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Full of vegetables, spices, and healthy brown rice, this healthy black bean casserole has it all. You are going to love how easy it is to make such a fantastic, one-dish meal.
Contents
Easy Black Bean Casserole
Making a delicious healthy dish does not need to be hard. In fact, this recipe for black bean casserole is incredibly easy. In about 5 minutes of prep time, you can have the entire dish in your oven. In just thirty more minutes, you will have a perfect lunch or dinner ready to enjoy!
What is even more amazing is that in that short amount of time, you can prepare a meal that will feed six people or last in the fridge for up to a week! So, get out your casserole dish now, start to preheat your oven and you will be enjoying this delicious and nutritious dish in no time.
How To Make Black Bean Casserole
It doesn’t take long to learn how to make this casserole. There are no complicated steps, no difficult cooking tasks to master, or really any way to make a major mistake when preparing this dish. Take a look and you will see:
- Grease your baking dish and preheat the oven.
- Chop the pepper, onion, and garlic.
- Mix everything together in a large bowl then pour into the prepared casserole dish.
- Bake the casserole in the preheated oven until the top begins to brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
The hardest part of this recipe is simply opening cans of black beans and stirring everything together! Any novice chef can do that and, when you use the delicious spices and ingredients that we have listed, you will get a meal that tastes as if a professional chef had created it!
Flavors in Black Bean Casserole
In addition to the great main ingredients in the recipe (corn, black beans, rice, onions, and bell pepper are the primary ingredients used), there are lots of spices that add a lot to the dish. Most of the spices are commonly found in Mexican food which pairs very well with this black bean casserole.
Cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and fresh chopped cilantro are the primary spices. They are also all spices that you should definitely have in stock on your spice rack– they come in handy quite often! Each spice comes together wonderfully to make this black bean casserole come alive so try not to skip any. However, if you are not a huge fan of spiciness, you can definitely cut back slightly on the chili powder to make the casserole recipe a little less hot.
Healthy Black Bean Casserole Recipe
Yes, black bean casserole is amazingly tasty, but is it healthy? It absolutely is! Take a look at a few of the ingredients we use to bake this dish and you will see how great it is nutritionally.
Black Bean– Black beans are full of fiber, loaded with plant-based protein, fat-free, and low in calories.
Corn– Corn is rich in vitamin B12, iron, and folic acid. It has also been shown to be an energy-boosting vegetable and one that can help lower blood sugar.
Chili powder– Chili powder has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory and also helps improve an upset stomach.
Brown Rice– Brown rice has lots of fiber which can help improve digestion. It can help lower cholesterol and also promote fullness.
Purple Onion – Purple onion is full of antioxidants. It is low in calories but full of nutrients and vitamins. Onion also has antibacterial properties and can help with digestive health.
Almost every ingredient in our recipe has some kind of beneficial nutritional impact. You can feel good about enjoying a great big bowl of black bean casserole, knowing that every bite is helping your health while also filling your belly!
Ways To Enjoy Bean Casserole
While we love eating this casserole straight out of the baking dish, there are a few other ways to enjoy our recipe. Give a few of these ideas a try and let us know what you think (you can always email your suggestions directly to our email address!).
- Place a half-cup or so of the bean casserole in the center of a flour tortilla or use corn tortillas. Wrap the black bean filling inside and then enjoy it!
- Serve the bean casserole as a side dish, pairing it with a Mexican-inspired chicken, or use it as a salsa for tacos. Place it in a cup or dish and serve with some tortilla chips- it also makes for a great dip.
- Bulk the dish up by adding some extra chopped onion, a few diced tomatoes, some extra corn, and peppers, and then store a cup or two of the leftovers in individual meal prep containers. You have just premade your meal for a few days! All you need to do is reheat it in the microwave using a cover for a minute or two and you will be ready to eat.
This recipe isn’t just one-dimensional- you can enjoy it in so many different ways. Drizzle a little sour cream over the top, add a cup of shredded cheddar cheese or just try adding a few pinto beans in with the black bean mix- you really can’t go wrong!
If you are ready to start baking and preparing this delicious recipe, get your baking dish out, grab those cans of beans and preheat your oven- you will be eating in no time! If you love this recipe and are interested in more amazing, simple recipes or almost any recipe in between, we have tons!
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Healthy Black Bean Casserole
★★★★★4.6 from 13 reviews
- Author: Simple Green Moms
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Gluten-Free
Description
A filling and hearty entree that everyone will enjoy, any time of year.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (any kind works)
- 1 (15 oz) can black (or pinto) beans
- 2 cups frozen (or canned) sweet corn
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ lime, juiced
- ¼ cup green bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup purple onion, diced
- 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
- chopped cilantro (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F degrees and prepare a 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray
- Add all ingredients in large mixing bowl and stir until evenly combined
- Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown
- Carefully remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving
Notes
Pro Tips:
- If you want to cut back on your cook time, skip the casserole dish and opt for a flat rimmer baking dish or sheet tray. You may need to spread the black bean mix between two trays but since it is not as deep, the recipe will bake much faster.
- Rather than use a large bowl to mix the ingredients together, simply toss everything directly into the casserole dish or baking dish, stir gently and put the entire dish right into the oven to bake. One less dish to wash!
- Before you mix the black beans in with the other ingredients, drain them from the can and give them a good rinse. This will prevent the recipe from being too starchy while retaining the great taste and texture of the beans.
- For another option, mix in some seared ground beef into the casserole (about one cup to 2 cups of cooked beef will do!). The baking time and other ingredients will remain the same however you will get much more out of the recipe and it will serve about 8 people rather than just 6.
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