A nutritious and tasty Quinoa Enchilada Bake with sweet potato, black beans, and corn – a meatless, protein-rich family favorite.
Pair this with a simple side dish such as this cucumber salad, this mandarin orange salad, or this Italian salad!
Why We Love This Quinoa Enchilada Bake
- Nutritious and Filling: This dish is a protein-packed, vegetarian favorite.
- Adaptable for Various Diets: Allows for vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options.
- Easy to Customize: Options for added meat, spicier flavors, or different vegetables.
- Simple to Prepare: Involves roasting, cooking quinoa, and casserole assembly.
- Variety of Topping Choices: Offers personalization with toppings like avocado, lime, and sour cream.
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes, Red Pepper, Onion: Add flavor and texture.
- Olive Oil, Spices: Enhance taste and aroma.
- Quinoa: Provides a protein-rich base to this quinoa enchilada bake.
- Stock/Broth or Water: Cooks quinoa, adds moisture.
- Lime Juice, Corn, Beans, Sauce: Contribute tang, texture, and heartiness.
- Cilantro, Cheese, Toppings: Offer freshness, creaminess, and customization.
Quick Tip
Quinoa, a protein-rich and quick-cooking grain, has a bitter coating called saponin. Rinse it in a fine-mesh strainer before cooking to remove the bitterness.
How To Make Quinoa Enchilada Bake
- Roast: Sweet potatoes, red pepper, and onion.
- Cook Quinoa: In stock or water.
- Mix: Roasted veggies, quinoa, corn, beans, sauce, and cheese in a dish.
- Bake: Covered, then add cheese and bake until melted.
- Garnish: With toppings and serve.
Favorite Toppings On Quinoa Enchilada Bake
- Fresh and ripe sliced avocado (or guacamole).
- Fresh pico de gallo (or salsa).
- Lime juice (served with a few wedges per plate).
- Cilantro, finely chopped and sprinkled on top.
- Sour cream (fat-free works great).
- Tortilla chips (great for dipping).
Storage
Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store quinoa enchilada bake in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze in a sealed container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Microwave or oven-bake until heated through. Add a bit of water or stock if it seems dry.
More Quinoa Recipes
- Quinoa Black Bean Salad
- Crockpot Mexican Quinoa Tacos
- Crockpot Chicken Veggie Quinoa Soup
- Spring Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Enchilada Bake
A nutritious and tasty Quinoa Enchilada Bake with sweet potato, black beans, and corn - a meatless, protein-rich family favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 pounds (2 medium; 5 cups) sweet potatoes chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 small yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons chili powder separated
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa drained and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable stock/broth OR water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 can (15 ounces) fire-roasted corn drained
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can (10 ounces) mild red enchilada sauce (homemade or store-bought - Note 1)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 and 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese divided (Note 2)
- Toppings: chopped avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, additional lime and cilantro
- Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- VEGETABLES: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into small bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the yellow onion and chop the sweet bell pepper. Put all the veggies on a large (full oven size) sheet pan or two half-sheet pans. Toss with olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, and salt and pepper. (Add to taste; we add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.) Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Depending on the size of veggies and the tray you're cooking them on (less space = longer cook time), you may need an additional 5-10 minutes. The potatoes and pepper should be fork tender and onions caramelized and slightly crispy. Remove and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- QUINOA: Meanwhile, add quinoa and stock (or broth or water) to a small saucepan. Cook according to package directions and then remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa and set aside.
- ASSEMBLE: Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the cooked and fluffed quinoa into the baking dish. Add the roasted veggie mix ion top, and add the drained corn, drained and rinsed black beans, enchilada sauce, remaining 1 and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, cilantro, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. (I add another 1/2 teaspoons salt -- add to preference.) Gently stir to combine right in the baking dish. Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasoning to taste. (You can also add any additional chili powder/garlic powder/cumin if desired; we like it just as written!)
- BAKE: Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil, add remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake an additional 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Garnish with your favorite toppings. Our must-haves: chopped avocado, sour cream, chopped cilantro, and plenty of lime juice! We love this with tortilla chips too (eating it as a dip)!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: You can definitely use a hotter brand of enchilada sauce or make your own to determine the heat. The chili powder does add a bit of additional heat though. Also, not all enchilada sauces are made equal; we used Old El Paso® throughout the testing of this recipe.
Note 2: A Mexican cheese blend or even pepper jack can be used in place of the sharp Cheddar
Nutrition
Calories: 567kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 859mg | Potassium: 981mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 26183IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 390mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent recipe, so flavorful!!
YAY! So happy to hear this! Thanks so much Karen! 🙂
I am wondering if you have a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce?
Yes! Right here: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/enchilada-sauce/
This is so delicious! I made it as is, and we loved it!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Penny! 🙂
Made this tonight – soooo good! Fed our family of 5 and everyone loved it! Will definitely make it again!
I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks Katie! 🙂
Just wondering how long you can keep in refrigerator for?
I’d say 4-5 days!
This recipe is a keeper. My kids weren’t crazy about the sweet potatoes, so I will try subbing white potatoes next time. Still way healthier than frozen pizza, right?? For the adults I used Daiya vegan cheddar shreds. Everyone ate a couple of servings, so that is a win.
I’m wondering if this can be made ahead, frozen, and thawed and reheated? And if so, what that would look like. Would the roasted veggies get mushy if frozen??? I haven’t cooked much with quinoa…
Thank you
This recipe freezes exceptionally well and is so yummy. I have successfully frozen it and enjoyed even more when reheated. 😊
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Suzanne! 🙂
To be honest…I wasn’t that excited to make this dinner. BUT OH MY GOSH!!! It is sooooo good!!!! My kids truly ate it up! I added ground turkey because—let’s be honest, we aren’t vegan and I wanted some kind of meat. But we couldn’t even taste it. Next time I’ll leave the meat out. This recipe is so flavorFULL! And the sweet potatoes aren’t that noticeable. I had to tell my husband that they were in it! 2 thumbs up for me and my family!
That’s the best thing to hear 🙂 Thanks so much Magan!
I made half with the sauce and half without (catering to family wishes) and I actually enjoyed it better without. Roasting the veggies was so worth the extra time and mess. Thanks for the great recipe, will be added to my regular rotation!
I’m soo happy you enjoyed this!! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
This recipe is AMAZING. It has everything I love in it! Veggie enchiladas without the yucky, gooey tortilla and instead with healthy quinoa! Also I wanted to point out that adding the enchilada sauce in the assemble section is missing. And I am apparently a slow learner because I go over the list and have forgotten to add it twice. So please add it in if only for me lol
Ahh I’m soo glad you enjoyed this! And thank you sooo much for catching that mistake! It’s fixed. Thanks for your comment! 🙂