We’re back with another slow-cooker dump meal and this one is a delicious cheesy creation. This “Mexican Quinoa Casserole” is a quick simple meal that made my house smell amazing. Plus its vegetarian friendly

I will admit this is not a recipe that holds up after a couple of days, it still tasted fine but the texture was a bit off to me so if you’re a texture person I’d encourage you to eat it fresh or the next day rather than three-plus days later.

Like normal, I found this recipe on the internet but had to make my own twists to it, personally, I added more beans and no jalapenos. I mainly forgot to buy said jalapenos when I cooked it since it had been in my freezer for a month but still it turned out pretty amazing.

This was also the first crockpot meal I cooked overnight because it refused to thaw out. The thawing part could have been the fridge in my new place I haven’t figured out how to change the settings on yet or it could be that this particular meal has again been in the freezer for as long as it could be since I try to only leave the meals in for two months. But who knows hopefully if you make this as a freezer meal you don’t have those same issues.

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Ingredients …

— For the freezer

1 cup of vegetable broth

3 cups of potato, diced

15 oz of black beans

15 oz of pinto beans

2 cups of salsa

1 red bell pepper

1/2 a yellow onion

2 tablespoons of cilantro

2 tablespoons of taco seasoning.

— After the freezer

1/2 cup of dry quinoa

2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions …

Add everything but quinoa and cheese into a gallon size ziplock bag. Squeeze as much air out as possible and freeze for up to two months.

When ready, dethaw overnight then add to crockpot. Add quinoa to the mix and stir. If there are still spots that are not covered in liquid add a bit of water. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Before serving add salt and pepper to taste and cover with cheese. Allow cooking for 10 to 15 minutes while the cheese melts.

Serve and enjoy.

Katelin Gandee can be reached at [email protected].