There is a slight downside to being a vegetarian. Recipes tend to be centered around bread or cheese. When I first started eating less meat in middle school, I was totally fine with that. To this day, I could probably still eat an entire sleeve of Town House crackers, and nothing else. But that’s not exactly healthy. Loading up on carbs & fats rather than protein can be an easy thing to do when you’re not eating meat, but with a little planning you can switch things up.
That’s what inspired this recipe. I wanted to make something that was a balance of protein, carbs, and fats. I wanted to take cheese out of the spotlight and use it for flavor rather than the main event. The quinoa is higher in protein than your typical white (or brown) rice and the beans provide both protein and fiber. It’s also gluten free!
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- ½ bell pepper
- ½ medium white onion
- ½ cup salsa (any type)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup sweet corn (frozen is fine)
- ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 handful fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup guacamole or avocado (optional)
- Rinse the quinoa and then add it to a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
- While that cooks, dice the pepper and onion and toss them in a large frying pan, cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. It doesn't need to fully cook, just soften them a bit.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, stir in the salsa, black beans, corn, peppers, and onions.
- Add to a glass baking dish and sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Top with avocado and cilantro and serve.
All in all this recipe came together really easily and it was still healthy & delicious! Alex and I actually split this up into two smaller casserole dishes and decided to save one for the weekend. This is definitely a good one for leftovers if you don’t eat it all at once. If you’re curious about the calories, click here for the nutritional information. Each serving (not including guacamole/avocado) has just over 300 calories, plus 14g of protein and 10g of fiber.
Want to make this recipe even easier? Make your quinoa in a rice cooker ahead of time!
This sounds so delicious! We’re mostly paleo, but I pinned this for a lovely cheat meal. I love how easy it seems and …well anything with quinoa and avocado has my vote!
I love casserole dishes since they’re so easy, will definitely try this because I love anything cheesey! 🙂 Thanks for sharing Liz and have a great weekend! -Iva
That little bit of cheese on top totally makes it seem special 😉
Ummm that sounds absolutely delicious!!!! I love anything mexican themed and this is definitely versatile, too!
This sounds lovely, you can’t go wrong with Mexican food! 🙂
Salsa, beans and corn – anything [vegetarian] featuring that trio gets my vote and this looks great. Send leftovers my way ;).
Regarding macros I stopped counting or elsewise tracking them quite some time ago because it messed too much with my head. These days I feel okay not knowing them and don’t worry about a day of more carbs or fat because I rationally understand it’ll all balance out in the big picture. Our intuition is a smart, smart little thing.
First the recipe yummy!
Second: as a vegetarian/ mostly vegan I know how easy it is to fall in the all carbs eating, however I’m constantly reading and looking for recipes that use different sources of proteins: beans, legumes, quinoa, nuts, among others. Though I like cheese, I don’t want my meals to be cheesy, and I prefer plant based sources rather than dairy! That’s why I eat mostly vegan, but not all time 😛
This sounds sooo yummy! Can’t wait to try it Liz!
Looks really tasty Liz 🙂 I’m a huge Mexican food fan so I’m sure I’d love this. I actually started meal planning this past week and it worked out so well that I’ll be doing it again! (Who would’ve thought 😉 ) I will add this to my plan for next week!
Yes! I totally agree that you can easily be a vegetarian and eat unhealthy foods. I think a lot of people replace the protein with carbs to feel full, which isn’t good.
But this looks like a fantastic option. I love the Mexican flavors and it looks so easy too!
Yum! I am definitely making this!
mmm I need to make this for dinner this week
I love veggie bakes, and this is a great adaptation! Great idea to make it with quinoa…and fresh cilantro and avocado? Yes please! And yes, it is waaaay too easy for me to eat an overabundance of carbs. I’ve been trying to cut back on how much cheese I eat (read: depend on), and focusing on fresh veggies, nuts, and seeds instead.
I love everything about this recipe! i love that you added black beans! YUM!
Funny I was just looking for some quinoa recipes and this one sounds delish! Thanks for sharing 🙂 You know I’m a sucker for any mexican food!
Yes, it’s hard to balance my diet. I have multiple food allergies plus recurring heartburn and it’s just impossible to eat “right” and still feel okay. I don’t think the experts know half as much as they think they know! And to complicate things, they disagree with each other!
Mmm! I love me some Mexican food. This recipe looks out-of-this world delicious. I always love finding new Mexican dishes as the Mexican restaurants in Kuwait have little to be desired for. Ha!
I am going to give this a try and see how it goes. Most likely on the weekend though.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was SOOO good. I doubled up on the black beans because we’re not big on corn. I also used pepper jack because we like a kick! Thanks for giving me another healthy option for my rotation!
Awesome! I’m so glad you & your family liked it, Lisa!
This is such a great way to add taste to quinoa, which is so tasteless (and not very interesting IMHO) on it’s own. I’ve never thought of using it as the base for a casserole like this one, but you’ve opened up a whole range of possibilities.
I’ve recently stopped eating all meat and this dish looked SO GOOD. I made it earlier this week and have been eating it every day for lunch! It is very yummy. I doubled on the cheese, because I am a cheese freak and I skipped on the corn. It’s really good with a little Tabasco sauce right before you eat, to give it some kick!
I’m glad you liked it!! I love adding some of the smoked Tabasco sauce on top! Such a good flavor!
Made it for wife first time cooking this grain . I loved the taste added kidney beans to and a lil jalapeno from garden. Pico and the usuals on the side
I’m so glad you liked it, Kevin!