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, Salsa Verde, 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!
We cook this every week!
I used all the ingredients in the recipe but adjusted the amounts as I’m only cooking for two. It was easy to assemble and tasted great. Will definitely make again!
Hi Judy – That sounds perfect! I’m so glad it worked well – great to hear it was easy and tasty! 😊
Hi Meeta, this recipe looks great. Do you think you could substitute quinoa for the brown rice?
Hi Allie – Sure, this is a versatile recipe, and you can easily substitute the rice with cooked quinoa.
made many times! Love! Easy!
Hi – So great to hear that 🙂
What size baking dish do you use?
Hi Shayne – I used a 3qt baking dish for this mexican casserole.
Been making this item since 4 years and every single time it turns out awesome ! Thank you for the recipe 💕
Hi Shweta – Thank you so much for sharing back 🙂
The sodium content this recipe is very reasonable but for folks like me who really try to watch their sodium intake the sodium can really be reduced by either cooking your own black beans or if using canned black beans finding a brand with no sodium/salt added (they are out there!) and also canned tomatoes with no salt added (although unfortunately I’ve yet to find the fire-roasted tomatoes with no salt added but I keep hoping!). By the way, did you know you can get fire-roasted frozen corn which works well too. The cheese adds a lot of salt so anywhere you can reduce it is good – you can always salt to taste. I can’t handle spicy so jalapenos and cayenne are out for me but chili powder works and I don’t miss them with all the other seasonings.
Hi Lin – Thanks for sharing your feedback, will be helpful for others watching their sodium intake.
This was delicious. I took the advice of Bruce and added another can of black beans and reduced the amount of rice by about half a cup. I added chili powder instead of cayenne and I didn’t add any jalapeño as little children were eating it. I’m glad I didn’t because the jalapeños I picked were very hot. I ate a couple of small slices with my portion. LOL
I’ll be making this again. So easy and nutritious and delicious.
So happy to hear you all enjoyed the casserole. Thanks for sharing the changes you made!
Hey Meeta! What do you think about adding some red enchilada sauce to this recipe? I’m guessing that I might need to adjust the jalapenos/cayenne if the sauce is sufficiently spicy, but do you think it would would work overall?
Hi Katie – I think enchilada sauce will work well in this recipe. And yes, do adjust the spices as needed. Hope you enjoy it!
I made this recipe last night and it turned out well. I through in some veggie crumbles to up the protein a bit. We’re looking forward to having the leftovers.
If I made this dish again, I would use much less rice. I made four cups but only used 2.5 and still felt it was too ricey. Next time I will use more beans and veggies and less rice.
I mean threw in (as in added), not “through.”
Hi Bruce – Glad to hear you enjoyed the casserole. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Just made this… everyone LOVED it!! This is definitely a keeper. The kids used it as burrito filling.
Hi Julie, So great to hear that 🙂
Am I able to prep the casserole ahead of time, keep in fridge, and then bake when I am ready? Sounds delicious, can’t wait to try!
Hi Kate – yes, sure. You can prep the casserole even a day before and bake just before you are ready to serve. Hope you enjoy it!
I would like to make this for my visiting family during Thanksgiving week, but several have acid reflex. They can eat fresh tomato, but not canned because the pH level is low.
Any suggestions for substitutions for the canned tomatoes and jalapeños.
Thanks
Hi Diane – You can use freshly diced tomatoes in this recipe too. I would add them after the onions and peppers are sautéed. Then saute the tomatoes for about 3 minutes. Then add the corn and follow the recipe. I used fresh jalapeños, but feel free to add or skip based on your preference. Hope you all enjoy the casserole!
Hi, Meeta…. Twelve servings would be a lot for just my husband and me. Would it be possible to freeze half the casserole to thaw and reheat on another night? Thanks for the recipe. Hubby is gonna flip when he sees it! Right up his vegetarian alley. 😉
Hi Tish – I believe freezing this casserole will work wonderfully. if possible, I would suggest to add the cheese on the top when you are reheating it.
Can I make this without adding the cheese? Thanks for taking the time to post the recipe.
Hi Shruthi – Yes, sure. The rice will taste amazing without the cheese too.
I cooked the dried black beans and the brown rice using the pot in pot method in the instant pot. (Thanks Meeta!) Cooked on high pressure for 25 minutes. Let pressure naturally release and both turned out great! The brown rice was perfect. I usually cook a pound of dried beans at a time so I have leftover to freeze for later.
Hi Linda – That is such a great idea. Thanks for sharing back!
Amazing!!
Meets, this recipe looks very delicious and easy to cook.
I would like to know what kind of fire roasted tomatoes you used? Canned or you roasted?
Love your recipes. Looking forward to cook this casserole asap.
Thank you.🙂
* Sorry for the typo. I meant Meeta not Meets.
Thanks to this recipe, I will NOW have to read the comment section for any recipe I decide to make (something I never do since it’s mostly “I did it this way…”)
Made the 4 cups of rice and I’ll be eating this dish for the next 10 days.
Hello – Sorry this happened. I have actually mentioned in the ingredient list that the rice measurement is for already cooked brown rice.
Hi, I am going to make this today, but I am looking at the recipe and I see 4 cups of cooked rice??? how many cups of rice is it before cooked?
Hi Evi – Typically 1 cup dry rice, makes about 3 cups of cooked rice. I would suggest to use 1.25 cup raw rice. You will need to cook them separately before using in the recipe.