Southwestern Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

Here I go again with my love of all things Quinoaaaaa! This Mexican style dish is amazing and life changingly good! This casserole is flavor explosion of just the right amount of spice combined with crunch. It is perfect for attacking your friends and family with quinoa without them even knowing it. We all have those people in our lives who wont try the kin-o-wa since it is different and they already know they hate it {cough. Charlie Badger. cough}. The dish is loaded with Mexican flavors that make anyones mouth water just upon smelling it!
So enough with the description here is the delicious recipe...

Southwestern Quiona and Black Bean Casserole

serves: 9

Ingredients

3 large cloves garlic, minced {low-key... I bought pre-minced cloves because I can.}

1 onion minced {now I wish onions came minced because I cried for a long time doing this}

2 jalepeños, seeds and ribs removed, minced {TOTALLY OPTIONAL.. mine does not have jalepeños in it because I'm a baby when it comes to spice}

1 tablespoon oil

4 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth 

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

4 bell peppers, diced {I used red and yellowwww}

1 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese {really however much you would like}

Directions

1. Black Beans. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic and onions {possibly jalepeños} for 4 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in broth and black beans and bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick, not watery. {if there is a lot of water let the mixture cook out on low heat for another few minutes}

One of the times I made the back beans I only made half the black beans and added refried beans! It was sooo delicious :)

2. Quinoa. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toss and toast the cooked quinoa with the cayenne, chili powder and cumin. 1-2 minutes.

3. Peppers. In the same dry skillet over medium-high heat, place the diced peppers and do NOT stir. {not stiring allows the peppers to get a brown roasted look on the outside} Don't over cook the peppers because they will, at the end, become soggy if over cooked.

4. Assemble. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Spoon black bean mixture into a baking dish. Top with Quinoa, Bell Peppers and Cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 mins, or until the top layer of cheese is golden and bubbly. 

5. Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, on tacos, salad or as a side!

ENJOY