Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

I finally got around to trying a recipe that was given to me back in May of last year. The original recipe comes from Spark People and you can find it here. I gave it a few modifications after my mom tried it and said it was bland. We absolutely loved it, including my four year old!

Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

Cooked quinoa

1 medium bell pepper chopped, 3 cloves of garlic chopped, dried minced onion and 1/2 packet of taco seasoning.

2 medium/large sweet potatoes shredded

3 cups cooked black beans, 1 cup cooked quinoa, 2 shredded sweet potatoes, sauteed peppers and garlic with minced onion and taco seasoning, and 1/2 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese.

Combine

2 eggs and 1 cup of salsa whisked together.

Pour egg mixture over bean and quinoa mixture.

Pour into a 9x13 greased pan and top with remaining 1/2 -1 cup cheddar.

Fresh out of the oven.

Served and topped with cilantro! YUMMY!

I forgot to take a picture of the black beans by themselves. Sorry that it was missing above! 

Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

1 cup cooked quinoa

3 cups cooked black beans, drained*

2 large sweet potatoes, shredded

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

Dried minced onion

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper

2 eggs

1 cup salsa

2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x9 (I only had a 9x13) casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Saute bell pepper in a small amount of EVOO. When bell pepper is almost done, add chopped garlic, desired amount of minced onion, and 1/2 packet of taco seasoning. Remove from heat. 

In a large bowl combine quinoa, black beans, sweet potatoes, bell pepper mixture, 1/2 cup cheese and salt and pepper (I actually omitted the salt and pepper). In a small bowl whisk together eggs and salsa. Pour salsa mixture over the bean and quinoa mixture and mix together. Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve and garnish with cilantro.

*You can use two cans of black beans. I used dried beans that I had soaked over night and cooked for about 2 hours this morning. I cooked the beans with two chicken bouillon cubes, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. If you use canned beans, you may want to season them up a bit.

Enjoy!

Peace, Love, and Healthy Living,

Jessica

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