Quinoa and black beans are seasoned simply with taco seasonings and enchilada sauce in this slow cooker staple recipe! This is a versatile recipe that is ready in about 3 hours on high heat in a slow cooker.
I've been asked multiple times over the years if this Quinoa Black Bean Casserole, which is my most popular recipe, can be converted to a slow cooker. The answer is now a confirmed YES, except I tweaked the recipe to be a touch more flavorful.
This recipe is also similar to my Quinoa Taco Salad, because it turns out the combination of quinoa and black beans is just plain good!
Ingredients
- Quinoa: Any variety should work. I recommend rinsing the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Enchilada sauce: My favorite brand is Siete red or green enchilada, but I also tested with the classic Old El Paso red enchilada sauce and liked the results.
- Beans: All you need is one can of black beans, but for extra protein and fiber feel free to add two! Pinto beans are another good option.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. This is a similar blend to those taco seasoning packets you can buy at the grocery store, just less salty.
FAQ
Unfortunately, I have yet to find a way to cook rice in the slow cooker to my liking. It typically comes out either way overcooked, or stuck to the sides of the slow cooker and slightly bland. Because of this, I do not recommend swapping out quinoa for rice, even though this swap works in my dump and bake casseroles.
I only tested this recipe on high, but it should work to cook it on slow instead. I would just check it after 4 hours, as quinoa can become overcooked quickly.
I recommend using my Instant Pot Quinoa Taco Salad recipe instead. You can adjust the seasonings of that dish to more closely meet this recipe.
More slow cooker favorites
Recipe
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Slow Cooker Seasoned Quinoa & Black Beans
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups quinoa
- 1 small white onion
- 1 medium bell pepper optional
- 1 medium jalapeño optional
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce (1 ¼ cup)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dry oregano leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste (½ teaspoon table salt)
- lime wedges and chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Dice the white onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño.
- To a slow cooker, add the rinsed quinoa, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, vegetable broth, drained and rinsed black beans, crushed tomatoes with juices, enchilada sauce, chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Stir well.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until the quinoa is fluffy and the liquid is fully absorbed.
- Stir well and serve with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- For more spice: Replace ½ of the standard chili powder with chipotle chili powder.
- This recipe is also good with corn. I suggest adding 1 ½ cups of frozen corn (no need to thaw) or a drained can of corn.
- I like to serve this with avocado and corn chips, but this is also good as a sign or filling in burritos.
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