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Home » Recipes » Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

12/9/20

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This Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole is a delicious one pot Mexican chicken recipe that is ready in 30 minutes or less – it's also gluten-free!

Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

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    Making this recipe in a slow cooker

    If you aren’t the lucky owner of an electric pressure cooker, it is not a problem at all! You can make this Instant Pot enchilada casserole easily in a slow cooker instead.

    Simply add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, with the exception of any fresh toppings. Then, allow it to cook on low power for 6 hours, or until all of the liquid is absorbed into the quinoa.

    Side dish ideas

    When you're thinking of what to serve with a chicken enchilada casserole like this one, think of what you would typically serve with any Mexican dinner.

    A side of tortilla chips and salsa would be nice, or a garden salad would be great for some additional healthy veggies.

    Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

    Ingredient substitutions

    • olive oil – Any neutral flavour of cooking oil like avocado or vegetable oil will also work
    • boneless skinless chicken breasts – You’ll be dicing the chicken, so fresh tenders are a good substitute. If you prefer dark meat, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead
    • taco seasoning – Many store bought seasoning mixes include MSG as a preservative. If you would like to avoid it, you can use homemade taco seasoning
    • minced garlic – Fresh cloves of garlic provide the most flavour, or you can use jarred garlic
    • onions – I prefer yellow onion but white and red onion are fine too
    • chicken broth or stock – Vegetable broth may be used instead
    • tomato sauce – Cans of diced tomatoes will also work. Or, in a pinch, you can use your favourite pasta sauce, but you may need to add some water to thin it out
    • uncooked quinoa – I prefer white, but any colour quinoa will be fine
    • bell peppers – I like to add colour, so I use 1/2 each of red, green and yellow bell peppers

    Toppings:

    • shredded cheese – Cheddar, Parmesan, or even a Mexican cheese like Cojita would be great
    • diced avocado – To keep your avocado fresh and prevent it from discoloring, squeeze a little bit of fresh lime juice over the pieces.
    • plum tomatoes – I like using plum tomatoes because they tend to have less seeds, but any variety of tomato will be fine.
    • fresh cilantro– Feel free to use parsley if you aren’t a fan of cilantro

    Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

    Storing and reheating

    Allow the casserole to cool down before transferring it to an airtight container. Keep it in the refrigerator and use it within 5 days.

    You can reheat it in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat, in the microwave, or even in your Instant Pot.

    To reheat the meal in your pressure cooker, you’ll want to use the simmer or sauté function. You’ll first need to remove any fresh toppings, like the avocado and shredded cheese. Stir it occasionally until it heats through.

    Freezing this recipe

    Instant Pot chicken enchilada casserole will freeze well for up to 3 months. Cool the meal to room temperature before transferring to airtight freezer-safe containers. To thaw, place the casserole in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it.

    If you want to freeze it in individual containers for easy meal prep, it can be taken right from the freezer to the microwave. Reheat it on high power for a few minutes, stopping at least once to stir it.

    Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

    More Instant Pot casseroles

    • Instant Pot Pizza Quinoa Casserole
    • Instant Pot Cream of Mushroom Chicken
    • Instant Pot African Peanut Stew

    Meal Prep tools

    • The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 is the version I use in this recipe
    • Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this dish up for lunch
    • I get free range chicken from my monthly Butcher Box
    Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

    Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

    This Instant Pot Enchilada Quinoa Casserole is a delicious one pot Mexican chicken recipe that is ready in 30 minutes or less.
    4.82 from 11 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 427kcal
    Author: Taylor Stinson

    Ingredients

    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 2 chicken breasts, diced
    • 2 tbsp taco seasoning
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 yellow onions, diced
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 2 cups tomato sauce
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
    • 1/2 each red, green and yellow pepper, finely diced
    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
    • 1 avocado, diced
    • 2 plum tomatoes, diced
    • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

    Instructions

    • Add all ingredients except for bell peppers, cheese, avocado, plum tomatoes and cilantro to Instant Pot in the order written, making sure to add quinoa last.
    • Set to manual and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to pre-heat and then the 3 minutes to cook. When complete, press cancel and do a quick release of the steam, waiting until the pressure gauge drops back down and the lid is safe to open.
    • Stir in bell peppers and top with cheese, avocado, plum tomatoes and cilantro. Serve among 6 bowls and enjoy!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 930mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1850IU | Vitamin C: 118mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @TheGirlonBloor or tag #thegirlonbloor!

    This Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole is a delicious one pot Mexican chicken recipe that is ready in 30 minutes or less - it's also gluten-free! #instantpot #enchiladacasserole This Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole is a delicious one pot Mexican chicken recipe that is ready in 30 minutes or less - it's also gluten-free! #instantpot #enchiladacasserole This Instant Pot Enchilada Casserole is a delicious one pot Mexican chicken recipe that is ready in 30 minutes or less - it's also gluten-free! #instantpot #enchiladacasserole

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    About Taylor Stinson

    Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

    Comments

    1. Diane says

      December 9, 2020 at 17:57

      Can you make this without quinoa? Maybe brown rice?

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        December 10, 2020 at 07:53

        Hi Diane – I’m sure you could make this with rice but I haven’t tested it myself unfortunately.

        Reply
    2. Laura says

      September 14, 2020 at 11:30

      5 stars
      I love your mexican recipes! Would it work if I added a can of black beans to this? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        September 14, 2020 at 12:29

        Hi Laura, thank you! I’m sure it would work just fine with a can of black beans, go for it!

        Reply
    3. Lindsay says

      June 18, 2019 at 19:31

      5 stars
      Delicious and healthy, my only issue is that my chicken was barely cooked through with only 3 minutes and 10 min of pressure building. Probably operator error.

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        June 19, 2019 at 07:34

        Hey Lindsay – it can depend on the size of your chicken breasts and how small you cut them up. Glad you liked the recipe 🙂

        Reply
    4. Renata says

      January 9, 2019 at 20:01

      What type of quinoa did you use? Mine turned out soupy (but tasty) and my quinoa was undercooked. I believe because mine was a mixed type

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        January 10, 2019 at 07:51

        Hey Renata – I used plain quinoa, not a mix. Sorry to hear the mixed type was undercooked 🙁 You could always try pressure cooking another couple of minutes or letting the mixture sit if you encounter similar issues in the future.

        Reply
    5. Alicia says

      November 25, 2018 at 19:04

      I followed the recipe to a T and it turned out soupy :/ not sure where I went wrong.. it tastes delicious though!

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        November 26, 2018 at 08:16

        Sorry to hear it turned out this way for you Alicia! Sometimes it just needs to sit a little bit more time in order to soak up all the liquid.

        Reply
    6. Steph says

      November 10, 2018 at 00:33

      Can I make this in a normal pot instead of instant one?

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        November 10, 2018 at 13:15

        You probably could! I just can’t give alternative directions unfortunately since I haven’t tried it myself.

        Reply
    7. Liz says

      October 31, 2018 at 06:34

      I don’t have an Instant Pot. Can all of your Instant Pot recipes be made in a crock pot?

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        October 31, 2018 at 08:29

        Hey Liz – unfortunately not all of them can be made in a slow cooker. Some like the pulled chicken ones or different kinds of soups and stews should work, but I just haven’t tried making the switch myself and have way less experience cooking with a slow cooker so I would be unable to tell you how to adapt them. Very sorry about this!

        Reply
    8. Emily Spencer Munson says

      July 19, 2018 at 13:43

      Is it possible to do this with green salsa instead of tomato sauce?

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        July 20, 2018 at 15:34

        Yes of course Emily! It should work just fine 🙂

        Reply
    9. Tracie says

      April 25, 2018 at 09:55

      Another quick, easy and healthful recipe! It was great. Thanks.

      Reply
    10. Kristin says

      April 18, 2018 at 16:18

      Hello! I have a question about your nutrition facts. The calories indicated don’t gave a serving size… Is it 427 calories for the entire recipe? Surely not?

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        April 18, 2018 at 16:23

        Hi Kristin! There are six servings (it’s on the recipe card just above the nutrition facts) You would divide everything in six and one of those six bowls is approx. 427 calories. Hope that helps!

        Reply
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    Taylor Stinson

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