This crispy quinoa bake is actual healthy comfort food! It's a vegetarian casserole that's full of vegetables and irresistibly crispy!
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Really good vegetarian casseroles can be hard to come by, but this one has stood the test of time.
I've been making this recipe for years for my family and it always get rave reviews when I deliver it to friends or potlucks. It's loaded with interesting textures and flavors, and is one of those rare unicorns where the leftovers taste even better than the original!
Thousands of you have tried it, loved it, and made it your own. There's nothing I love better than when people send me photos of one of my recipes on their dinner table, waiting to be devoured.
Ingredients
- Quinoa
- Olive oil
- Vegetable stock
- Onion
- Green pepper
- Garlic
- Zucchini
- Black beans
- Diced green chiles
- Diced tomatoes
- Corn
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Chili powder
- Lime
- Salt
- Monterey jack cheese
- Cilantro
How to make crispy quinoa bake
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit.
- Add the chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes.
- Add garlic and zucchini and cook 5-10 more minutes, until the zucchini is soft and beginning to brown.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown. Top with cilantro if desired.
Top tips
How to cook quinoa
Quinoa is easy to cook on the stovetop or in the instant pot. If you're unfamiliar with quinoa, be sure to check out the post I wrote on how to cook quinoa or how to cook quinoa in the instant pot to get quinoa that is perfect and fluffy every time!
How to store
Leftovers can be kept covered in the refigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the casserole, baked or unbaked, covered tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to 3 months.
How to reheat leftovers
My absolute favorite thing to do is reheat leftovers in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Make sure you stir/flip it frequently to prevent sticking and burning. The quinoa gets even crispier, and so does the cheese!
If you're cooking it after freezing, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking. Everything in here is safe to eat as-is, but you may want to cook it a few extra minutes to ensure it is hot all the way through.
Tips for customizing crispy quinoa bake
- Make a few simple swaps to change this from Mexican inspired to Italian Quinoa Casserole, Quinoa Enchilada Casserole, Butternut Squash Casserole, or Broccoli Quinoa Casserole!
- Lightly spray a large, rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link) with cooking spray and spread the mixture thin before continuing to bake as directed for super crispiness all over
- Leave off the cheese for a vegan version
- Use whatever favorite veggies you have on hand such as broccoli, mushrooms, or spinach
- Increase the spice level by adding a minced jalapeño and using pepper jack cheese
- Fry leftovers in a skillet with a little olive oil over medium heat - this is basically a requirement and even better and crispier than the original - being sure to break up and flip the mixture frequently, adding even more cheese if desired!
FAQ
This is a canned item commonly found in the Mexican aisle of the grocery store. It is not the same as a pepper you would find in the produce section, but you could leave it out or substitute it with a regular pepper of your choice if you prefer.
More quinoa recipes
- Broccoli Pesto Quinoa Casserole
- Italian Quinoa Casserole
- Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Tofu
- Quinoa Taco Salad
- Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Vegetarian White Quinoa Chili
- Warm Kale and Quinoa Salad
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Crispy Quinoa Bake
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced (about 1 medium)
- 1//2 green pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup zucchini, cubed (about 2 small)
- 15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ lime, juiced
- Salt
- 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the vegetable stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 5-10 more minutes, until the zucchini is soft and beginning to brown.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.
Missy says
This goes in the recipe hall of fame. It was so delicious when I made it, the next day when I reheated it and a month later when I pulled it out of the freezer!
Lindsay Moe says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Laurel Bowar says
I made this tonight and it was FABULOUS! Found it on pinterest of course. My husband gave me the "why do you keep making me eat hippie food" look at first, but he did taste it and ended up really liking it! The only change I made was adding in the spices (plus cayenne) with the onions, peppers & zucchini as they cooked. Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Lindsay Moe says
Haha, my husband does the same thing! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.
green eyed baker says
FYI:
I used 2% mexican shredded cheese in this calculation on spark people
For 8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 304.5
Total Fat 10.1 g
Saturated Fat 4.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.4 g
Cholesterol 15.0 mg
Sodium 687.4 mg
Potassium 426.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 37.5 g
Dietary Fiber 8.0 g
Sugars 2.3 g
Protein 16.5 g
Lindsay Moe says
Thank you so much for sharing this information!
Buffy says
8 points for those who do Weight Watchers!
I personally used a lot more spice and a little tapatillo sauce
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks for sharing the Weight Watchers information!
SandBsMom says
My husband mistrusts anything green but he loved this! He went back for seconds!!! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
Lindsay Moe says
That's awesome! I love making healthy converts out of delicious food.
Emily says
Looks super yummy!! Have you ever made it with meat? Any suggestions on what would go good in it meatwise?? Chicken? shrimp? Thanks!!
Lindsay Moe says
I haven't made it with meat but I think both chicken and shrimp would be great additions. I would probably use two cooked, cubed chicken breasts or a pound of shrimp.
Emily says
Great, thanks! We're making it for supper tonight! 😀 I think we'll try it with shrimp!
amanda says
made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! so easy and healthy! looking forward to the leftovers:)
Emmy says
I made this and it was DELICIOUS! It completely filled up my 9x13 dish. I did add a bit more lime juice and zucchini. This is definitely going to be a staple! Even my husband enjoyed it.
Kristi Rimkus says
Nice use for quinoa. This looks very tasty.
Mary says
I'm trying to make do with what I have on hand. Could I substitute all or 1/2 of the quinoa with brown rice? I have about 1/2 cup of quinoa and a tight budget this month.
Lindsay Moe says
Absolutely! Just make sure you cook the rice according to the directions on the package and not as the recipe states for the quinoa.
Elaine says
This dish is delicious!! I substituted pinto beans for black & this is definitely one to put in rotation! Yum.
Rebecca says
Thank you for a delicious recipe! My father is a new vegetarian (on week 6!), can’t have salt, and needs soft foods for his teeth issues; I used a no-salt added vegetable stock and otherwise kept everything else the same... and it was a HUGE hit. He ate the whole 9x13 tray. I think he was so grateful to have a break from soup. He kept saying how delicious it was, so, thank you again!
Lindsay Moe says
This is just the best! I'm so glad your dad liked it and it met his needs. Thank you for your sweet comment!
Tiffany says
This was my first attempt at quinoa - whoa, was it good! Thanks for putting a recipe out there that made me want to try cooking and eating quinoa. Easy, delish, and healthy! What more could I ask for?! Thanks again!
Lindsay Moe says
That's awesome! I'm glad you liked it!
Marisa R. says
I got RAVE reviews for this when I shared it with some friends! Excellent and thanks for sharing!!! 🙂
Lindsay Moe says
That's so great! I'm glad you tried it!
Emily says
Made this tonight, a HUGE hit! Awesome recipe 🙂
Teeks says
This tastes so delicious!! I was a little stringent with the cheese but I absolutely love it!
My neighbor stopped by to tell me that my smells divine!
Jamy says
Loved this!! I added a chicken breast, shredded up, to the mix. It was delicious!! Definitely will be making this again 🙂