Mexican Quinoa Casserole
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Published Jan 24, 2020, Updated Jul 05, 2023
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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!
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.
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!
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.
Want More Healthy Mexican Recipes? Try These:
- Tofu Sofritas
- Vegetarian Enchilada Bake
- Healthy Guacamole
- Turkey Taco Salad Bowl
- Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Mexicali Stuffed Sweet Potato
- Southwest Sweet Potato Black Bean Dip
- Guacamole Salad
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Vegan Enchiladas
- Red Chilaquiles
- Taco Soup
Be sure to check out the full collection of healthy Mexican recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Mexican Quinoa Casserole
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing! Added ground turkey for extra protein and doubled the recipe for week long deliciousness. Thanks so much, will be for sure making on a regular basis!
Woo!! So pumped this recipe was a hit, Rene! Love the addition of ground turkey as well. Thanks so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
This was the perfect dish for a rainy and cold cinco de mayo. My husband loved it!! Thanks very much 🙂
Yay!! I’m so glad you both enjoyed this casserole, Ashley! Thanks for making it and leaving a review. I really appreciate it!
This recipe was amazing! I was looking for healthier options for mexican food and this was exactly what we needed! I could probably eat the whole pan!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Kristina! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!!
This recipe was delish! My husband who doesn’t care for sweet potatoes loved it! I have recommended this over and over again to friends. I love this site. Thanks for the healthy options!
Yay! So pumped this recipe was a hit, Ellie. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
Very good – healthy and hearty at the same time. It’s easy to play with the veggie quantities and adjust cheese/spices and make it your own – excellent base concept!! Thank you!
Yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit, Ellie. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
This is the perfect “working from home” meal for busy parents with kids! I was able to prep it during lunch, pop it in the oven after work/school, and take the kids on a walk around the neighborhood while it did it’s thing… and it was DELICIOUS!! Definitely keeping this in rotation.
I’m so glad this recipe was a hit, Madelyn!! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it. 🙂
I made this for dinner this evening and it was delicious! We are trying to lower our meat intake so have been looking for go-to vegetarian recipes. I did omit the cilantro and the peppers (just personal preference). It’s delicious over a bed of lettuce. Yum!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish, Whitney!! Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
I absolutley loved this recipe. It’s so tasty and filling even without meat. The avacado on top really makes it in my opinion.One of my favorite EBF dinner recipes so far
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Nicole. I’m so glad you enjoyed this casserole dish. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
We didn’t like this recipe..we loved it! Thank you for all the great recipes!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Jodie!! I’m glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me.
So good! I used double the sweet potatoes and a ready-made quinoa/brown rice blend, and it was delish! Really was unsure what I would think of this recipe but it’s great!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Jordan! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂 Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3