Black Bean and Quinoa Bake

I've been meaning to try this for some time now and my only regret is that I didn't make it sooner! It was SOOOO good!! It tastes exactly like Tamale Pie I get from one of my favorite recipes! This is a vegetarian dish but you could easily add ground turkey or lean ground beef if you'd like to "beef" it up lol. Pun intended!! Definitely hit the spot for my regular Mexican food craving and was super easy to make. It took me less than 30 minutes from start to oven and it was a hit! We have a ton of left overs which I'll freeze for the next couple weeks when I need a quick lunch on the go. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups of water
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 small onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 Jalapeño seeded and minced
1 red pepper seeded and diced
1 cup frozen corn
Juice of 1 small lime
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of chili powder
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
2 15 oz cans of black beans drained and rinsed
2 cups of red enchilada sauce
2 cups of shredded mexican cheese
Toppings (optional):  Greek Yogurt, Avocado, Olives, Green onions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 in pan with cooking spray.

Add quinoa and water to medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes then turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil, onion, garlic and Jalapeno.  Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add peppers and corn and saute for 5 more minutes.
Add lime juice, cumin, chili powder and cilantro.  Stir and combine and season with salt and pepper.

In a large mixing bowl stir quinoa and black beans.  Add the veggie mixture and combine, stir in 1/2 of the cheese and all of the Enchilada sauce.

Pour the mixture into the 9x13 pan, sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Then cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for 10 minutes longer until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove and cool!

Serve and enjoy!!!


If you are doing the fix I measured out 1 yellow and also counted it as 1 red.
I served with a side of steamed green beans which is a green.