easy veggie-packed mexican casserole

this meal is not only easy and delicious but it’s budget-friendly too! packed with flavor and nutrition, it will definitely become a staple in your household!

You guys, I’ve been a zucchini freak lately.

I don’t know what happened.  I definitely wasn’t as into them during the majority of this summer and now suddenly as summer is coming to a close, all these zucchini recipes are coming to mind!  It all started when I came up with the pesto cheese tortellini dish I made last week and then it just kind of snowballed from there.

I literally have a list of about 10 recipes all of which zucchini is the main ingredient.  I’m hoping to squeeze a couple more in before they really go out of season and the rest I’ll just have to save for next summer!

For now though – zucchini!

…plus pretty much every other vegetable that I could squeeze into the pan.

I love dishes that you scoop out one serving and get a good cup or two of veggies in that one sitting.  It’s especially helpful when serving those that have trouble getting their 3 cups per day!

My other obsession this summer has been all things mexican food.  From breakfast tacos to enchiladas and quesadillas I can’t get enough.  So I figured, it was high time to combine the mexican + zucchini obsessions together into one delicious casserole.

This dish also gets a huge thumbs up from me because it’s super budget friendly.  Without the additional toppings that you can throw on at the end (plain greek yogurt and avocado) this dish costs $1.84 per serving.

$1.88!!!

You can’t get anything for that!  Even if you dish up 2 servings for yourself, you’re still under $5.

And you’re not sacrificing anything – you get veggies, protein, fiber and a fully satisfying and healthy meal on the table in under 30 minutes!  So dig in my friends, and enjoy!

easy veggie-packed mexican casserole

• Author: Cait
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: dinner

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Description

This meal is not only easy and delicious but it’s budget-friendly too! Packed with flavor and nutrition, it will definitely become a staple in your household!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 medium zucchinis, sliced thin
• 3 tri-colored baby bell peppers, diced
• 1.5 cups frozen corn
• 1 15 ounces can black beans, drained and patted dry
• 1 teaspoon chiptole chili powder
• 8–12 ounces shredded light mexican blend cheese (I used Trader Joe’s)
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons earth balance
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Optional: greek yogurt and sliced avocado

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Instructions

1. Move the oven racks to the lower middle and upper middle positions.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 and grease an oven-safe dish.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of earth balance to a pan over low heat then add zucchini, bell pepper and frozen corn.
4. Allow vegetables to begin to soften (about 5-10 minutes) then add drained and patted dried black beans (you want to dry these because otherwise the dish will be really soggy at the bottom, especially using frozen corn).
5. Sprinkle teaspoon (more if your taste buds can handle it!) of chipotle chili powder over the vegetables and black beans and squeeze 1/2 the lime over it (being careful to catch any seeds that fall)
6. Toss all in the pan to combine and distribute the chili powder and lime juice then transfer to the greased oven-safe dish.
7. Pour beaten eggs and half the cheese over the vegetables and black beans and toss to combine and distribute the eggs and cheese.
8. Top the mixture with the remaining cheese and place in the oven on the middle rack.
9. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower-middle rack (you just want the cheese to melt and the eggs to congeal and do their job as an emulsifier so that it will stay together upon cutting) then transfer to the upper rack for another 5-10 minutes (or just until cheese begins to brown).
10. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 20 minutes (if you try to cut it too soon it might fall apart completely – which doesn’t ruin the taste by any means, so if you can’t wait, go for it! Just put it in a bowl rather than a plate) then top with chopped cilantro and hot sauce.
11. Slice, top with optional toppings of choice, then serve.

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Notes

I recommend serving with some blue corn chips!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice

Keywords: casserole, mexican, dinner, vegetarian

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