Mexican Bean Casserole

This easy-to-prepare recipe for a low GI Mexican casserole will be a favourite with all spicy food lovers. Contains beans, tomatoes fresh vegetables and cheese. Your digestive system will thank you for this high-fibre meal, and so will your taste buds!

• Ingredients
• Method
• Nutritional content

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup short grain brown rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 large can (800 mL) red kidney beans, drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large can (550 mL) diced tomatoes, partially drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Mexican chili powder
• 250 g mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• 2 green peppers (capsicum), chopped
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 250 g shredded mozzarella (reduced fat)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over a medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic, onion, mushrooms and green pepper (capsicum). Simmer, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the onions are tender.
3. Add the rice, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine the ingredients.
4. Cover the pot and simmer for ~25 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Transfer the casserole to a baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake in a moderate oven (175^oC) for ~15 mins.

Preparation time: 15–20 minutes
Cooking time: 35–40 minutes
Difficulty rating: Easy

Tips

• You can substitute mozzarella for goat’s cheese or leave the cheese out if you are vegan or lactose intolerant.
• Add extra chilli or garlic if you like your beans fiery.
• Add extra vegetables such as eggplant, carrots or corn for extra vitamins. Vitamin help protect the eyes, teeth, skin and sperm.
• Choose canned tomatoes and kidney beans with no added sugar or salt. Reducing salt and sugar intake is an important step in improving your diet and reducing the risk of health condition caused by poor nutrition including obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Substitute vegetable oil for olive oil or poly-unsaturated vegetable oil for a healthier option. These types of oil have the same amount of calories but contain fewer unhealthy saturated fats.

This healthy recipe comes from the kitchen of Dave in Enoggera, QLD.

Nutritional content

Nutritional analysis per serve:

Energy	1089.98 kJ 261 cal
Protein	17.36 g
Total fat	7.18 g
Saturated fat	3.50 g
Carbohydrates	27.33 g
Total sugars	4.56 g
Fibre	13.75 g
Sodium	469.90 mg
Cholesterol	28 mg
Potassium	901 mg
Calcium	356

 

More information

For more information on nutrition, including information on types and composition of food, nutrition and people, conditions related to nutrition, and diets and recipes, as well as some useful videos and tools, see Nutrition.