Mexican Quinoa Casserole

4.75

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This Mexican quinoa casserole is not only packed with veggies and black beans, but is bursting with traditional Mexican flavors that the whole family will love. Vegetarian and gluten-free.

I’m excited because I have quite the recipe to share with you today. It’s vegetarian, packed with protein (18 grams per serving) and gluten-free. I think you’re going to like it… I *know* you’re going to like it!

Plate with a cheesy Mexican quinoa casserole topped with jalapenos slices, avocado, and cilantro.

When you think of healthy food, Mexican food isn’t typically the first thing to pop into your head (at least not for me). But you can certainly make Mexican dishes that are healthy and the recipe I’m sharing today proves it. This casserole has a mixture of veggies, quinoa, beans and cheese. A delicious and nutritious Mexican feast!

Ingredients in Mexican Quinoa Casserole

  • quinoa
  • vegetables – sweet potato, red bell pepper, yellow onion, green onion, cilantro
  • taco seasoning – make your own or purchase a pre-made blend.
  • canned black beans
  • salsa – use whatever heat type you prefer! We love spice so I used a hot salsa. The creamy bites of avocado and Greek yogurt were the perfect contrast to the spicy bites. Having said that, if you don’t like that much heat, mild salsa is just as delicious!
  • Mexican cheese blend
  • toppings of choice – I love topping this casserole with Greek yogurt, avocado, green onion and cilantro.
Casserole dish of a Mexican Quinoa Casserole topped with lots of cheddar cheese, green onions, cilantro, and jalapeno slices.

Prepping Mexican Quinoa Casserole

This dish does take a little bit of prep work because you have to chop all the veggies and cook the quinoa. But it’s worth it! If necessary, you can save time by prepping the whole bake ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven right before dinner time.

Start by cooking the quinoa. While your quinoa cooks, get to chopping. Chop all of the veggies right away! Add your sweet potato, red pepper and onion to the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle taco seasoning evenly over all of the vegetables. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, beans, cilantro, green onion and additional taco seasoning. Spread the quinoa mixture over the sweet potato and red pepper layer. Next, add a layer of salsa. Add the cheese on top, cover with aluminum foil (to make sure the cheese doesn’t burn!) and bake. It will come out of the oven piping hot with a perfectly gooey layer of cheese. Yum!

Plate and fork with a portion of a Mexican quinoa casserole topped with avocado and cilantro.

Isaac and I LOVED this dish. Each bite is full of flavor and texture — a fiesta in your mouth, if you will. All the veggies are cooked to perfection so they taste fresh instead of overcooked and mushy.

Wood serving spoon scooping up a serving of cheesy healthy Mexican quinoa casserole topped with avocado.

Want More Healthy Mexican Recipes? Try These:

Be sure to check out the full collection of healthy Mexican recipes on EBF!

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4.75 from 40 votes

Mexican Quinoa Casserole

This vegetarian Mexican quinoa casserole is a dish the whole family will love. It’s packed with veggies, black beans and lots of cheesy goodness.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup dry quinoa
  • 3 cups sweet potato, peel and diced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon McCormick Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning
  • One 14-oz can black soybeans or black beans, rinsed and drained
  • ¼ cup sliced green onion
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups prepared salsa, mild, medium or hot
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 2% Greek yogurt, avocado, extra green onion and cilantro (for topping)

Instructions 

  • Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the covered saucepan cool for 4-5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9″x 13″ dish and spread the sweet potato, bell pepper, and onion in the bottom. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the taco seasoning.
  • In a bowl combine the beans, cooked quinoa, green onion, cilantro and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning; mix well.
  • Place the bean and quinoa mixture over the veggies in the baking dish. Spread salsa on top of the quinoa mixture. Top with cheese.
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Removed cover and bake for another 20 minutes or until cheese has melted, the sweet potatoes are cooked and everything is hot throughout.
  • Serve immediately topped with greek yogurt, avocado slices, green onion and cilantro if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of recipe | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: mexican quinoa casserole
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
Chicken fajita filling on a sheet pan with a wooden spoon. Tortillas are resting on the bottom of the sheet pan.
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Recipe Rating




81 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My family adores this recipe! It’s also my go to recipe to bring new moms because it’s a little lighter than the typical lasagnas/casseroles that are easy to share! We always eat with a handful of chips almost like a dip for dinner, thank you!

    1. Yay!! Happy to hear this recipe was a hit, Kaitlyn. Thanks so much for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate the feedback!

  2. Hi Brittany, we bought sweet potatoes for the recipe, and are just now putting it together. From your photos, just curious, did you use yams? Look forward to eating this. We used organic red quinoa since we had it! Thanks

    1. Hi, Riki! I used sweet potatoes! Organic red quinoa sounds great, let me know how it turns out for you!

      1. Hi there, we enjoyed the casserole very much. It was a bit dry, might have baked it too long for my oven. And two cups of cheese on top wasn’t enough, bought thin shredded cheese. Might be why. But love the recipe! Thank you

  3. 4 stars
    This was very tasty! My husband and I both enjoyed it. It took longer than expected to get the sweet potatoes cooked through. How small do you cut them?

    1. Hi, Lauren! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review! I’d aim for 1/2″ cubes. Hope this helps!

  4. 5 stars
    This was AMAZING! My new go to for my Mexican food fix. It felt so good to be able to eat this and not feel yucky after. It was delicious, filling and all around a 10/10!

    1. Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Mikole! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review and star rating, it means so much to me.

  5. 5 stars
    My family loves this. I was not expecting to like it so much. Second round of making it, I doubled the beans and added chicken. More protein for the husband. Also, after cubing the sweet potatoes, I put them in the oven for 10 minutes before adding everything else to get them to cook through.

    1. YUM! I am so excited to hear that this recipe is a hit for you and your family, Amber. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!

  6. I’m looking to make this for a new mom. Would love to freeze it so she can reheat when desired. Do you have instructions for this?

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Devon – Yes, you can definitely freeze this casserole. I would bake is as written above, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. For reheating, I would thaw in the fridge the night before and then warm it up at 350 degrees for 20 ish minutes or until warm. Enjoy!

  7. 5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe enough times now that I thought I’d better come and leave an appreciative comment! I cook this for the whole family and they all love it, despite being quite picky eaters (and having said that, I do skip the cilantro). I have a bit of trouble sometimes with the foil sticking to the cheese on top, but I just add a little more cheese in the final cooking stage if I have to.
    Fantastic -delicious and simple- recipe!!

    1. Ah this is truly the best, Sabrina. I am so excited to hear that this recipe is a hit for your whole family. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, it means the world to me!

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