Southwest Black Bean Casserole
BellaFina™ peppers may be used to create a wide variety of recipes, from appetizers to main dishes. BellaFina peppers are often used in salads, vegetables trays with or without dip, cooked in stews and sauces and stuffed with meat, cheese and grains.
Grown on the vine in the field, BellaFina peppers are a great source of vitamins and nutrients. They are low calorie, fat free, sodium free and high in Vitamin C.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice (4-5 cups leftover cooked rice)
3 cups water or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white or red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp natural taco seasoning (or make your own spice mix, see below)
3-4 Bellafina peppers, diced
1 (15oz) can black beans
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (cook for 2-3 minutes in the microwave to soften)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups tortilla chips, crushed (optional for crunchy topping)
Spice Mix:
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne powder (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Make rice: (Skip if you have leftover rice) In a small saucepan, bring rice and vegetable broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
While the rice is cooking, you will have time to prep your casserole ingredients. Chop onions, mince garlic, dice Bellafina peppers, microwave and dice sweet potato, measure out spice mix and frozen corn. Drain and rinse the black beans.
Once everything is prepped, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent.
Add garlic, spices and Bellafina pepper. Stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding the diced tomatoes.
Let the mixture cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Once the liquid from the tomatoes is bubbling, turn off the heat.
Add the black beans, sweet potato and corn to the pot and mix well. Once the rice is cooked and fluffed, add it to the pot. Mix everything together and transfer to casserole dish.
Top with crushed tortilla chips and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture is heated and chips have lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve with your favorite Southwestern toppings like salsa, avocado, green onions and tortilla chips.
From myvega.com