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.
Sooz C says
Excellent recipe, it will go in my favorite recipe file!
In order to better appeal to my husband, I added some cooked plant based beef crumbles and half a Trader Joe's chorizo sausage.
As I was eating it this morning I thought "wouldn't this be good with an egg on top?" That's for tomorrow!
Cassidy Reeser says
Those are my kinds of add-ins! Sounds great!
Nancy says
Running out of options for my husband who is having jaw pain and unable to chew normally. This was easy and fabulous! I used plain diced tomatoes, mild enchilada sauce and a pack of Taco Seasoning, topped with plain cheddar cheese. Muy excellante! Thanks!
Tara says
Are the tomatoes supposed to be drained? I followed this recipe exactly and had some concerns about how soupy it was at that point I added an extra quarter cup of quinoa to help soak it up.
It’s been in the over for over an hour at this point and it’s still super soupy and hasn’t firmed up at all. I’ve cranked the oven to 400 and am giving it another 15 before I just call this a loss.
Cassidy Reeser says
No, the tomatoes shouldn't be drained. Once the quinoa is cooked, it will still be a bit liquidy. Once you mix in the cheese and top with more cheese, and bake uncovered, it will start to thicken up a lot because some of that extra liquid will evaporate and the quinoa continues to absorb the liquid. When it's taken out of the oven I find it thickens up even more. It won't be dry but should still be sliceable.
If the quinoa wasn't cooked through at 1 hour I'd recommend checking your oven temp with an over thermometer, as it may be running a bit low. Let me know how it ended up turning out if you see this.
Laura says
Love this recipe! I add sliced onion and red bell peppers.
Nikki says
This tasted ok. But I was left with a lot of uncooked quinoa. Some of it cooked but a lot of it didn't. So it kind of ruined the whole thing.
Sally says
Threw this together for lunch today and it is definitely a keeper. I did not have any enchilada sauce so I used salsa instead. I also only used a cup of sharp cheese because that’s what I had on hand. It turned out great. My husband liked it and he’s not even vegetarian like me. I will definitely pass this on to Family.
Jeri Maxwell says
was I supposed to put the foil back on the caserole dish after the first 30 minutes? Its still very soupy?
Cassidy Reeser says
No, the foil is removed after the initial bake time. The quinoa should be mostly cooked when the foil is removed. If it is still liquidy, it will thicken up as it continues to bake without the foil and even more so once it is out of the oven.
Jane says
Almost too good to be true. This was delicious and so easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly as written and won’t change a thing when I make it again. Thank you 😊
Donna says
Have made this twice now and really like it!
Flavours are texture are great and is quite adaptable to what you have on hand.
It seems to take longer to cook than outlined so maybe should keep that in mind if trying for the first time.
Melissa says
This recipe is excellent. I tried this three weeks ago and have made it weekly since.Simple, healthy and delicious.
Cassidy Reeser says
Wonderful! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Raena Williams says
I love this recipe and have made it several times as is. I’m going to make it for a pot luck this week but want to add in Soyrizo for my non-vegan friends 🙂 Do I need to cook it first before dumping in the casserole?
Cassidy Reeser says
Hi Raena! Yes, I would cook it first before adding it to the casserole, or at least brown it a little on the stove top before adding it in with the other ingredients. Sounds like it would be really good in this casserole.
Janna says
You have to rinse the quinoa very well before cooking. Quinoa has a very bitter coating that needs to be removed. This can be done by placing it in a fine sieve and rinsing with cool water for a few minutes, agitating it constantly with your hands.
It's also good to know that quinoa is a complete protein.
Jenn says
This is so good! I made as written without the cheese d/t vegan diet. Would not make any changes next time I make it. My 10 year old ate it and said it was good and we should make it again. It is very easy and quick to put together. Thank you so much for having a dump and bake recipe that doesn't require chopping anything!! I used the mild store brand Rotel and the dish was flavorful without being spicy.
Elizabeth says
Outstanding unfussy recipe. It was so delicious and my daughter-in-law agreed! I used Trader Joe's enchilada sauce, Trader Joe's vegan grated Mexican cheese shreds, and Rotel fire roasted chopped tomatoes with green chilies in a can. I made a bowl with it and added fresh chopped sweet onion and fresh tomato plus I made a plant-based avocado ranch dressing to go in the bowl. Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser says
Thanks so much for the review! The avocado ranch sounds like a fantastic addition.
Barb says
This was very delicious! I had a fresh jalapeno and some mini sweet peppers to use up, so I added those. I will definitely make this again.
Laura says
Heads up this took 15 min longer to cook than the recommended time.
Paula Ringen says
Sooo good! I will for sure make this again. I may have added a bit more of the spices suggested because I eyeballed the measurements but it was so enjoyable. I can’t wait to share it with my daughter. Always looking for ways to get more protein and fiber and this was perfect for both. Thank you for sharing.
Donna says
This was easy & delicious! I used an extra can of black beans and an entire jar of enchilada sauce. My kids gobbled it up!
patricia l shatto says
We found the quinoa didn't cook in 30 min, added 15, still not fully cooked. Turned up the oven to 400 for 15 more, that did the trick. Loved this dish!
Cassidy Reeser says
Glad you got it to work! With these dump & bake recipes I've found that there's a surprising amount of variability between cook times from oven to oven. Thanks for the review!
Dyan says
Hi.
I am planning to make this. Will this casserole get baked if I do not cover it with foil? What are the alternatives to foil?
Kindly share.
Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser says
Hi! You can use an upside down sheet pan instead of foil. If the dish isn't covered the liquid will evaporate too quickly and the quinoa won't cook through.