Mexican Quinoa Casserole

 I'm big into casseroles right now. Not only are they usually pretty easy to make but they almost always have leftovers.

I based this recipe off of Savor the Rainbow with a few changes.

Ingredients 
-1 lb cooked shredded chicken (I poached 2 large chicken breasts)
-1 tsp oil (olive, canola, etc)
-1 medium onion sliced
-2 garlic cloves minced
-1-15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 cup uncooked quinoa
-1 small sweet potato cubed
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 packed frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
-1 Tbs tomato paste
-1-15oz jar salsa
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.) Preheat the oven to 375
2.) Bring to a boil 1-1/2 cups of water. Once boiling add the quinoa, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed
3.) Once the quinoa is cooked (or just get another pan if you love washing dishes) pour it into an 11 x 7 pan. In the same pot that cooked the quinoa, heat enough oil to sweat the onions.
4.) Once the onions begin to brown, add the garlic and heat for about 1 minute. Then add the tomato paste and cook for another minute or so.
5.) Add the onion mixture to the quinoa.
6.) Add the chicken, beans, sweet potato, corn, spinach and 1/2 the salsa. Mix to combine. Then cover with cheese and remaining salsa.
7.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling

If I were to make this again I would mix all of the salsa into the casserole. I would also add some additional spices to give some more heat. Otherwise this was a great meal to pack a lot of veggies into without making a big mess. My dish-washing husband appreciates that!