Mexican Veggie Bake
This plant based Mexican bake is a big winner in our house hold! I’ve used quinoa and black beans for a plant based source of protein as well as packing in as many veggies as I can with some simple yet tasty Mexican flavours. With a minimum of 11 plant ingredients and so many great sources of fibre, your gut bugs will love this one also! Enjoy as is or have as a part of a bowl with a big salad, or wrap into burritos to bake, or add some corn chips for healthy nachos - the options are endless!
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 x onion, diced
2 x garlic cloves, crushed
300g (1 heaped cup) mushrooms, diced
2 x corn cobs, kernels removed
1 x capsicum, diced
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 cup white quinoa, rinsed (soaking in water and a dash of apple cider vinegar for at least 2 hours is helpful but not essential)
1 tin black beans, rinsed and drained
2 x handfuls baby spinach
1 x tin diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups stock/broth
1 cup cheese, grated
To serve: avocado, yoghurt/sour cream, coriander and fresh lime (plus chilli if desired)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Heat a large fry pan or stovetop safe baking dish to medium heat. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and then add the mushrooms, corn and capsicum. Also add the oregano and paprika. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add the quinoa, black beans and spinach and stir for 1 minute. If you used a fry pan, transfer the mix to an oven proof baking dish, then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and stock/broth. Mix well and then flatten out the mix with the back of a spoon. Scatter cheese on top and bake for 35-45 minutes or until quinoa is cooked. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Variations
Make a Mexican bowl by serving this mix along side shredded lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, cabbage, spring onion and brown rice. Add cooked shredded chicken or your choice of cooked protein if desired.
Make burritos by using the mix as a filling (with added cooked beef mince) to go inside burrito wraps. Lay assembled burritos side by side in a baking dish. Pour salsa over the top, a bit of extra cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Make a breakfast shakshuka by adding to a fry pan and making a couple of holes to crack two eggs into. Heat until eggs are cooked, serve with good quality bacon.
Turn into a soup by adding extra stock/broth.
Looking for some more nourishing meal ideas?
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