This simple slow cooker Tex-Mex Quinoa casserole is packed with nutritious ingredients and a killer seasoning blend. This quinoa dish is fairly hands off, letting the slow cooker do all the work! After it’s done cooking, finish it off with fresh lime, herbs, and freshly grated cheese.
Pair this Tex-Mex Quinoa with a light and crunchy side dish like this cucumber salad or this easy pasta salad with fresh corn.
Tex-Mex Quinoa made in the Slow Cooker
After sharing this Quinoa Enchilada Crockpot recipe, I’ve had so many requests for similar recipes; I’m excited to share this recipe today. My family can’t get enough of it, and I’m thrilled because it’s not only simple to assemble, it’s also loaded with nutritious ingredients.
When I first got a slow cooker years ago, finding a good, filling, vegetarian slow cooker recipe was extremely rare, so I’m pleased that this recipe fits all of those categories. While meat can certainly be added or served on the side, you won’t miss the protein in this recipe. Quinoa and black beans are two great plant-based sources of protein. And alongside that, we’ve got lots of veggies and an amazing seasoning blend. The best thing to tie everything together? Cheese of course! So let’s start by talking about that very ingredient:
Let’s talk cheese
- Pre-grated cheese has a cellulose coating that keeps it from melting nicely. While you can use it in Tex-Mex Quinoa, it will get a little greasy and won’t melt as smoothly. I recommend freshly grating the cheese. If you have a food processor with a grater attachment, it will only take a few seconds!
- We love pepper-Jack cheese in this recipe; it’s has a little bit of a kick with a spicy flavor and delicate mouthfeel. It also melts really well into the dish.
- If you aren’t a fan of pepper-Jack, I’d recommend a sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Monterey Jack is fairly mild, so you may want to amp up the spices a bit if using that.
Slow cooker cooking temperature
- Unfortunately, Tex-Mex Quinoa doesn’t cook well on low temperatures; the quinoa absorbs liquid too slowly and has a tendency to become mushy. I recommend cooking this recipe on high.
- Not all slow cookers cook at the same rate; some cook faster or hotter than others. I’ve tested this recipe in three different slow cookers and in one it was done in 2 hours 40 minutes while the other two batches took around 3 hours to finish. At around 2 and a half hours of cooking time, check on the dish, watching for the quinoa to have popped and liquid to be absorbed.
- While it’s tempting to lift the lid to check on the dish or sample a bite, slow cookers work by trapping heat and steam while the food cooks for a longer period of time. So, every time the lid is removed, the heat escapes and takes a while to build back up again.
Quick Tip
Why does quinoa pop? It’s a lot like another seed people enjoy: popcorn! It’s caused by tiny bits of moisture inside the seed kernel. When heated, the steam expands and causes the outer hull to explode. Popped quinoa is a snack very similar to popcorn, too–except the puffs are much smaller than regular popcorn.
Tex-Mex Quinoa variations
- Add heat: A tablespoon or two of diced jalapeños, hot sauce, and/or fire-roasted diced green chilies all add in some heat. Cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes also add in heat but add slowly– a little goes a long way!
- Reduce heat: If you’re concerned about spiciness in this dish, you may want to slightly reduce the chili powder (or make sure to use a mild chili). I also recommend swapping out the pepper Jack cheese for Cheddar.
- Make vegetarian: Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Even without meat, this dish has a good amount of protein in it, thanks to the quinoa and black beans.
- Add meat: Brown some ground turkey in a skillet and stir it into the finished dish or add some shredded cooked chicken to the finished dish.
- Convert this recipe to a pressure cooker: I haven’t personally made this recipe in a pressure cooker, but this is a great article for converting slow cooker recipes into a pressure cooker.
Tex-Mex Quinoa tips
- Use fire-roasted diced tomatoes for more flavor. I love Muir Glen’s® fire-roasted diced tomatoes (not sponsored).
- Don’t forget the toppings. They add so much flavor, texture, and freshness to this dish. Our favorite toppings for this dish are chopped avocados, fresh cilantro, fresh lime, and fresh cherry tomatoes. Other options: sour cream, additional cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, and green onion.
- 2 tablespoons of chili powder may sound like a lot, but that’s the correct measurement! The heat in chili powder can certainly vary brand to brand and country to country. I use a non-spicy chili powder like McCormick® (not sponsored).
- Crockpot® is a specific brand of slow cooker. You can use any type of slow cooker you prefer for this Tex-Mex Quinoa.
Leftovers
As good as this dish is the day it’s made, it only gets better over time! One of our favorite way to repurpose leftovers is by warming through and using as a filling for a burrito. Add a few spoonfuls of the Tex-Mex Quinoa mixture into a large tortilla, add a little extra cheese (if desired), roll up tight, and place in a skillet to brown the edges (1-2 minutes, switching sides every 30 seconds at medium heat).
More quinoa recipes
- Quinoa Chili with sweet potatoes
- Southwest Quinoa Salad with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette
- Quinoa Fried Rice with a simple stir-fry sauce
- Quinoa Enchilada Crockpot with ground turkey
- Citrus Quinoa Salad with a citrus vinaigrette
Tex-Mex Quinoa
Equipment
- Slow Cooker 6-quart
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1-1/2 cups white quinoa rinsed
- 1 large sweet bell pepper finely diced (I use red)
- 1 poblano chili pepper finely diced (or use a green pepper)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1/2 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons ground chili powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth; use vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian recipe
- 1/4 cup cilantro finely diced
- 1 lime
- 1-1/2 cups freshly grated Pepper-jack cheese shredded
- Toppings as desired see note 1
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray (or use a slow cooker liner). Add uncooked quinoa to a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold water for 1 minute. (This removes the natural bitter coating on quinoa.)
- Finely dice the sweet peppers and poblano chili pepper (remove seeds from both). Add chopped peppers, minced garlic, and diced onion to the slow cooker.
- Place the rinsed quinoa, drained and rinsed black beans, undrained diced tomatoes, and corn in the slow cooker. Add seasonings: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste (I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Stir everything together and put on the lid.
- Set to high and cook for 2-1/2 to 4 hours (see note 2) or until broth is completely absorbed and quinoa is cooked through (“popped”). All slow cookers cook a little differently, so make sure to occasionally check to make sure quinoa isn’t burning or sticking to the sides (see note 3).
- Once cooked through, fluff quinoa with a fork, then gently stir in chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, and any additional salt/pepper as needed. Sprinkle freshly grated cheese on top and cover with the lid to melt for 5–10 minutes. Once melted, gently stir the cheese through the dish (it will continue to melt and make everything extra cheesy). Serve with any desired toppings (additional cilantro, diced avocados, diced cherry tomatoes, additional lime, etc.).
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve never felt compelled to leave a review for a recipe…until now! This is my new delish, healthy go-to. I make it weekly for myself, and even my meat-loving carnivore of a boyfriend can’t get enough of this meat-free tastiness. Thanks so much for this tasty recipe!
I am so happy you loved it Jenn! Haha my husband is a huge carnivore too! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review and kind words 🙂
Happy to have found this on Pinterest! I made it tonight and it is delicious. I too cooked it too long as I didn’t fully read the instructions while rushing to get out the door this morning. Happily, in it’s “mushier” state, it was great as a burrito filling topped with cheese and hot sauce.
Would this work without the cheese?
It will work without cheese, but I think a lot of the flavor comes from the cheese, so it will definitely be more bland without it.
Made this last night and it was perfection!! Thanks for this great and easy recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the comment 🙂
When you mention to rinse the quinoa, is that after cooking it or just dry?
When it is dry. I put mine in a fine mesh sieve and wash it really well. Rinsing the quinoa removes the saponin that had a very bitter and earthy taste.
I made this last night. The flavors were great! I think I did something wrong though because the texture was really not what I was expecting. It came out kind of like a mush pile with the consistency of oatmeal. I didn’t wash the quinoa first. Also, I added two boneless skinless chicken breasts. Maybe that was the cause? Outside of the kind of gooey consistency it was awesome!
I recommend that if you do add chicken to make sure to season it individually before sticking it in the pot.
Thanks so much for the comment! I can’t figure out why your consistency was so off. I’ve made this with chicken and had the same consistency with or without it. I wonder if you maybe cooked it too long? How long did you cook it for?
And great idea about pre-seasoning the chicken!
I cooked it on low for 6 1/2 hours but then it sat on warm from probably another 3 hours probably. I went to bed and didn’t wake up when I planned on it :). Didn’t even think about that! Maybe next time I’ll try it on high and actually make sure I can take it off the heat when it is done.
I’m actually eating it right now and it really is quite yummy! Thank you for the recipe! I look forward to making it again – and better! Ha!
Oh and I see it right there. I totally put it in for too long on low in the first place. >.<
****UPDATE****
I made this again and cooked it for the RIGHT about of time. I did 3 hours on high. I also added the chicken breasts and seasoned them with a little salt, pepper, and homemade taco seasoning first.
It came out EXCELLENT! I even got a compliment from my boyfriend, which is unheard of when it comes to food!
YAY! SO glad to hear it worked out and you both liked it 🙂 Thanks so much Mikal!
So just to clarify I guess you add the whole chicken breasts raw and did you leave them whole or cut into pieces?
Yes, I put the chicken in raw
And this is why you should always read the comments first…
Mine also turned out mushy but I did the same thing, cooked on low for 6-7 hrs instead of the recommended high for 3 hrs. I’ll have to try it again 🙂
Yes, unfortunately cooking it on low doesn’t work with this recipe so that’s why I didn’t include an option for cooking on low in the instructions! Hope it works out better for you next time 🙂
I cooked mine on low for 3.5 hours and it turned out very good. Though I have always thought my crockpot runs hot.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you Valerie 🙂
I love quinoa, but have only used it in salads. Can’t wait to try it in the slow cooker, especially with a Tex-Mex twist.
And the added bonus is that this is such a healthy meal. The idea of starting it in the morning and coming home to a meal just waiting to be eaten will just add less stress to the day. Your presentation in the bowl is a great idea–makes everything clear and simple. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa
Now this is what I’m talking about! I’ve decided to try to quit eating meat again (with the exception of seafood but no more chicken, beef or pork!) so this recipe is perfect. Plus, who doesn’t love using their slow cooker, especially during the summer! Thanks for the recipe, Chelsea!
OMG, I made this today….and it is SO delish! Shared it with another family, who also raved. Thanks for sharing
Hey Valerie! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! 🙂 so glad you enjoyed it! Have a great week!
This sounds perfect! Gorgeous pictures too!