Healthy Vegetarian Mexican Casserole with Rice & Beans is easy to make and filled with cheesy goodness along with brown rice and lots of veggies. It is a great addition to your next dinner party or Thanksgiving meal. It can be made ahead and frozen, making it easy and quick to throw together.
November is such an exciting time. Thanksgiving is coming up, and I have been thinking of my menu for the big dinner. We always have some family who do not eat meat (including dear hubby), so I like having a few healthy and filling options. At the same time, I don’t want to make it hard on myself to get too many dishes ready on the day.
This Mexican Casserole is my favorite, which is perfect for the day as it is an awesome side dish that takes very little effort and time to put together and can be enjoyed by everyone. Once the rice is pre-cooked, it can be ready in no time.
Brown Rice, along with onions, bell peppers, corn, black beans, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and some jalapeños for the spice lovers…there is so much healthy goodness in this casserole. This vegetarian casserole is also gluten- and nut-free in case of any allergies or diet restrictions.
Check out more delicious Mexican recipes – Cilantro Lime Brown Rice, Pineapple Mango Salsa, Spanish Rice, and Vegetarian Taco Soup.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Vegetarian Mexican Casserole with Rice & Beans
Preparation of the Vegetarian Mexican Casserole
This Mexican Casserole recipe is packed with protein from black beans, lots of veggies, and cheese, making it an incredibly delicious dish.
I love to eat veggies, but chopping them…not so much. With a chopper, I must say, preparing this dish was a breeze.
It worked perfectly for the red and green peppers, too. I just cut the pepper, removed the seeds, and cut it into 6 pieces. Less than 30 seconds, and they are done. You get the idea….I am loving this chopper (as if it were a real person).
Now that we have all the preparation done…let’s look at the next steps!
- Veggies chopped – onions, green and red peppers, jalapeños
- Rinsed and drained black beans
- Frozen corn
- Brown Rice cooked
- Cheese grated
How to Make Mexican Rice Casserole?
Let’s start by sautéing the veggies. Heat a large skillet and add some oil. Sauté onions, bell peppers, and jalapeño for a few minutes. Then add corn and sauté for a couple more minutes.
Add in black beans, diced tomatoes, lime juice and spices. Stir them all and then add the brown rice and shredded cheese.
I used canned black beans when making this recipe, however you can also pre-cook black beans in the pressure cooker and use them in this casserole.
I used brown rice in this recipe, but white rice works great, too. I always prefer long—or medium-grain rice for casseroles. Brown rice can be cooked in the instant pot or on the stovetop.
I mainly used freshly grated cheddar cheese in this dish. Monterey Jack or Mexican blend would work too.
Now spread the rice in the baking dish, and then the remaining cheese on top. I love this OXO Glass 3 Qt Baking Dish with Lid, as it is the perfect size for a big party. I love that it can go from freezer to oven directly (no need to let it sit out and thaw!)…isn’t that wonderful when you want to meal prep and have 10 other dishes to make for the Thanksgiving dinner? One less thing to think about is a life saver!
You will also like that this baking dish has a lid which is great if you wanted to get the casserole ready the day before or even for leftovers!
Now is the time to bake the casserole to perfection. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Place the casserole in the center of the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and perfectly melted on top.
Garnish with some cilantro and jalapeños (skip for kids). Top with some guacamole or sour cream when serving!
This was absolutely AAAAMAZING. I love these trial runs for Thanksgiving, where we get to devour all the delicious food. I had this straight for both lunch and dinner…and looking forward to having it tomorrow too. Don’t forget it is so healthy that it is okay to eat it multiple times….that is a win in my book!
Give it a try for your Thanksgiving. Whether you are cooking for special diets such as vegetarian, gluten free or not, this casserole is a great addition to the special dinner.
Tips for making the perfect Vegetarian Mexican Casserole
√ Add lots of veggies to make this a healthy casserole.
√ Adjust spices to taste. You can reduce cayenne and skip jalapeños to make this less spicy.
√ Don’t skimp on the cheese. I like to use a block of cheese and shred it myself, rather than the pre-shredded store-bought cheese, as it gives a better texture to the final dish.
√ I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes in this casserole; red enchilada sauce is a great substitute or addition, too.
√ Brown or white rice can work well in this casserole.
Healthy Vegetarian Mexican Casserole with Rice & Beans
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1.5 cup Red Onion, chopped
- 1.5 cup Red Bell Peppers , chopped
- 1.5 cup Green Bell Peppers , chopped
- 2 Jalapeños, 1 sliced + 1 diced, divided (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups Corn kernels, frozen
- 1 can Black Beans , 14oz, drained and rinsed
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes , 14oz, I used fire-roasted
- 2 tablespoon Lime juice
- 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
- 1 3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese , shredded
- 1/4 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded, for topping
- 1/4 cup Cilantro , chopped
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne or Red Chili powder, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
Instructions
Sauté the veggies
- Heat a large skillet with oil. Add onions, peppers, and diced jalapeño. Sauté for about 4 minutes or until they start to brown slightly. Add the corn and saute for a couple more minutes. Add the black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, lime juice, and then the spices. Stir to combine. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust salt.
- Add the cooked brown rice and mix well. Then add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and mix it.
Preparing & Baking the casserole:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease the baking dish.
- Transfer the rice and veggies mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese and Mexican blend cheese on the top.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.
- (optional) Leave a few minutes under broil if desired until lightly golden.
- Garnish with cilantro and sliced jalapeños. Cut into squares and serve!
I added a small can of sliced black olives which I put half on the top before the cheese and half after the cheese. I also might use half the corn next time, and substitute the rest with kidney beans.
Was very good!!!!
Hi Linda – Glad you enjoyed the casserole. Thanks for sharing your feedback for suggested changes.
I am looking for a fast and easy vegetarian option for a band hospitality room I am catering in the next couple of weeks and this recipe looks like it will work. I have a couple quick questions: can you replace the tomatoes and jalapenos with a can of rotel tomatoes and could you replace the spices with just a taco seasoning packet? I’m trying to avoid buying several spices for one recipe if you know what I mean. Thank you for your time.
Hi Theresa – I totally understand you dont want to buy too many ingredients which you might not use again. You can use Rotes and taco seasoning in this recipe. Hope everyone enjoys the casserole.
Great post and I will always visit this site
You have created a wonderful, delicious dish! Thank you for a new go-to. We loved it!
So delicious! Thanks for the recipe. We scooped this inside of taco shells and topped it with sour cream!
Hi Krysta – Glad you all enjoyed the Rice & Beans!
Hi All:
Just made this as written…used as a vegetarian offering for a tailgate taco event. Very, very nice, and really tasty with brown rice!
Thank you!
Hey Renee – Glad to hear you enjoyed the casserole!
Great stuff!
Love your writing skills.
Keep sharing things like this.
Hi There,
This looks amazing and I plan to make it this weekend! Quick question just to clarify, do you cook 4 cups of brown rice or do you measure out 4 cups of brown rice that has already been cooked?
Also, I made you instant pot dal fry the other day and it was INCREDIBLE! I cannot wait to make it again. I was so impressed with how flavourful and creamy it was. Thank you!
Hey Kayzra – Thank you, glad you enjoyed the Dal. I used 4 cups cooked brown rice. Hope you enjoy this casserole 🙂
That looks awesome!
Thanks!
Gosh! Such an easy recipe. Surely going to try this one next week for Thanksgiving.
Thanks Anushree. It is so easy and delicious, and will definitely looks gorgeous on the Thanksgiving table!