 can (19 ounces) enchilada sauce*
- 2 cups cheddar or mexican cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- optional: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice sour cream, green onions, 1 small jalopeno
- Carbohydrate 74.6684646433773 g
- Cholesterol 244.019173581409 mg
- Fat 53.3487463473903 g
- Fiber 1.28502828031306 g
- Protein 63.4859047754568 g
- Saturated Fat 31.632606511794 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -8 (845g)
- Sodium 902.911473136333 mg
- Sugar 73.3834363630642 g
- Trans Fat 3.01302748125057 g
- Calories 1022 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey until browned through. Drain out any grease and place in the slow cooker.
- Add in the uncooked quinoa (make sure to rinse first), the black beans (drained and rinsed), the frozen corn, the diced tomatoes and green chilies (do not drain), the salsa (I used medium), and minced garlic.
- Chop up the onion and sweet bell pepper into small pieces. Add to the slow cooker. If desired chop up a jalopeno and add it too.
- Add in the water, enchilada sauce (I used mild, but use whatever you like best), chili powder, and cumin.
- Stir everything together really well. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours or until the liquid is all absorbed into the mixture.
- Once it is done cooking, remove the lid and stir everything again. Stir in the cheese and fresh cilantro (stems removed and chopped).
- If desired add in the fresh lime juice.
- Add a dollup of sour cream and some chopped green onions if desired.
- **If you want to make these into more of traditional enchiladas: warm up the tortillas, spread some cheese on one side, a large spoonful of the mixture on top of the cheese, and more cheese on top of the mixture. Roll it up and top with more salsa or enchilada sauce. Add sour cream, green onions, and cilantro if desired.
Molten cheddar blankets a deeply savory grain base that holds its individual shape rather than collapsing into mush. Achieving this specific texture relies on understanding how quinoa absorbs ambient moisture during a prolonged thermal cycle. Rinsing the raw seed thoroughly removes bitter saponin coatings, but it also introduces surface water that must be accounted for in the total liquid volume. When substituting proteins, ground turkey can easily dry out if overcooked in a wide skillet, so brown it only until no pink remains before transferring it to the ceramic insert. Ground beef or bulk pork sausage work just as well, though higher-fat meats will render grease that pools on the surface unless drained through a fine-mesh strainer prior to combination. Vegetables like bell peppers and onions release water as cellular walls break down under sustained heat, which directly influences whether the final dish eats like a casserole or a thick stew. Adjusting the canned enchilada sauce downward by a quarter cup compensates for heavy loads of watery fresh produce. Cooking on high for three hours allows the liquid to reduce fully without over-softening the black beans and corn kernels. Stirring in dairy at the very end prevents the milk solids from separating and oiling off under direct heat. Quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids, making this starch-forward skillet meal nutritionally dense while utilizing pantry staples efficiently.
