Crockpot Mexican Casserole is an easy, healthy, and delicious way to get your favorite Mexican flavors all in one bite. Made with beef, beans, peppers, and enchilada sauce, all seasoned with bold spices and topped with ooey-gooey cheese. This is a one-pot meal perfect for busy weeknights!
If you love Mexican recipes as much as we do, you have to try these Sheet Pan Quesadillas, this Mexican Zucchini Skillet and this Chicken Enchiladas.
Having easy dinners that are healthy and completely satisfying in taste are what anyone with a busy family needs. This Mexican casserole dinner delivers on all fronts. From fresh bold flavors of cumin, chili powder, and paprika, to the combination of juicy beef and hearty quinoa, it’s a dish with something for everyone!
This is a one-pot, set-it-and-forget-it meal. It’s definitely one to keep handy for low key weekends, busy weeknights, and then again for lunch the next day. All you need is to brown the meat in a skillet and transfer all ingredients to the slow cooker and let it work its magic. It will be ready and waiting for you just in time for dinner.
Serve with toppings such as sour cream, avocado, and diced onion and you’ve got one of the best simple dinner ideas your entire family will love!
How to Make Easy Mexican Casserole in a Slow Cooker
To a large skillet, add the ground beef and diced onion and cook over medium-high heat. Brown the meat until it is no longer pink.
Add the cooked meat and onion to the slow cooker. Then, add the enchilada sauce, undrained diced tomatoes, drained black beans, corn, bell peppers, uncooked quinoa, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and water.
Stir to combine making sure to mix everything together.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook until the quinoa is tender. You can choose whether you cook it on low or high, which of course will determine how long you cook it.
Remove the lid and add half of the shredded Mexican cheese and stir to combine. Then you’ll sprinkle the rest on top and close the lid, allowing the cheese to melt.
Serve with optional toppings like cilantro, sour cream or yogurt, avocado, and green onions. In fact, have everything set out in bowls around the table and everyone can choose their own!
Tips and Variations
- Use turkey instead of ground beef for a red meat substitution.
- To prep ahead, the night before brown the meat and dice the onions and peppers and be ready to dump in the crockpot the next day. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
- Make this dish in an Instant Pot on High Pressure/Manual for 30 minutes.
- Swap black beans for pinto beans, or use what you have in your pantry.
- For a vegetarian version of this Mexican Casserole, omit the meat and double the black beans. Mushrooms would also add a nice hearty texture.
- No need to rinse the quinoa as you would rice. Typically quinoa comes pre-rinsed.
How To Store It
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, it may be even better the next day! Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
How to Reheat it
Reheat in the microwave or place in a baking dish to warm in the oven at 300 degrees until heated through.
Crockpot Mexican Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 10 oz cans red enchilada sauce mild
- 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained
- 1 cup corn frozen or fresh
- 2 red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
Optional toppings:
- sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- diced avocado
- fresh cilantro
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in, ground beef and diced onion to a large skillet.
- Cook over medium high heat, stirring often to brown the meat for about 5 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add the cooked meat and onion mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add the enchilada sauce, tomatoes, black beans, corn, bell peppers, uncooked quinoa, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and ½ cup water.
- Stir to combine well then place the cover on the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 1 ½ to 2 hours or low for 4 to 5 hours or until the quinoa is tender.
- Remove the lid, add ½ cup of shredded cheese and stir to combine well.
- Then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
- Place the lid back on and allow cheese to melt, approximately 5 minutes.
- Serve with optional toppings of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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karenlynn plourde
would my favorite dark red kidney beans work also in this delish recipe?
Joel
Can I use a can of corn instead of frozen or fresh?
Donna
An you use rice instead of quinoa? And how much?
imsen @saltedcaramelgirl.com
We Love this recipe! Even my picky kids devour it. It’s the perfect meal and the leftovers store/freeze well.
Quick and Easy Family Recipes
Ivory
Yummy! You nailed this . Looks mouthwatering. Will be having tomorrow.