Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa, Trail Version
Quinoa, black beans, and enchilada spice in one pot. The casserole minus the canned goods.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Quinoa | 1/2 cup dry | rinse and dry it at home or it turns bitter |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated black beans | 1/3 cup | instant refried flakes work too |
| Freeze-dried sweet corn | 3 tbsp | |
| Sun-dried tomato pieces | 2 tbsp | stands in for the can of stewed tomatoes |
| Enchilada or taco seasoning | 2 tsp | |
| Ground cumin | 1 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp | |
| Onion powder | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Hard cheddar | 1.5 oz | aged cheddar keeps for days out of a fridge |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Lime juice powder or a lime wedge | 1 tsp |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Dump in the quinoa and the dry mix except the cheese and lime.
- Simmer on the lowest flame you can hold for about 12 minutes, stirring so the beans do not weld to the bottom.
- Cut the heat when the quinoa grains have uncurled and most of the water is gone. Lid on, five minutes.
- Grate or slice the cheddar in, stir until it strings, then hit it with the lime and the oil.
The original is a slow cooker dish: eight servings, five cans, ninety minutes of unattended heat. None of that survives a pack. What does survive is the ratio — quinoa as the starch, black beans as the protein, and enough cumin and chili powder that the whole pot tastes like enchilada sauce without carrying any.
Dried tomato and freeze-dried corn replace the cans and rehydrate in the same water the quinoa cooks in, so nothing is wasted. Quinoa needs a real simmer, not a soak, which is why this is fifteen minutes of fuel rather than five. The cheese and oil go in off the heat: they carry the calories and they seize if you boil them.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one bag: quinoa, beans, corn, tomato, spices. Cheese and the oil bottle ride separately.
Variations
- A foil pouch of chicken added at the end pushes it past 40 g of protein.
- Crushed corn chips on top give it the crunch the baked version had.
- Leave the cheese out and swap in nutritional yeast for a vegan, dairy-free build.
https://mealswithmaria.site/enchilada-casserole-slow-cooker