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Cheesy Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Casserole

4.97 from 76 votes

This healthy Mexican quinoa casserole is the perfect weeknight dinner – Just mix the ingredients together and throw it into the oven!

quinoa dinner
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With just 5 minutes of prep work, you could even try it out for dinner tonight!

The recipe is super easy to make and is sure to satisfy both meat eaters and vegetarians.

High in protein, it’s a meatless meal that’s filled with superfoods such as black beans, quinoa, and red peppers, yet tastes like pure comfort food at the same time ♥.

The best part is that you don’t need to cook the quinoa beforehand, which saves you time and also means fewer dishes to clean.

Serve it in bowls or on plates – the casserole is firm enough to slice into squares.

It also makes a delicious savory breakfast!

cheese quinoa
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I adapted this quinoa casserole from an unlikely source: Banana Bread Quinoa Breakfast Bars.

Proof I do sometimes think about other things besides chocolate and dessert. The recipe takes just three easy steps, which I’ve posted below with accompanying photos.

Step-By-Step Photos:

cropped ingredients

Step One:

Gather all of your ingredients.

Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 350 F.

quinoa ingredients

Step Two:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Stir together until well-mixed, then spread the quinoa mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

vegan quinoa
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Step Three:

Bake 28 minutes on the oven’s center rack.

Turn off the heat, and let sit in the closed oven to firm up. Serve hot, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

Leftovers can be refrigerated 3-4 days.

black bean casserole
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While I’ve only made this quinoa casserole as listed, please feel free to experiment with other ingredients or spices.

You can try substituting chopped carrots for the corn, zucchini for the bell pepper, white beans or even lentils for the black beans, or perhaps even rice for the quinoa.

Leftover beans? Make these easy Black Bean Burgers

Chocolate Covered Katie Vegan Dinner

With any recipe, whether it be mine or someone else’s, it’s always a good idea to make the recipe exactly as written the first time so you know what it’s supposed to taste like.

Then you can experiment and see how using different ingredients changes the taste and texture of the recipe.

Edible experiments can be a risk, but sometimes that risk pays off big time!

In this particular case, I took a risk by adapting a dessert recipe to make a savory one… and I could not be happier with the results.

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Cheesy Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Casserole

This healthy quinoa casserole is the perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner, and leftovers are great for meal prep.
Total Time 1 hour
Yield 6 – 8 servings
5 from 76 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 can black beans, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
  • 1 can corn, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes, canned or fresh
  • 1 bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup cheese, such as Daiya vegan, OR nutritional yeast
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper, and set aside. Drain the beans and corn. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until well-mixed. Spread into the prepared pan, and bake on the center rack 28 minutes. Without opening the oven door even a little, turn off the heat and let the casserole sit in the closed oven for an additional 25 minutes. Remove, and serve. The casserole will firm up more overnight as well – store leftovers covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
    Instant Pot Version: Add an extra 1/2 cup of water and set it to manual for 8 minutes. Thanks to reader Louise who came up with this version and left a comment to let us know it can be made in an instant pot!
    View Nutrition Facts

Have you made this recipe?

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Lentil Soup Recipe

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Cauliflower Mac And Cheese

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Blog Update:

chocolate covered katie chocolate

There are some exciting things coming to the blog in the next few months, including a brand new ebook coming out very soon that may or may not be 100% devoted to breakfast recipes! I’ve also hired a full-time media director and updated the FAQ page:

FAQ About Katie

Published on September 19, 2016

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox, The Huffington Post, and ABC's 5 O'clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

Learn more about Katie

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125 Comments

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  1. Mads says

    Made some changes and it still turned out great!
    -I accidentally omitted the tomatoes. I was worried that the quinoa wouldn’t fully cook since so much liquid was missing but it was completely fine.
    -Used frozen corn instead of canned or fresh corn.
    -Baked for the same time in a 9×13 pan.

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4.97 from 76 votes (73 ratings without comment)

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