Cheesy Lentil & Quinoa Enchilada Bake (Instant Pot + Vegan Friendly)

This Cheesy Lentil & Quinoa Enchilada Bake is a dump it and leave it kind of meal! Enjoy it as is, scoop it up with chips, or layer over a sheet of tortilla chips for some killer vegetarian nachos.

A few weeks ago, I tricked my husband into eating vegan loaded nachos.

He knew the “meat” was a quinoa/black bean mixture, and he knew the sour cream wasn’t truly sour cream. He was ok with these terms.

He grabbed the cashew-based nacho cheese and asked if it was just “normal cheese”. I gave some kind of “Hmm? Oh..yes” type response. I watched him pour the cashew-based nacho cheese all over his nachos and kept my mouth shut, trying not to giggle.

Once he finished his nachos I shared the little detail about what the cheese truly was.

His response: “Aw, hell.”

I don’t know that he will ever go to a vegan restaurant with me again (or trust me in general tbh), but the man is such a trooper that he’ll try anything once.

Except tofu. Never tofu.

Cheesy Lentil & Quinoa Enchilada Bake: What You’ll Need

Those vegan nachos inspired this Cheesy Lentil & Quinoa Enchilada Bake. It’s delicious enough to eat as is, but we won’t judge if you put the leftovers on chips and eat them nacho-style (We definitely did). Here’s what you’ll need:

• Quinoa
• Green lentils (red will get too soft)
• Corn (frozen tastes better than canned, in my opinion)
• Black beans
• Garlic
• Veggie stock
• Onion
• Green chiles
• Red enchilada sauce
• Spices (chili, cumin and cayenne)

You can also add in some zucchini or spinach for extra veggies! (See notes)

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need

• Instant Pot

Yep, that’s it.

So easy your husband could do it (mine coined that phrase and thinks it’s hilarious. He’s right.)

More yummy Tex-Mex dinners:

• 10-Minute Pressure Cooker Taco Chicken
• Poblano Sour Cream Enchiladas (reader fave!)
• Stuffed Poblano Peppers
• Southwestern Mexican Lasagna

Print Recipe

Cheesy Lentil & Quinoa Enchilada Bake (Instant Pot)

This Cheesy Lentil & Quinoa Enchilada Bake is a dump it and leave it kind of meal! Enjoy it as is, scoop it up with chips, or layer over a sheet of tortilla chips for some killer vegetarian nachos.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup green lentils
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 cup red enchilada sauce
• 4 oz green chiles
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne optional, for heat
• 1 cup monterrey jack cheese

Servings servings Ingredients 1/2 cup quinoa 1/2 cup green lentils 3 cups vegetable stock 2 cloves garlic 1/2 onion 1 can black beans 1/2 cup corn 1 cup red enchilada sauce 4 oz green chiles 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp cayenne optional, for heat 1 cup monterrey jack cheese

Instructions

1. Add uncooked quinoa, lentils, vegetable stock, minced garlic, green chiles, onion and spices into instant pot. Set to pressure cook on low for 15 minutes.
2. After the 15 minutes are up, manually release the lid and stir in black beans, corn and enchilada sauce. If you're adding cheese, sprinkle it on top before closing the lid.
3. Let the cooker sit, lid on, for 10 minutes to allow cheese to melt.
4. Serve as is, with chips for dipping, or spoon over nachos!

Recipe Notes

• If you're adding in diced zucchini, spinach, or another soft vegetable, add it in during those last 10 minutes. Otherwise it will get too mushy.

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Enjoy!