Taco Casserole uses tons of veggies, quinoa, and ground turkey to make a simple and delicious Mexican meal. Use your favorite Crock Pot or Instant Pot, for the perfect lunch or weeknight dinner! Perfect as a filling in tacos, on nachos, or in lettuce wraps for some extra veggies!
**This post (formerly named 21 Day Fix Quinoa Taco Casserole) was originally published on 6/5/16 but is getting an update with new pictures and FAQ.**
Confession #86 – I’m getting a little anxious about the start summer. Which is crazy. I have always looked forward to being home in the summer, especially since I was able to pull my kids out of daycare and spend two glorious months pretending to be a stay at home mom. We all loved it.
Especially my husband.
Now that I am officially a stay at home mom, I should be even happier about summer starting…but I was spoiled this year with my daughter in pm kindergarten.
I had the best of both worlds, you see. We were able to spend all morning together, but everyday at 12:30, my daughter went to school and I was able to put my son down for his rest time.
And therefore I had some sanity. For about an hour or two a day.
This, people, will exist no more.
And trying to convince my 6 year old that we need to leave the pool, playdate, or park NOW to keep my son’s rest schedule in tact will be no treat.
Stay at home moms – any advice for me?
Anyway, while I typically think of winter being crock pot season, I envision using my crock pot a ton this summer for quick and easy meals to help me through the chaos.
And it’s easy to put a summer spin on them. Like this Crock Pot Taco Casserole. Delicious on it’s own, it feels a little more summer-ish served in a lettuce wrap with a bit of fresh lime. Yum!
This is super simple (you don’t even need to cook the quinoa first!!) and perfect for lunch or even dinner throughout the week. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Can I make this Crock Pot Taco Casserole in the Instant Pot too?
Yes! I love the Instant Pot version because it makes it even easier! You still don’t need to precook the quinoa, AND you can saute the meat right in the instant pot! Less dishes makes those long summer nights easier!
What seasoning makes this Mexican Crock Pot Casserole so delicious?
First, the diced tomatoes with green chilies makes this casserole super yummy, but don’t be scared they are not too spicy! Just give it a ton of flavor. Next, if I have homemade Salt Free Taco Seasoning made in the pantry, I use that. Lots of spices and gives it a ton of flavor. If I am all out of homemade taco seasoning, I will just use 1 Tbsp chili powder and 1 tsp cumin. It’s just as delicious, so use what you have!
Looking for a Low Carb Option? Check out this Keto Taco Casserole from Joy Filled Eats!
How do I serve Instant Pot | Crock Pot Taco Casserole?
Making it a lettuce wrap is my favorite way to sneak in some extra veggies to this meal. It’s really delicious as a taco filling or on top of nachos too.
I also love using avocado on top- just don’t forget to count some more blue!
Looking for other Mexican inspired dishes? Try one of these-
21 Day Fix Mexican Street Corn Salad
21 Day Fix Enchilada Beef Dip | Stove Top | Instant Pot
21 Day Fix Lazy Zucchini Enchilada Skillet
Healthy Instant Pot Mexican Favorites (21 Day Fix | 80 Day Obsession | Weight Watchers)
21 Day Fix Healthy Mexican Recipe Roundup
Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb organic ground turkey or chicken be sure cook through for crock pot version
- 2 cups bell peppers diced
- 1/2 cup canned black beans rinsed
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 10 oz tomatoes and green chilies 1 can
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1-2 tablespoon Salt Free Taco Seasoning or sub 1 Tbsp chili powder and 1 tsp cumin
- Organic chicken broth 1 cup for crock pot; 1/2 cup for Instant Pot
- 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
- Sprinkle salt and pepper
- Fresh lime
- Lettuce wraps or corn tortillas optional
Instructions
Crock Pot
- Saute ground meat until cooked through.
- Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high 3 1/2 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. For the last half hour, add cheese and allow to melt.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding a sprinkle of salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve alone, or as a taco filling. I used lettuce wraps for extra green and topped with a squeeze of fresh lime and a bit more shredded cheese. Yum!
Instant Pot
- Turn Instant Pot to saute and brown ground turkey. Once it’s cooked through, add in veggies and saute for an additional minute.
- Stir in quinoa, beans, tomatoes, broth and seasoning.
- Set to manual for 4 minutes, then let steam release naturally. Once you can safely open the pot, top with cheese and place the cover back on to melt it.
- Serve alone, or as a taco filling. I used lettuce wraps for extra green and topped with a squeeze of fresh lime and a bit more shredded cheese. Yum!
Erin Patrick says
Does it matter if I did quick release instead? I was getting impatient lol
Nancylynn says
That should be ok… how did it turn out?
Lucy says
Hello there – I am meal prepping today. Could this be made a head of time in the oven and reheated? Or should I just prep it all in the crock pot bowl and refrigerate then just have hubby start it on the week night we need it? I leave too early to set it in the morning it will just end up sitting on warm for a few hours before we are ready to eat.
Nancylynn says
You can totally make ahead of time and reheat. If you have the time to throw it together today, go for it. It reheats great!
I would only prep in the crock pot bowl as early as the night before you want to eat it – if you want to go the husband starting it route instead. Does that make sense?
Gracie says
Could you make this with rice instead of quinoa? How would you adjust the liquid/cook time for brown rice?
Ashley says
Do you think you could add in shredded zucchini (like the Taco Bake) or would it make it too watery?
Nancylynn says
It’s worth a try! You can always shred the zucchini in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and squeeze all the water out before adding to the taco mixture.
Katie says
What happened to the version with cumin and chili powder? Could I have those amounts please?
Nancylynn says
Sorry – it was 1 tablespoon of chili powder and 1 tsp cumin.
Katie says
Thank you!! Love this recipe!
Megan says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! I entered the recipe into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers site and it says it is 8 points (Freestyle Blue plan), but worth it!
Nancylynn says
I am so thrilled this was a hit!! Now I need to figure out why my counts are so off..what kind of meat did you use?
Megan says
I used ground turkey 93% lean.
Katie says
My toddler so loves your Zuppa Toscana and Beef and broccoli (ok stretching on the broccoli) recipes. I have all these ingredients and will be putting it to the toddler taste test tomorrow!
Nancylynn says
Awww…I hope that sweet babe enjoyed this!
Ashley Seraphin says
This is my first instapot attempt! When you say set the pot to manual for 4 minutes, do you mean set instapot to pressure cook? Hopefully, bc that’s what I just did…i dont see a manual button.
Nancylynn says
Yup! They are interchangeable!
Tricia says
I am eating this right now for lunch and it is delish! I am having it over shredded lettuce with avacado and green onions. Looking forward to enjoying the leftovers!!
Thank you for sharing!
Nancylynn says
I am SO happy to hear, Tricia!! Thanks for the awesome feedback!! <3
Hattie says
If I double the recipe, do I double the time in the instant pot?
Nancylynn says
Nope! Same time 🙂
Ali says
Hi! I just made this and you’re saying that it serves 4 but I divided it using the green container ,3/4 but got 8 eervings. Did I measure wrong?
Nancylynn says
Hi! The serving size is more like 1 1/2 cups each! So yes, four servings 🙂
Aaron says
What if I double or tripled the recipe will the container numbers be the same
Nancylynn says
As long as you keep the portion size, then yes!
Sarah says
Are the portions the same for containers if you double the recipe? I just doubled everything and put it in crockpot , will the containers be the same each serving ?
Nancylynn says
Yes, but you need to portion 8 servings. Make sense?
Amber says
How do I figure out the nutritional count if you aren’t following the colors?
Nancylynn says
Have you ever used myfitnesspal? It’s super helpful for this!
Angela says
Can you use chicken breasts in this recipe instead of ground and just shred it up at the end of cooking?
Nancylynn says
That should work! Let us know if you try it!
Brenda says
Are the black beans canned or dry?
Nancylynn says
Canned
Courtney says
Is this recipe spicy?? I noticed the green chilis and wanted to ask.
Nancylynn says
It’s really not 🙂
Selene says
Black beans and quinoa are place in cooker uncooked right??
Nancylynn says
Yup!
Selene says
Thank you. I’ll try it today ?
Sara says
Do you have to sauté the ground meet first or could I cok in the crock pot?
Nancylynn says
I am not a huge fan of the texture of ground meat in a Crock Pot unless it is browned first. That being said, you the meat will cook through in the crock if you put it in raw.
Andrea says
I can’t have dairy products. Do you think you could make this without adding cheese into the slow cooker? Otherwise it sounds great!
Nancylynn says
I do! It will have a different flavor, but still very yummy!
MacKenzie says
How large is the serving size? One cup? 2 cups? I can’t quite eyeball 1/4th of the whole thing.
Nancylynn says
I usually portion it out before serving. I would say about 1 – 1 1/4 cups.
Jessica Arnzen says
Hello!
I had a question for when you make serving what container did you use to measure?
Nancylynn says
Divide the recipe into four equal portions – the container counts are: 3/4 GREEN (I used lettuce wraps for a perfect 1 GREEN), 1 YELLOW, 1 RED, 1/2 BLUE each
Desiree ferrer says
Did you use can beans ? When I put regular beans in the beans didn’t cook .
Nancylynn says
Yes, canned. Thank you for asking, the recipe is now updated for clarity!
Momof3 says
Please disregard my comment… I purchased a different brand of cups, and the purple for it is proteins. I was so worried that I had missed counting the protein.
Elaine says
Hi Nancy
how do you make quinoa made once, but don’t think it turned out good
I have a reciepe for quinoa chicken enchilada casserrole it is a 21 day fix recipe.
Any tips on making the quinoa/
Elaine Guerriero
Nancylynn says
For this recipe, you just put it in raw. If you want to make the quinoa, just follow the instructions on the box or bag, but be sure to rinse it first! It can taste bitter if you don’t rinse it! Hope that helps 🙂 My quinoa has the following instructions – The ratio is 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to 2 cups of liquid. Bring quinoa and liquid to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.