Vegan Oven-Baked Mexican Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients

• Onions

  Raw

  1 medium or 110g

• Quinoa

  Uncooked

  1 cup or 170g

• Tomatoes

  Red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice

  4 cup or 960g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  ½ cup or 118g

• Tomato paste

  Canned, without salt added

  1 tbsp or 16g

• Cumin

  Spices, cumin seed

  1 tsp, ground or 3g

• Oregano

  Spices, dried

  1 tsp, leaves or 1g

• Chili powder

  Spices

  ½ tsp or 1g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  1 dash or 0.1g

• Canned black beans

  Low sodium, drained

  1 can or 425g

• Corn

  Sweet, yellow, raw

  1 cup or 145g

• Spinach

  Raw

  3 cup or 90g

• Avocados

  Raw, All commercial varieties

  ½ fruit or 101g

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat a medium frying pan or stove-top-safe casserole dish. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to an oven-safe casserole dish if not already using one.
3. Add quinoa, canned tomatoes with juice, water, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, and spices. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
4. Cover and place in the oven. Set timer for 30 minutes.
5. Carefully remove the casserole from the oven and stir in drained beans and corn. If the mixture looks dry, add a half cup of water.
6. Return to the oven with the lid and set the timer for another 30 minutes.
7. Carefully remove the casserole from the oven and stir in spinach. It will wilt from the heat.
8. Top with diced avocado and/or cilantro and serve.
9. If freezing, make the full recipe but leave out the spinach and toppings. Let cool and freeze in airtight containers. To serve: defrost fully, lightly reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, stir in spinach, and add toppings of choice.