Indulge in a healthy and flavorful meal tonight with our Zucchini Quinoa Taco Casserole – a perfect combination of zesty spices, protein-rich quinoa, and fresh zucchini.
Looking for a delicious and nutritious twist on traditional tacos? Look no further than this mouthwatering Zucchini Quinoa Taco Casserole. Packed with wholesome ingredients like zucchini, quinoa, black beans and flavorful spices, this casserole is not only satisfying but also incredibly healthy. Whether you’re a vegetarian looking to add more plant-based meals to your repertoire or simply want to switch things up for Taco Tuesday, this recipe is sure to become a new family favorite. Get ready to dig into layers of cheesy goodness and bold flavors in every bite!
Zucchini Quinoa Taco Casserole Recipe
Texture: soft veggies and gooey melted cheese.
Taste: delicious casserole full of veggies.
Simplicity: very easy to make, just combine all ingredients, then bake.
Meal Type: dinner, meal prep.
Mexican Casserole Ingredients Needed
- Black Beans – canned black beans
- Quinoa – cooked according to the package directions.
- Zucchini – 1 medium sized, peeled fresh zucchini.
- Cilantro – chopped fresh cilantro to add to casserole.
- Taco Sauce – store bought taco sauce.
- Salt – Himalayan, table or sea salt.
- Black Pepper – ground black pepper.
- Cheddar Cheese – shredded cheddar cheese.
- Avocado – diced small fresh avocado, to garnish baked casserole.
- Tomato – diced medium sized tomato.
How to make Taco Casserole
- (Full recipe below). Rinse and drain the black beans thoroughly. Then, cook the quinoa according to the package instructions and set it aside.
- Next, prepare the zucchini by washing it and removing the ends. Dice it into small pieces.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, black beans, zucchini, and chopped cilantro. The cilantro will add a refreshing and aromatic touch to the dish.
- Add taco sauce. You can choose a mild or spicy sauce, depending on your taste buds. Mix everything together until the sauce evenly coats the quinoa, beans, zucchini, and cilantro. Add salt and black pepper.
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Transfer the mixture from the bowl into the pan, spreading it out evenly.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of your favorite cheddar cheese over the top of the mixture.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
- Once fully cooked, remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro, diced tomato and avocado.
Mexican Casserole Tips
- You can choose a mild or spicy taco sauce, whichever you prefer.
- You can substitute black beans for white beans or any other beans that you like.
- Substitute cheddar cheese for mozzarella, colby jack etc.
- Serve this flavorful black bean, quinoa, and zucchini casserole as a main dish or as a side alongside your favorite Mexican-inspired meal.
Zucchini Quinoa Casserole FAQ’s
This taco casserole is a flavorful and hearty dish that can be complemented with a variety of sides to create a well-rounded meal. Here are some ideas for what you can serve with a taco casserole: Mexican rice, sour cream, salad, cornbread, grilled vegetables, tortillas etc.
This taco casserole is baked 20 minutes covered and 10-20 minutes uncovered. Covering a casserole can help retain moisture, which is especially important for dishes with ingredients that might dry out during baking. Some casseroles benefit from being uncovered to allow excess moisture to evaporate, resulting in a thicker sauce or more concentrated flavors.
No, this casserole doesn’t need to be stirred. It has a cheese topping, you might not need to stir to maintain the desired texture. Bake then serve with fresh tomato and avocado.
Other Mexican Dinner Recipes
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Taco Zucchini Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup black beans canned, rinsed
- 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 zucchini medium-sized, diced, peeled
- 12 oz. taco sauce about 340ml
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Toppings
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 tomato diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 8×8-inch square pan.
- In a large bowl combine black beans, cooked quinoa, diced zucchini, taco sauce, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- Transfer the mixture from the bowl into the pan, spreading it out evenly.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of cheddar cheese over the top of the mixture.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20 covered and 10-20 minutes uncovered, or until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
- Once fully cooked, remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
Toppings
- Garnish with avocado, tomato and cilantro.
Equipment needed
Notes
- You can choose a mild or spicy taco sauce, whichever you prefer.
- You can substitute black beans for white beans or any other beans that you like.
- Substitute cheddar cheese for mozzarella, colby jack etc.
- Serve this flavorful black bean, quinoa, and zucchini casserole as a main dish or as a side alongside your favorite Mexican-inspired meal.
Nutrition
Update Notes: The recipe was originally posted in April 2015, it was updated with new tips and in August, 2023.
Julie @ Lovely Little Kitchen
This looks wonderful! I haven’t cooked with quinoa, but I love the idea of adding it to granola!
Ilona
Thanks Julie for visiting my blog:)
Kelly
So glad I found this, trying to cut back on glutn
Ilona
It’s very delicious Kelly:)
Yanique Chambers
This looks really good! I have to try. Pinning 🙂
Ilona
Thank you for pinning!
angelamroberts
I eat quinoa for breakfast with berries. Maybe they would like that. I use milk too. But your dish looks yummy and gooey good.
Ilona
What a great idea to eat quinoa with berries. Seems delicious!
Cat @ Pocketful of Posies
This looks delicious and I love that it is healthy!
Ilona
Thank you
Julie Evink
I have to try this! I love sticking quinoa in casseroles!
Ilona
Thanks Julie for your visit
Sue
That looks really good – I love quinoa
Ilona
Thank you Sue!
Renee Nicole's Kitchen
Quinoa seems to be popping up everywhere these days! This looks like a particularly tasty way to eat it.
Tamara
Quinoa is such a healthy addition when going meatless due to its protein content! This looks yummy… Keep offering it to your kids, they’ll come around. My 4 adult sons all cook, and have almost no dislikes, but I kept offering things to them when they were little… Go Ilona!
Ilona
Thank you so much Tamara for your suggestions. I think I should stick with offering:)
Lauren @ Create Bake Make
This looks fabulous! We love mexican food in our house and I can’t wait to try this 🙂
Ilona
Thank you Lauren!
The Foodie Affair
I’ll take the kid’s portions – haha! I love everything about this casserole! Pinning this so I can make it soon!
Ilona
Thank you for pinning!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Yumm!! This is so mouth-watering, bookmarking this recipe!!
Ilona
Thank you so much Sam!
Jennifer
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit!
Ilona
I am so happy to hear that!
ATW Renegades
I cooked this for my husband tonight, who is a professional chef. He was very skeptical of this being good since he is such a huge meat eater, and this is vegetarian. But he absolutely loved it!! He even went back for thirds! It’s a healthy, comforting, flavorful and easy dish that we will be putting into the regular rotation 🙂 I think one of the keys too is that we invested in some really good taco sauce found at Whole Foods that included red pepper and cumin. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Ilona
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear the good news. I agree if you invest in really good taco sauce that you like you’ll love the whole dish:) Thank you for trying my recipe.
Jennifer A Stewart
Loving this when the corn or flour tortillas are not jiving with my body:)
Ilona
Thank you Jennifer!