Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake

Name: Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa; 15 ounces black beans (canned, drained and rinsed); 1 cup sweet corn kernels (canned or frozen); 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon paprika; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; 14.5 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes (canned, with juice); 2 cups vegetable broth (plus more as needed); Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste); 2 limes (for serving); 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (for garnish (optional))

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Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake is a zero-prep, one-dish recipe. A flavorful, easy vegan dinner with an option for oil-free.

Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake paired with chopped avocado, and fresh lime. — Serve with chopped avocado, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice for a flavorful and healthy dinner.

This 7-ingredient (plus spices) vegan recipe is rich in plant-based protein and requires no prep. Which also means, no chopping! In addition, this dish is very flavorful and popular with all three of my teens. What more could a mom-of-three ask for? I guess, that someone else does the dishes. Except for the fact that there's only one dish to wash!

More sheet-pan style recipes:

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🍲 Why This Recipe Is Fabulous
📖 How to Make This Recipe
👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients & Nutrition
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🍲 Why This Recipe Is Fabulous

Only 7 essential pantry-friendly ingredients are needed to make this recipe (plus the addition of spices).
There is no prep or chopping required.
It's an impressive looking casserole, with only one dish to wash.
This is a flavorful and healthy meal the whole family will enjoy.
It's an oil-free recipe. (Some prefer having this option.)
Last but not least, all of the ingredients are budget-friendly.

📖 How to Make This Recipe

Ingredients for making Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake: corn kernels, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, spices, black beans, quinoa, avocado and fresh lime juice. — Ingredients for making Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake.

Rinse the Quinoa

The first step is to thoroughly rinse the quinoa using a fine-mesh strainer by running it under cold water. This removes the saponins which can make quinoa taste bitter.

Add the Ingredients to a Casserole Dish

Next, add the ingredients (minus the lime juice) to a 2-quart casserole dish. Make sure to stir the ingredients until they are well combined, and the quinoa is fully submerged under the broth. This will ensure that the quinoa cooks properly.

Feel free to substitute the Mexican spice blend for spices and herbs you already have on hand.

Diced tomatoes, corn kernels, black beans, spices, grain, and vegetable broth in a casserole dish. — Add the quinoa, spices, corn kernels, black beans, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth to a casserole dish.

Bake Covered

Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Read a novel or have a cuppa tea while you wait. There are no dishes to wash at this point.

Bake Uncovered

Remove the foil and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is fully cooked. It may be necessary to add a little more broth to cover the quinoa fully. Do not add too much or the dish will end up mushy –and no one wants to eat mushy quinoa!

Bake Vegan Mexican Quinoa casserole. — This casserole is an impressive looking dish with minimal prep.

Serving your Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake

Now, for the most important ingredient –at least in my humble culinary opinion. Freshly squeezed lime juice brings together all the flavors in this dish. Add a generous squeeze when serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro as desired.

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients & Nutrition

Quinoa

Quinoa is a protein-rich, high-fiber seed. It's naturally gluten-free and a great substitute for rice and other grains.

What does rinsing quinoa do?

Quinoa is naturally coated with saponin. This protects the quinoa plant from microbes, fungi, birds, insects, and other animals. It's also what gives quinoa its bitter taste. Saponins have strong, detergent-like properties that form foam when added to water. In other words, when cooked in liquid, saponins produce a foam similar to soap. Washing quinoa under cold running water helps remove any remaining saponins post processing.

Why is quinoa healthy?

Rich in plant-based protein, fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and all nine essential amino acids, quinoa is a healthful addition to any diet.

Black Beans

What are the benefits of eating black beans?

Black beans are part of the legume family. Legumes are a good source of plant-based protein –one half a cup of cooked beans provides between 6 and 9 grams –and they're packed with other nutrients, such as folate, calcium, potassium, zinc, B vitamins, and antioxidants.

They're also rich in fiber, which can help to relieve and prevent constipation, and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Try these healthy veggie bowls.

👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?

Share your Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake creation with me on Instagram. It makes my day to see you recreate my recipes.

I would love it if you would rate this recipe and leave a comment. Thank you in advance.

Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake

🍲 Why This Recipe Is Fabulous