Anita Ojeda 
This easy vegetarian casserole takes almost no time to prepare. If you make the big batch of quinoa black bean casserole, you’ll have enough to freeze for later.
Quinoa Black Bean Casserole
“Why don’t you make that lime black bean casserole thing anymore?” my husband asked me. I searched through my internal card file and vaguely remembered an easy vegetarian casserole I made years ago, before we quit eating white rice.
His question got me thinking about flavors and substitutions and the next time I accidentally made too much quinoa, I thought I’d try reinventing the dish as quinoa black bean casserole. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use leftovers to make it (ok, not leftover feta cheese, but the two other main ingredients). I started with the leftover black beans I’d made in my Instant Pot, and the leftover quinoa from a salad bowl recipe I had made.
Pedro and the carnivores (the three young men living with us this school year) like it so much that I made a bigger batch the next time and froze the extra two casserole dishes for later. In case you haven’t caught on, my theory is make more now and freeze it for later. It takes scarcely any more time to double or triple recipes and freeze them for days when you don’t know what to cook. Or, if you’re really organized, you could plan out a menu for the next six months…but I’m not there, yet.
When you cook your quinoa, make sure you rinse it (or soak it and then rinse it) to get rid of its natural coating of saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy.
Quick Guide to Making Quinoa
Here’s how I prepare quinoa in my Instant Pot (the numbers in parenthesis are what I use for making the big batch of casserole):
Soak and rinse 1 (4) cups of quinoa (I used the red variety for this recipe, but it doesn’t really matter). Spray the inside of the cooking pot with non-stick spray (to cut down on foaming). Add 3 (6) cups of water, 1/2 (1) teaspoon of salt, and 1 (2) teaspoon of lime zest. Add the rinsed quinoa, lock the lid, and use the [Pressure Cook] button. Adjust the + or – buttons to select 1 minutes of cook time. When the machine finishes (it takes about 5 minutes to warm up), allow it to cool for ten minutes on the [Keep Warm] setting before cancelling the program and opening the vent.
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Quinoa Black Bean Casserole with Zesty Lime
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
I’m a firm believer in making things ahead of time and freezing them for later. The recipe has the quantities needed for a quadruple batch in parenthesis.
Ingredients
3 (12) cups quinoa, cooked (see above)
3 (12) cups Perfect Instant Pot Black Beans
1/2 (2) cup feta, crumbled
2 (8) Tbs. cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime (1 cup lime juice)
Instructions
If I’m making a single casserole dish, I make this the same week I cook up a pot of Perfect Instant Pot Black Beans. I usually have enough left over to make this casserole. The prep time accounts for cooking the quinoa, but not the beans. If you have cooked quinoa AND beans on hand, the recipe will take just minutes to make.
Spray an 8X8 casserole dish with nonstick spray. If you make the big batch, you’ll need four 8X8 casserole dishes, or two 13X9 inch dishes.
Mix all of the ingredients together and place in the prepared casserole dish(es).
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Serve with corn, fresh salsa, and tortilla chips.
- Category: Vegetarian Casserole
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: quinoa, black beans, easy vegetarian casserole, vegetarian, mealprep
Looks yummy. Did not get around to using the Instant Pot yet. Will have to wait until I get my own and try these at home. Thanks for sharing.
I’m loving learning and reading about these recipes.
Wow, you have some great recipes.
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