Green Chile Quinoa & Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 7 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves
- Juice of 1 small lime
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 12 oz jar of salsa verde
- ½ cup sour cream vegan or regular
- 1 4 oz can diced green chiles
- 2 15 oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese I love the vegan Jalapeno Jack Almond Milk cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and minced garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for about 5 minutes or until spinach shrinks down. Add the lime juice, cumin and chili powder. Stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and the spinach mixture. Stir to combine. Add the salsa verde, sour cream, diced green chilies and beans. Gently stir until combined. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the foil. Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- This recipe can easily be cut in half to make a smaller dish.
This is a great cheesy, creamy and mild casserole. I love Mexican food because there is such a good variety. This Green Chile Quinoa & Bean Casserole is cheesy, creamy and has just enough spice to make it perfect.
The Recipe
I found this recipe almost 2 years ago on another bloggers site and made some adjustments with different ingredients that worked for us. First of all, getting the right ingredients makes all the difference. One of the main ingredients in this recipe is the jar of salsa verde. The tastiest and cheapest one that we have found was from Trader Joes.
Salsa verde is the green salsa that you see in the store. It is made with tomatillos and for the most part is mild. It tends to have a slight more vinegary and cilantro flavor than red salsa.
Celebration
Invite some friends or family over, make some margaritas, grab some chips and start celebrating!
Green Chile Quinoa & Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 7 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves
- Juice of 1 small lime
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 12 oz jar of salsa verde
- ½ cup sour cream vegan or regular
- 1 4 oz can diced green chiles
- 2 15 oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese I love the vegan Jalapeno Jack Almond Milk cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and minced garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for about 5 minutes or until spinach shrinks down. Add the lime juice, cumin and chili powder. Stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and the spinach mixture. Stir to combine. Add the salsa verde, sour cream, diced green chilies and beans. Gently stir until combined. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the foil. Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- This recipe can easily be cut in half to make a smaller dish.
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