Southwest Sweet Potato and Quinoa Casserole

This is so yummy. Sweet potatoes are SO good for you, but not everyone likes them as much as white potatoes. I'm trying to find more ways to incorporate them into meals my family enjoys without losing the flavor, and this recipe is great for that. It's also very simple. I threw it together in less than half an hour yesterday, and Richard approved. Reuben liked it too, but it was a little too spicy for Rachel.

This recipe will easily feed 4 people.

Here's what I did:
1. Shred 1 medium sweet potato.

 You can skin it if you want, but remember that a lot of the nutrients are packed into the skin, and no one's going to notice it since it's shredded anyway.

  2. In a large bowl, combine the shredded sweet potato, 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans, 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa*, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, along with dashes of salt, pepper, and cumin (technically it calls for 1/2 Tbsp, but that's a lot for my sensitive 3 yr old) and mix well.

 3. In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup salsa with 1 egg. 

 4. Pour into greased baking dish.

 Pour the salsa mixture on top,

 and top with another 1/2 cup or so of shredded cheese.










 
5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

*Quinoa is fun to experiment with, but this is my absolute favorite recipe for it. It cooks just like rice, but you do need to rinse or soak it before you cook it. I usually put it in a pot of water for 15 minutes, then rins it in my mesh strainer. Then return it to the pot with a 2:1 ration of water to quinoa, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. 1 cup uncooked yields 3 cups cooked, so for this recipe you can easily cook up 1/3 cup and do the rest of your preparation (mostly shredding) while it's cooking.

And if you end up with extra beans or quinoa from making this recipe, here's another yummy thing I made for lunch the other day.