this easy dish comes together quickly and combines hearty vegetables with black beans for a meatless dish that even the biggest meat lovers will enjoy!
It took a long time for me to come up with what I should call this dish. It honestly kind of came together on the fly but in the best possible way.
I had a bunch of veggies on hand that I knew I wanted to put into a dish of some sort…so I just started by washing/peeling/chopping them all up and went from there!
I had originally envisioned this dish to be made with quinoa, but I only had about a 1/2 cup left so I switched it up with farro and you know what? I’m SO glad I was out of the quinoa. The chewiness of the farro actually ended up being such a nice surprise!
I won’t lie to you, it’s never going ot be one of those dishes that looks the prettiest, but MAN does it taste good.
If the looks of it don’t sway you, I promise that the aromas and the taste of it will.
It’s the best example of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” I served it up on plates but would probably recommend you serve it in a bowl, it gets pretty messy and a bowl ensures you don’t miss a bite!
I chose to leave mine meatless, but you can easily throw some cooked shredded chicken into the mix if you prefer!
Other than that, top it with your favorite mexican-style toppings (we went plain yogurt, hot sauce, avocado and chopped cilantro) and you’ve got yourself a meal loaded with protein, fiber, heart-healthy fats that you can make on Sunday and eat all week!
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PinIngredients
- 1 1/2 cup farro
- 3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium medium sweet potato, peeled & cut into cubes
- 1 red bell pepper, washed, de-seeded & diced
- 1 medium zucchini, washed & diced
- 1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen works!
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 14 oz can low sodium black beans
- 1 1/2 cups salsa
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder, divided (less as desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups mexican-blend cheese
- Olive oil
- Optional toppings: freshly chopped cilantro, plain yogurt, avocado, hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
- Combine farro and vegetable broth in a pot and cook according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain off excess liquid and set aside.
- While farro cooks, placed cubed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, salt & pepper to taste. Toss to coat the potatoes then place in the oven for 25-30 minutes (or until potatoes are fork-tender). Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven heat down to 375 degrees F.
- While farro & potatoes cook, place 1 teaspoon olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat and add garlic, pepper & zucchini. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until veggies are just tender. Add onions, corn, black beans, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, salt & pepper to taste. Toss to coat all the vegetables. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until onions are cooked.
- In a large bowl, add cooked farro, cooked sweet potatoes, cooked veggie and bean mixture, salsa and 1 cup of mexican blend cheese. Toss to combine and distribute all ingredients individually.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, remove from the oven and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Place the oven on BROIL and put the casserole back in for 2-3 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly and lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10-15 minutes, then serve with toppings of choice.
Notes
You can add 1 cup cooked shredded chicken to this dish if you desire. Just toss it into the large mixing bowl when mixing all the other ingredients.
Dish will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Hi Cait! I’m making this tonight and I’m so excited! One question, when did you put your salsa in? Did you just stir it in before you baked it? Thanks so much!
Yes! I put it in with everything else right before I placed it in the baking dish! I’ll edit now to reflect that 🙂
Hey.. I can’t find farro anywhere not sure if you can even get it in Australia. Could I used rice instead? Thank you!
Yes, definitely! Quinoa would also work 🙂