This healthy vegan Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole uses pantry staple ingredients and turns them into a fuss free dump & bake meal!
An ingredient that often gets neglected but is always in my pantry: quinoa.
Not that I don't like quinoa, but my grain of choice always just tends to be rice. Buttt, I wanted to change things up (and use the quinoa that was calling my name) so I did a little challenge. I gathered pantry and left over ingredients in my fridge/freezer that desperately needed to be used and put together a meal. THIS delicious amazing deconstructed Mexican inspired stuffed pepper meal.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole
The best pantry staple ingredients come together to make a tasty Mexican inspired taco casserole.
The Ingredients
- Vegetables: I used a combination of bell peppers, corn, sweet potatoes and onions because it's what I had on hand but you can add in whatever you have or want. If adding in something like spinach, I recommend string it in so it wilts down after it's out of the oven and doesn't overcook.
- Quinoa: I always have quinoa on hand but forget how good quinoa is! I find adding quinoa to casseroles much easier to work than with rice. Plus, it's high in fiber, protein and other good nutrients.
- Black Beans: Adds to the Mexican inspired element and boosts the protein content of this dish.
- Salsa + Diced Tomatoes: The liquids help the quinoa cook AND gives a lot of flavour.
- Taco Seasoning: I use my homemade taco seasoning but again, you can use whatever you have.
The Directions + Tips for Cooking Quinoa in the Oven
This dump & bake casserole is as easy as it sounds. Dump all the ingredients into a casserole dish, cover and bake at 375 F! After around 30 minutes, remove the foil and let it bake for another 10 minutes to let any excess liquid cook off.
If you've never baked quinoa in the oven before, prepare to be amazed. Cooking quinoa in the oven is easier than using rice because it cooks much more evenly, doesn't get mushy and it's hard to mess up. Plus, theres no need to keep an eye on it like you would when cooking it on the stove and it gets infused with all the spices and flavours from the salsa, tomatoes and vegetable broth.
Helpful Recipe Notes
- How to Store: Transfer leftover casserole in a airtight container in the refrigerator for yup to 3-4 days.
- How to Reheat: Microwave for 1-2 minutes until heated through in a microwave safe bowl.
- How to Freeze. Transfer leftovers in a freezer-safe air tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat. If in a rush, you can reheat at frozen state but it does tend to get slightly mushy-er (still tasty though).
More Vegan Dump & Bake Dinners to Try:
If you recreate this Vegan Stuffed Pepper Casserole recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This healthy vegan Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole uses pantry staple ingredients and turns them into a fuss free dump & bake meal!
Ingredients
Casserole:
- 1 medium sweet potato, cubed (250g)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (125g)
- 2 medium bell peppers, chopped (180g)
- 1 can black beans (260g)
- 1 cup canned corn (175g)
- ½ cup dry quinoa (100g)
- 1 cup salsa (225g)
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes and it's juices (210g)
- 1.5 cup vegetable broth (375ml)
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon pepper
Optional Toppings:
- vegan cheese
- cilantro
- avocado
- vegan sour cream
- limes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Add all the ingredients into a large (9x13 inch) casserole dish and stir until well.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until liquid is fully cooked off.
- If adding vegan cheese, spread about a cup on top and broil for 2 minutes.
- Carefully remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Serve and garnish with cilantro, vegan sour cream, vegan cheese and limes.
Notes
- Helpful Equipment: 9x13 casserole dish
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer) without toppings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 13.7g
- Sodium: 1100mg
- Fat: 2.7g
- Saturated Fat: 0.45g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 63g
- Fiber: 13.7g
- Protein: 13.5g
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: stuffed pepper casserole, dump and bake, dump dinner, mexican quinoa casserole, vegan casseroles
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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Thera says
This looks soooo good! The perfect way to use up all that quinoa that's sitting in my pantry too!
Colleen says
This is ridiculously tasty and so incredibly easy to make! I used frozen corn instead of canned and added The Vegan 8's nacho cheese recipe, which I smoothed across the top at the end of baking and broiled for 2 min. This makes a lot of food - perfect if you're someone like me who meal preps 1-2 recipes to last an entire week! Thank you for this recipe, Lisa - adding it my "staple recipes" list!! <3
★★★★★
Debbie says
I made this tonight. I had 2 timers set in my kitchen and accidentally turned off the one that was set for the casserole so I had to guess on how long it had been in the oven. I underestimated the time and because of that my sweet potatoes could have been cooked a little bit longer and it was also a little runny but that was my fault. I used one red bell pepper and one green bell pepper and frozen corn that I thawed because that’s what I had on hand. The flavor was really good with toppings. I added vegan nacho cheese and vegan sour cream to the top of it and the family loved it. It made 4 good servings. I loved how easy this was to prepare. It’s nice to find healthy vegan meals like this, thank you:)
★★★★★
Emily Persaud says
I’ve made this recipe twice this week! It’s so amazing, and makes so much food! If you like a little more heat to yours, I added a can of chilli peppers in adobo sauce for a little added kick. Also a package of beyond beef to give it a little more filling. One of my boyfriends favourites!! 10/10 so yummy!
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
Happy to hear it worked out for you, Emily! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Anna-Lisa Nguyen says
Lisa does it again! This quick bake and dump was approved by my vegan partner and myself (non-vegan)!! The avocado was the perfect topping -- I added a bit of lemon juice and salt and mashed it. The vegan cheese is also a good extra. I didn't have a casserole dish and used a cast iron pan instead. I baked it for 20 minutes without the foil and it was still a bit runnier and the potatoes were not as soft as I'd like -- but the boyfriend loves it regardless. 10/10!
★★★★★
Esther says
This was both simple and delicious. The can see it becoming a regular meal especially on busy nights. In my opinion, the quinoa gets lost and I’d like to try it with brown rice. How would you suggest I adapt the recipe for that?
Thanks. It’s always great to find a new recipe that is quick easy and yummy. I was tempted to do take out and am glad I didn’t.
★★★★
Alli Smith says
Loved how easy this dish was to prep and put together!!!!! I followed the ingredients but added 2 diced jalapeños to spice things up and substituted the sweet potatoes with zucchini!
I found the casserole to be very watery after baking covered for 30 minutes at 375. So I cranked the heat to 400 and baked uncovered for another 20 minutes. Then I added grated cheese and baked for 10 minutes + 2 minutes under the broiler! When I took it out of the oven it was perfection 🙂
The blend of flavours together is absolutely delicious! Will be adding this to my list of weekday meals!
★★★★★
Rena says
I made this today and since I did not have any quinoa, I used pearled farro instead. I didn't have any salsa either but substituted with a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. After removing the foil and cooking it for 15 more minutes, it was still a little watery so I put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. It smells amazing and tastes really good. A keeper for sure and it made plenty. I will be putting some of this in the freezer.
Morgan Novakovich says
This recipe is so delicious and easy to make! Perfect for busy weeknights! This will definitely become a regular dinner! Thanks for the great recipe!
Trish says
Quick, easy, healthy and delicious!
★★★★★
Minerva says
I think it may have been my high altitude but it took me a little longer to cook. I cooked this at 375f for thirty minutes. Then took the foil
Off and cooked it for another 45 minutes. Then broiled with vegan cheese for 4 minutes took out and let sit for 10. Topped with green onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and yellow bird hot sauce.
★★★★★
Rachel says
I have made this several times and love this recipe! I use Mexicorn, and Rotel Fire Roasted tomatoes and it gives it a good flavor. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Kristina says
Could you assemble this, freeze, & then cook??
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great weeknight meal for the family!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it reheat well?
Connie says
Very good recipe!! The only thing was I had to double the cook time. Turned out great!!
★★★★★
Lara says
I really liked how easy this was, but definitely needed to cut the potatoes much smaller, as they were all pretty undercooked. I’ll give it another try, and will also add a small can of adobo peppers as someone mentioned above, to give it more of a kick. Or maybe raw jalapeños on top!
★★★★
Cindy says
This was so easy and delicious! I added some Gardein crumbles and I cut my sweet potatoes small but still had to cook it about an hour to get the potatoes done and liquid reduced.
★★★★★