This black bean quinoa bake is a dump and bake casserole that uses dry quinoa, canned tomatoes, and black beans. No chopping is required in this recipe, just a casserole dish and pantry staples.
I first made this black bean quinoa bake a few years ago for an assignment during my dietetic internship at a hospital. It was such a hit among the patients that it got added to the regular menu at the hospital!
Fast forward a few years and all I want is an easy meal with minimal prep. That's when I remembered this quinoa casserole. It doesn't require any dicing or chopping and odds are you already have most of the ingredients on hand.
If you like my vegetarian black bean enchiladas, Southwest quinoa taco salad or rice and beans, then you'll probably want to make this recipe too. Like most of the recipes on the blog, this recipe is easy to customize.
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Recipe features
- Dump and bake: No boiling required, just add the dry quinoa directly to the baking dish with the other ingredients. The only chopping/dicing needed is for the garnishes. The result is a sliceable casserole!
- Quick & easy: You only need 5 minutes to prepare the recipe. It bakes for 45 minutes and needs to be stirred once during that time.
- Easy to customize: This recipe uses mostly pantry staples, but can easily be modified to include more fresh vegetables etc.
- Seasonings: This quinoa bake uses pretty simple Tex-Mex style taco seasonings like the kind you would find in a packet of taco seasoning.
- Dietary features: vegetarian, vegan-optional, nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free
Ingredients
The ingredient list is super flexible. You can add veggies, swap cheeses, etc. See more customization ideas below.
- Quinoa: I used white quinoa in this recipe. Red or a blend of quinoa colors will work. Frozen or pre-cooked quinoa does not work.
- Black beans: You can use canned black beans or cook them from dry. I usually cook black beans using my Instant Pot black beans recipe. One 15 ounce can of black beans = 1.5 cups black beans.
- Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles: The green chiles add a little extra heat. I use Rotel brand, but any kind works. A can of diced tomatoes with green chiles that isn't fire roasted also works.
- Corn: Frozen corn, fresh corn, or canned corn work. If using frozen corn you do not need to thaw it first.
- Enchilada sauce: Use red enchilada sauce and choose a heat that meets your spice preferences. Green enchilada sauce does work but is even better in these sweet potato enchiladas.
- Mexican blend cheese: This usually includes cheddar, colby and Monterey jack cheeses.
- Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Alternatively, use a tablespoon of taco seasoning.
- Rice: Several people have tried this recipe with an equal amount of white rice in place of quinoa and reported that it works well. Another option is to try my rice and bean casserole.
Instructions
Most of this recipe is inactive time spent waiting for the quinoa to cook in the oven. It takes about 30 minutes to cook and 15 minutes to firm up the casserole.
Make sure to use very hot, almost boiling vegetable broth to speed the process along. I just heat the broth in the microwave, but you can also heat it on the stove until simmering.
Before you begin: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve for 30 seconds. This will cut down on any bitterness that the quinoa may have.
- Combine all ingredients, except for the cheese, in the baking dish. Stir to combine.
- Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and stir. The quinoa should be cooked through but it will still be liquidy.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is firm and the excess liquid evaporates.
- Top with the shredded cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Customization ideas
- Protein: For extra protein, add in two cans of beans (any type of bean works), vegan tempeh taco meat, or tofu chorizo.
- Extra veggies: Diced bell pepper, diced zucchini, and diced tomato are all good options. You can add them directly to the casserole dish or saute them first for extra flavor. You can also just add extra veggies without removing the corn.
- Toppings: Avocado, cilantro, and salsa are all great additions.
- Beans: Kidney beans, pinto beans, or red beans work well in place of black beans.
- Dairy-free option: Use your favorite vegan shredded cheese to make this recipe dairy-free. So Delicious has a Mexican blend, but I haven't tried it out yet.
Storage
- Leftovers: Let the casserole cool to room temp, then cover with foil or a lid. Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days for best quality.
- Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave. Reheat the entire casserole in the oven at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through. Cover with foil if the casserole starts to dry out too much.
- Freezing: This freezes well as a full casserole or as individual slices. Cover the casserole in plastic wrap and foil or plastic wrap and a lid before freezing. If reheating in the oven, add an extra 10-15 minutes of cook time. The casserole can also thaw overnight in the fridge.
Similar vegetarian meal ideas
Did you try this recipe? You can leave a star rating in the recipe card or a review in the comments below. Or check out my cookbook and keep up to date with my YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or newsletter!
Recipe
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Vegetarian Black Bean Quinoa Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 and ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 10 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed; about 1.5 cups
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn canned or fresh also work
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 and ½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
- optional toppings: avocado or guacamole, salsa, diced jalapeno, cilantro, lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve for 30 seconds.
- On the stove in a small pot or in the microwave, heat the vegetable broth until simmering.
- Combine all ingredients, except for the cheese and garnishes, in the 9x13 baking dish. Stir to combine.
- Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes on the middle oven rack. Remove the foil and stir. The quinoa should be cooked through but the casserole will still be liquidy.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is firm and the excess liquid evaporates.
- Top with the shredded cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve topped with avocado or guacamole, fresh cilantro and salsa.
Video
Notes
- Mexican blend cheese: Usually includes sharp cheddar, colby jack and Monterry jack. Any of these three cheese can be used in place of a cheese blend. Use vegan cheese to make dairy-free.
- Storage and reheating: Let cool to room temp, then cover the baking dish with foil or a lid. Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days for best quality. Reheat individual portions in the microwave. Reheat the entire casserole in the oven at 325 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Freeze for later: Let cool completely. Transfer individual portions into freezer safe containers or cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and a lid. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw completely in the fridge before reheating or add an extra 10-15 minutes to the reheating bake time.
Nutrition
Author's note: This recipe was originally shared February 2020 and was updated August 2022. The original recipe used cooked quinoa (one cup dry cooked in two cups vegetable broth) and no vegetable broth in the actual casserole. The updated version is more streamlined.
Linda Kennedy says
Very easy to make and delicious! Added about 1/2 recipe of the “chorizo tofu” which made a serving super satisfying!
Kristen says
Delicious and so so so easy. Just wondering if I should remove the foil for the 15 min bake part? Or replace the foil after stirring (after 30 min). I used a baking dish smaller than 9x13 and it took about 1.5hr to cook properly (oops, but it still worked out great)
Cassidy Reeser says
After the quinoa is cooked through (or at least mostly cooked through) at the 30 minute mark, stir and then put back into the oven uncovered to bake. I bake it uncovered at this point so that the cheese melts nicely and the casserole thickens up a bit.
Annabelle says
Hello.
Sorry how much is 10 ounce… would it be one can (410 grams) to be exact is okay or only 1.25 cups.
We don’t have enchilada sauce here so what other option can you recommend please or shall I just double up the canned tomato to replace the enchilada sauce?
Thank you
Annabelle
Cassidy Reeser says
10 ounce is just the standard can size we have here for enchilada sauce. You're right that it's roughly 1.25 cups. I would replace enchilada sauce with an equal amount of tomato sauce (1.25 cups). Depending on where you are I know you might not have that either. It would be like tomato passata but a little thinner. I hope that helps!
Evie Groch says
I am confused about what you do with the veggie broth you heated. When do you add it?
Thank you.
Cassidy Reeser says
Hi Evie, you add it at the same time as all of the ingredients except for the cheese. So you bring it to a simmer then pour it into the casserole dish with the quinoa, beans, etc. Hope that clarifies things!
Star Brown says
Thank you for these recipes. This was delicious! I used your recipe link for the enchilada sauce, too. We ate the casserole with avocado and tortilla chips. This will definitely continue to be on our menu.
J says
This is amazing! Made it today and I love it. Definitely going into my rotation. Didn't use cheese, instead I topped it with a generous 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast. So many things you can use this for: wraps, stuffed veggies, I'd even put it in a salad. Thanks for posting this!
Cassidy Reeser says
Always love hearing about ingredient swaps and ways people serve this, thanks for the review! 🙂
Stephanie Hoffmann says
Did you put the nutritional yeast on before or after you bake? New to using it so I'm not sure. Thanks!
Cassidy Reeser says
I'm guessing if they're topping they might add it at the last 5-10 minutes as you would the dairy cheese. But I can see it being great mixed in as well.
Carrie Juska says
Delicious!! I added green bell pepper. SO good I am so glad I made this! 😋
Beth says
This is an amazingly tasty recipe! Simple prep, everyday ingredients combine to make my new favorite quinoa recipe!! Definitely a keeper!
Jen L says
Amazing!! Made this again for dinner last night! Easy and delicious, plus makes for great leftovers the next day:)
Ashley says
AMAZING. I have made this so many times. It’s delicious and so easy. My husband asks for it all the time. Plus, the ingredients are all basic and easy to have on hand to make whenever. I like to add spinach for a fresh crunch on top.
Audrey Laws says
Wow, this was amazing. I topped it with salsa, sour cream and avocados. Thank you for this super easy, awesome recipe. Love it! ❤️
Cassidy Reeser says
Thanks so much for the review! 🙂
Theresa says
My daughters and their spouses request this flavorful and easy to make dish for Tuesday night family dinner all the time. I make two so they can take some home. Thanks for sharing!
Cassidy Reeser says
You're welcome! Always love hearing when a recipe is made on repeat 🙂
Brittney says
So easy and delicious! I will be making this one again and again. Thank you
Cassidy Reeser says
I bet they were so good with fresh pumpkin puree! Thanks for the review 🙂
Jenni says
I made this over the weekend, and we’ve been eating it all week. My mom just said it’s so good, she could eat it every day. We appreciate how easy it was to make and how nourishing the meal is. Thanks so much.
Cassidy Reeser says
That's awesome! Thanks for the review!
Ann says
made this tonight for dinner! So easy and delicious!!
Cassidy Reeser says
Awesome to hear, thank you! 🙂
Susan Doyle says
Yummmmmmy! Used Violife Mexican Shreds for dairy free. A good friend shared this with me and I’m so glad she did. Looking forward to preparing more of your recipes.
Cassidy Reeser says
Thanks so much for the review! Always happy to hear when recipes work well with dairy free options 🙂
Liz says
This has become such a staple in our household! We make it every other week. It's so delicious and satisfying, while also feeling very light and healthy. I've introduced the recipe to other people and they love how easy it is (so do we)!