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Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole. Yummy, vegetarian and gluten-free! Cooked quinoa, beans, corn and corn tortillas in a homemade enchilada sauce. Delicious!
Another weeknight dinner brought to you by the Instant Pot.
What do we call this? It’s got all the flavors of enchiladas, but it’s definitely not enchiladas. No rolling, no filling, no baking. Just throwing all of the ingredients in the pressure cooker and in 25 minutes, dinner is served.
This base is so incredibly delicious, you might decide to eat it straight from the pot. Or, you might decide that you do want enchiladas after all and will use the filling in corn tortillas. That’s the beauty of this meal, it’s completely customizable depending on how you want to eat it.
We did both. A cook once, eat twice approach. Enchilada bowls the first night, then I tucked the leftovers into corn tortillas and baked them with more sauce and cheese the second night. Enchiladas two nights in a row? What could be better?
I’m including my recipe for a homemade enchilada sauce, which I feel really elevates the entire dish. If you’ve found a canned version of enchilada sauce that you like, tell me. I’ve tried so many only to be disappointed in the overall taste. They are either too tomato-y, too bland, or lacking any real flavor.
Mine includes a hefty dose of spices, including a little cinnamon for warmth and depth. I know it’s an extra step for a weeknight meal, but I think the additional ten minutes are worth it. Or, do what I do- triple the sauce recipe, then freeze for whenever you need extra enchilada sauce without the additional effort.
Cook the quinoa in the sauce, then add in the rest of the ingredients after the pressure is released. Adding the beans and corn last will prevent them from turning to mush while pressure cooking.
Right before serving, stir in chopped corn tortillas (if using) and shredded cheddar cheese (if desired.) While I haven’t tried it, I think drizzling in my vegan cheese sauce would be an awesome dairy-free alternative.
That’s it! Super easy, super delicious, everything you could want in a weeknight dinner.
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If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
PrintInstant Pot Quinoa Enchiladas! This casserole is a perfect, healthy weeknight meal. Filled with vegetables, beans and quinoa, this recipe has plant-based protein and easily gluten-free. Serve as is or as an enchilada filling. Instructions for slow-cooker in notes!
Tag @delishknowledge on Instagram and hashtag it #delishknowledge
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(38 comments) leave a comment
Have you tried Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce?
No I haven’t– how is it?
This is a fabulous recipe. Made it for our friend who’s vegan. We had leftovers and I added some chorizo and used it to make nachos. Wonderful versatility with the leftovers!
★★★★★
I’d love some clarification on the last step:
Remove the lid and immediately once pressure has subsided (about 15 minutes) then stir in the black beans, corn, jalapeno, cheese, cilantro and corn tortillas. Serve hot, with extra enchilada sauce if desired.
Once you remove the lid, isn’t the pressure already subsided? What takes 15 minutes?
Hi Ed. You are right! That last step is confusing. You’ll want to wait 15 minutes after the 1 minute at high pressure. Then, remove the lid and add in all of the other ingredients. I say “immediately” because you want the ingredients in the IP to still be hot so everything that’s added gets cooked from the steam.
Despite taking precautions so that I didn’t get the burn message I still got it. I tried to make sure the liquids were on the bottom and I even transferred the sautéed food to a dish and rinsed out the pot before adding everything back before setting it to pressure cook. Now I am in the middle of trying to figure out how to get the quinoa cooked and the meal ready to eat with the extra liquid I had to add.
I feel there is a solution but the recipe needs to be revisited/rewritten to deal with this burn issue.
how many servings does this make?
Hi Rachel, 6 servings. Thanks!
No burn error. After reading the comments, I made extra sure to NOT let the tomato/enchilada sauce touch the bottom of the insert. Since my sauce was a bit cool by the time I added it, I was able to pour it on top of the water/veg/quinoa mixture and it stayed sitting on top. Didn’t stir, close, and everything came to pressure nicely. I’ve found this to be a cardinal rule of IP cooking, don’t let tomato sauces touch the bottom. Hope this helps others. Thx for the recipe! It made a lot so we have a ton left to eat throughout the week which I always appreciate.
★★★★
Yes! That’s it! Thank you!
This looks delicious! I would like to make it tonight, can it be made in the Insta pot using dried black beans? can this be done in the insta pot changing cooking times or should I cook the beans apart? thanks so much! It would be great if can be done all in the insta pot
I don’t know if dried beans would work; because of the tomato sauce, the recipe might burn if cooked too long. Black beans take about 25 minutes to cook and then 15-20 minutes natural release. If you try it, let us know!
I made this tonight and it turned out great. Like the comments above my IP gave me the burn error twice and was never fully able to reach pressure. Not sure why it kept burning. I just kept adding more vegetable stock.
Does anyone know the macros for this recipe?
I got the burn noticed twice! I’m making it as we speak and have given up on getting it through the cycle. I added 1 cup each time I got the burn notice with no luck. Since the quinoa is cooked now, I’m moving on to adding the rest of the ingredients.
Hm, sorry about that Maria- since the quinoa is already cooked, then I’d recommend just adding the rest of the ingredients and cook on “warming” until heated through. Should still taste great. Let me know how it turned out.