Mayan Harvest Bake
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A homemade version of Kashi’s Mayan Harvest Bake! This vegan + gluten-free casserole has layers of polenta and quinoa with roasted sweet potatoes, plantains, kale and black beans all in a rich ancho chili sauce.
Back when I first started my healthy eating journey I wasn’t as confident in the kitchen and I gravitated towards convenience foods like frozen meals and canned soups. I looked for healthier options and I had a few favorites — Amy’s Mattar Tofu and Kashi’s Mayan Harvest Bake. Anyone else a fan?
After eating them for a while I decided to try making homemade versions. Mattar Tofu recipe is absolutely delicious so definitely check that out too!
I created the copy-cat Mayan Harvest Bake back in 2010 so the pictures were pretty terrible and the recipe needed a little tweaking/testing. Maria and I tested it twice last month and I feel like it’s absolutely perfect now — ready to be re-shared with new photos and the updated recipe.
This tasty bake combines sweet, ripe plantains, roasted sweet potatoes, black beans and kale with a spicy ancho sauce and pumpkin seed garnish — all the served over a base of polenta and quinoa. It’s got a kick to it, but not overly spicy and the flavors of the sweet potato, plantain, and ancho sauce pair together nicely.
The recipe makes a full casserole dish so it’s a great meal prep recipe. Cook once and have the bake on hand for quick lunches and dinners all week or eat a portion for dinner and freeze the leftovers and reheat a few weeks later for a quick meal.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Mayan Harvest Bake
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, washed and diced into 1/4 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- 1 ripe plantain, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes**
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil, divided
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon ground ancho chile powder/pepper, or regular chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 cups finely chopped kale
- 1 15 oz. can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 18 oz tube polenta, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup roasted pepitas
- avocado, for topping
- cilantro, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° degrees.
- Toss chopped sweet potatoes and plantains cubes in 1 Tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and spread onto a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
- While the potatoes and plantains are roasting, heat remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil on medium-high in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, water, chile powder, coconut sugar, paprika, sea salt and cinnamon into the skillet and let sauce simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Add black beans and kale into the skillet. Stir kale into the sauce, allowing it to wilt. Once kale has wilted down, remove sauce from the heat.
- Meanwhile, spray a 9×13 or 11×7 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Line the bottom of the dish with polenta slices, overlapping if needed. Top with the cooked quinoa. Then add the roasted sweet potatoes and plantains. Pour the saucy black bean and kale mixture over everything and use a spoon to create an even top layer.
- Bake casserole in the 400° oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle pepitas over the bake and serve warm. Top each portion with sliced avocado and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- ** The plantain should be very ripe — yellow and covered with large black spots. Mine had a ton of black spots and worked great.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
As I was sitting at my computer eating the Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake, I wondered if I could duplicate it at home. I am glad my search led me to your site. I will have to let you know how it comes out for me. THANX!
I have bought plantains a couple of times but never could decide what to do with them. I love the flavors in this recipe. I have to try this!
I love the Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake, so, I am so very glad to have found a copy cat recipe for it. I do not understand however, how, a single serving from the eatingbirdfood.com recipe could have calories = 1,030.7, and fat = 20.7 grams fat per serving.
hi squiggles! Thanks for pointing this out. And I agree, I put the recipe in a Livestrong.com and got very different results. I’m going to add the nutrition facts to this post so that it’s clear. 🙂
After eating the frozen meal, I too wanted to figure out how to make this at home! Thank you so much for figuring it out for me! I cannot wait to try this, the recipe looks great! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have just tried Kashi’s ‘Mayan Harvest Bake’ for the first time today and loved the combination of spices and it was quite a satisfying meal. I also like the other Kashi frozen meals and at 340 calories, I shall be dieting on these for the next few months for sure.
Brittany,
I just had the Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake for lunch today, for the first time. Best. Frozen. Meal. Ever….
Regardless, I am also a huge foodie and love to cook. I haven’t made the recipe yet, but just wanted to let you know that your story is inspiring and it’s also good to see you are from the fine city of RVA (my hometown!! Lots of amazing local restaurants – go to Black Sheep if you haven’t already discovered this gem…). I recently moved to the Midwest and am having trouble finding any meals not loaded with meat, butter and processed carbs.
I have a similar story where healthy eating and exercise lead to weight loss and a better life. It’s always warming to hear that others are doing the same – and great to know you are sharing your experiences and wealth of information with others. Keep the recipes coming! 🙂
*I also posted this recipe (giving credit to you and your blog) onto a recipe sharing site http://www.food.com; I did this to get the nutritional info calculated, just wanted you to know!
Thanks again!
The Kashi Mayan Bake is also my favorite frozen meal and I have been talking about trying it at home for the longest time. Thank you for this recipe! It will give me a good starting point. I was thinking about using actual polenta for the base (or the grain). How many people can be served from this recipe?
I would say it would serve 2-3 people.
I finally tried it and I absolutely love it – and so does my husband!
I only did a few things a little differently than the recipe indicated above: I used polenta as the base. I cut up one package into thin round slices and I lined the bottom of the dish with it. Then I layered the sweet potatoes on top (next time I need to roast them a little more so that they are softer), followed by the cooked and seasoned kale, and then the black bean mixture. I fried the ripe pieces of plantain on both sides before I added them on top of the mixture. This made them sweeter with crispy edges.
Great recipe! I can’t wait to try it again and share it with my friends this time.
I’m so glad you tried and enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for leaving a comment with your modifications – I’m sure your tips will help others who find this recipe. 🙂
I have been in love with this since first bite. I look forward to trying it myself. I am on a limited income and it was only bought for special treats. I will try to make it and freeze them. As I keep all the containers. Thank you so very much!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I had this Kashi meal for the first time last week and also thought it was the best frozen meal I have ever had! Want to make it – and so excited to find your recipe!
Wow!! I completely fell in love with this meal when I tried it the other day and was working on copying it myself. Thank you so much for completing the task for me! I hope no one in my family likes it so I can keep it all for myself!! LOL!!