Throw all of the ingredients for this Healthy Slow Cooker NC Sweetpotato Mexican Quinoa into your slow cooker for an easy weeknight dinner that’s plant-based and made with pantry staples!
This vegan crock pot recipe is such a delicious and wholesome stay-at-home meal that will last you all week long!
Benefits of North Carolina Sweetpotatoes
Get ready for one of the most delicious one-pot meals you will ever eat. This healthy slow cooker sweet potato Mexican quinoa is one of our favorite slow cooker recipes. It is made with protein-packed quinoa, beans, spices, and, the star of the show, NORTH CAROLINA SWEETPOTATOES.
We are thrilled to be partnering with the NC SweetPotato Commission today because sweet potatoes truly are a staple ingredient in our recipes.
There is no shortage of sweet potato recipes on Fit Foodie Finds, and you will always find us using NC Sweetpotatoes! Did you know that North Carolina is the #1 producer of sweet taters in the nation?
Here are a couple more reasons we love North Carolina sweetpotatoes→
- NC Sweetpotatoes have flavor like no other. Sweet, but slightly savory all at the same time.
- The shelf life of NC sweetpotatoes are amazing! They last up to 2-4 weeks if stored in a cool, dark place.
- NC Sweetpotatoes are easy to incorporate into delicious meals year-round! Roast them, grill them, and even puree them!
- NC Sweetpotatoes are a great ingredient to keep on hand at all times even if you are stuck at home!
The PERFECT Stay-At-Home Recipe
North Carolina sweetpotatoes are the star ingredient of this healthy slow cooker Mexican quinoa recipe! It’s a great recipe for weeknight dinners that’s easy to make and nutrient-packed.
Not to mention all you have to do is throw all of the ingredients into your slow cooker and let the magic happen!
Pantry Staple Ingredients
All of the ingredients in this recipe are shelf-stable, which is one of the reasons we love it so much! This can be the meal you make when “you don’t have anything to make for dinner.” Here’s what you need:
- NC sweetpotatoes
- White quinoa
- Black beans
- Whole kernel corn
- Crushed tomatoes
- Green chilis
- Vegetable broth
- Red onion
- Maple syrup
- Taco seasoning
Easy to Cook
After you have all of the ingredients prepped, rinsed, and ready to go, the rest is simple! You don’t need any pots or pans and all you have to do is mix everything in your slow cooker, set it, and forget it. Ah, what a beautiful thing.
We are big fans of this slow cooker if you are on the market for one.
Meal-Prep Friendly Recipe
Not only is this recipe great for a weeknight dinner, but it is great for meal prep, too. There are a few different ways you can prepare this recipe!
Weekly Meal Prep: Once the Mexican quinoa has fully cooked in the slow cooker, separate it out into your favorite meal prep containers for an easy grab-and-go meal that is already portioned out.
Freezer Meal: If you are hoping to prepare a vegetarian freezer meal, this slow cooker sweet potato Mexican quinoa is an option! All you have to do is pour all of the ingredients into a plastic bag or reusable bag and mix.
Then, remove all of the air from the bag and seal. Label the bag with the date and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to cook it, remove it from the freezer, let it thaw completely, and cook it as directed in the recipe.
More NC Sweetpotato Recipes
Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 15 oz. canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. canned whole kernel corn drained and rinsed
- 28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 oz. canned green chiles
- 2 cups vegetable broth or any kind of broth
- 1/2 large red onion finely diced
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Optional Toppings
- fresh cilantro
- yogurt dairy-free if necessary
- sliced avocado
- smoked paprika
Instructions
- Begin by spraying your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Then, place all of the ingredients into your slow cooker and mix until combined.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours (or until the quinoa is fully cooked and the sweet potatoes are at desired texture).
- Occasionally stir all of the ingredients together every hour.
- When the quinoa is cooked and the sweet potatoes are soft, uncover the slow cooker.
- Serve the sweetpotato Mexican quinoa with the optional toppings and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Nutrition information does not include toppings.
Watch It
Nutrition facts
Similar recipes:
Vegan Crock Pot Recipes
This post is sponsored by the NC SweetPotato Commission. We were compensated and all opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting Fit Foodie Finds!
I absolutely love this recipe and used to make it all the time when I lived by myself. My fiancé doesn’t like quinoa so I’m wondering if I could use rice instead. Do you think it would work the same?
I’ve just made this. But added chicken. Absolutely delicious
Loved this recipe! Super easy, yet so satisfying.
I threw an easy egg over it one morning for breakfast, also added tortilla strips one afternoon for a dipping snack. So versatile! Add fresh jalapeños too, mmm.
I adapted this recipe for the instant pot and it was AMAZING!! Fit Foodie you’re the bomb!
AMAZING! How long did you cook it for in the IP?
8 minutes! Then quick release, added the beans and corn, then resealed the lid and let sit an additional 10 minutes to finish cooking the quinoa + sweet potatoes. Probably could have done 9 or 10 minutes on the IP initially, but as it sat and continued to cook it was perfect!
This recipe sounds delicious. Personally i have not used to cook with sweet potato, i guess in Spain is not so typical, but i’m quiet curious about it, i want to try to taste how it is.
You will love it! They are slightly sweet and really pull all the flavors of this recipe together!
I have loved this recipe so much I eat it every other week (I’m the only vegan in my house so it’s usually my lunch go to). I have never written it down, but went to make it today and noticed the spices changed to a pre-made taco seasoning instead of the original. I loved the original so much, any chance you could share those measurements with me? I would appreciate it soooo much!
Hi! It’s pretty much all the same spices, but here is the original increments: 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon paprika. Thanks for your review!
This recipe sounds easy and delicious, but is there a substitute for the sweet potatoes?
This recipe is SUCH A STAPLE in my house! I’m a spice wimp, so I cut the chili powder in half and don’t use the sriracha. Otherwise, I love it as is! I’ve also used leftovers for as a chip dip, too. This is a great recipe to make with pantry items during quarantine too. Thank you!
Such a delish meal! You’re a superstar
Tried this out last night. It was a breeze to prep, which I love! But I agree with a few of the previous commenters that it took significantly longer than 3 hours to cook when using the HIGH setting. I dug in after 4 hours on HIGH but the potatoes were still a teeny bit al dente. I suggest updating the recipe to reflect this.
Just updated to reflect 3 or 4 hours. Everyone has a different slow cooker and ours only took 3 hours!
Have you ever subbed rice for the quinoa? I love this recipe(!!), but am cooking for a group and a few of them have trouble with that particular grain.
Have you ever added chicken to this? Sounds delicious!
Instructions are not very helpful… am I supposed to drain and rinse the beans and corn? Plus after cooking for the instructed amount of time the potatoes were not cooked through and the quinoa was not ready. I would not recommend this recipe to anyone
Do you drain the corn and beans first or no? Can’t wait to try this!
Yes, both!
Thanks for the easy recipe! I made this yesterday and my husband and I both really liked it! It will definitely go into our meal rotation.
Is there a way this could be altered to be a stove top recipe? I’m a graduate student without a slow cooker or an instant pot and would love to see some options that’s don’t need these appliances!
You could cook the quinoa separate with the broth and then sautee the diced sweet potato until it’s at the desired consistency. Then, transfer it all into a big pot and add everything! That’s what I would do <3 OR - here is our casserole version: https://fitfoodiefinds.com/mexican-sweet-potato-quinoa-casserole/
Made it – with only a few minor changes to fir my needs (and available ingredients. It came out GreaT!
I think minor changes won’t hurt the basic recipe. (I lacked the corn, so I substituted peas – it was fine.)
Just made this, I’m so excited! I see the nutritional facts are listed and this may be a silly question but how much would one serving be? Is this about 1 cup? Thanks!
Hello! I’m not actually sure. It’s 6 servings, so you can just portion it out equally!
Nice recipes. Great web
Think this could be done in the instant pot? It looks amazing but I am short on time…
I tried this in the instant pot last night, adapting it by a chart that converts slow cooker times to instant pot times. I thought it would work just fine, but it kept giving me a burn message on the pot, and I think it had to do with the quinoa in the thick tomato sauce, because I tried to stir it then deglaze the pot and restart it several times. I ended up having to turn it to the slow cook function on high until it finally cooked through. Something about it didn’t work on the pressure cook function, though it may be worth trying to cook the quinoa separate and try the rest of the recipe on the pressure cook function, as it is a delicious recipe and it would be nice to have a quicker cooking option when you forget to plan ahead (we like using mild green chilies, no sriracha, a Tbs of onion powder instead of chopped onion, and white potatoes rather than yams/sweet).