Easy Plant Based Taco Casserole with Rice
Quick and easy vegan taco casserole is layered with rice, refried beans, lots of veggies, black beans, and vegan queso! A hearty meal the entire family will love.
This vegan taco casserole is a perfect dinner for taco Tuesday or any busy weeknight! Almost like a layered vegan taco lasagna, it comes together super quickly, is hearty and delicious! Packed with veggies, naturally gluten free, and ready in less than an hour. Yum!
This easy taco casserole is perfect for making taco night a little easier, especially for meal prep! The delicious casserole is filled with all of your favorite fillings like rice, beans, and peppers, and there is plenty of cheese on top, dairy free of course! Adding your favorite toppings to customize it means everyone, even a picky eater, gets their favorite things.
In the mood for more Tex Mex recipes? Make sure you check out some of my favorites like Mango Pineapple Salsa or Dreamy Queso!
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this dairy free taco casserole. For the full ingredient list, complete with measurements, please see the recipe card below.
- Rice: You can use brown rice, white rice, leftover rice, or Spanish style rice (which is what I used in these photos). It’s totally up to you! I’ve made this casserole with all kinds of rice combinations and no matter how I make it, it’s always delicious.
- Beans: Both black beans and refried beans are used in this recipe. If you aren’t a fan of black beans, you can swap out the protein for pinto beans, tofu crumbles, lentils, or meat based options like ground beef or shredded chicken.
- Tomatoes + Corn: Mixed together with the beans and some spices to make a delicious veggie fajita type of layer in the casserole. I use frozen corn and never thaw it before adding to this dish.
- Peppers: Red Bell Pepper and pickled jalapenos are my go-to peppers for this recipe.
- Spices: I love to mix up a homemade taco seasoning with spices like cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder.
- Vegan Cheese Topping (optional), but I love to add my queso sauce on top!
Variations
You could add even more veggies to this with mixing the rice with half cauliflower rice.
Offer taco shells or flour tortillas and scoop the casserole into the shells. Add your favorite taco toppings.
Instructions
Making this taco casserole is pretty simple, even if it does have a few steps to it.
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
First up, we need to chat about the size of the casserole dish. I used a 9×11 baking dish, but you could easily fit this into a 9×13. I don’t recommend an 8×10. When first experimenting with this recipe, I tried to squeeze it into an 8×10 and it just overflowed! So, don’t make my mistake and go with the bigger baking dish.
Tip! You can make the rice the day before, or use any leftover rice that you have on hand to make dinner assembly even quicker and easier.
First up, make the rice layer.
The type of rice is totally up to you. Just make sure you have about 3 to 4 cups of cooked rice for this casserole recipe.
Place the rice in the bottom of the casserole dish. Press it gently into place with a spatula or the back of a measuring cup.
Next, add the refried beans layer. I find the beans slightly easier to spread out when they are warmed, so a quick pop in the microwave helps out. Using a spatula or spoon, gently spread the refried beans over top of the rice layer.
Now, in a large bowl, it’s time to mix together the beans and veggies. In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained and rinsed black beans with the diced tomatoes (with the juice), frozen corn, and chopped bell peppers. Add in the spices and mix well.
Then, spoon this bean and veggie mix on top of the refried beans.
Finally, pour the dairy free queso cheese on top.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven, top with desired toppings and serve!
Topping Ideas
- Fresh pico de gallo or mango pineapple salsa
- More dairy free queso!
- Dairy free sour cream
- More veggies! Avocado slices, black olives, red onions, green chiles, shredded lettuce
- Hot sauce (sriracha is my favorite here)
Top Tips
Casserole Dish: The casserole dish you see in these photos is a large 9×11 inches but a 9×13 inch casserole dish would also work. Anything smaller would require less filling. You can remove a cup of rice to squeeze this into an 8×10 inch pan, but this recipe was really made for feeding a bunch of people.
How to Store
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
How to Make Ahead: You can make the rice a day in advance to cut down on prep time. This recipe can be made the day before and kept in the fridge until ready to serve the next day.
To reheat: Place either the entire casserole in a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through. You can also warm a slice on a microwave safe plate, covered with a damp paper towel, and warmed in 30 second increments until warmed.
More Tex Mex Recipes
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Equipment
- Casserole dish
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice cooked
- 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz refried beans
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 cup corn can be frozen
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 1 cup dairy free queso or other vegan cheese
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Prepare the rice layer. If making fresh rice, make it according to package directions or according to the recipe.
- Mix the beans and veggie layer. In a large mixing bowl, combine drained and rinsed black beans with diced tomatoes (complete with juice), corn, diced bell peppers, and spices. Mix well and set aside.
- Assemble the casserole. First, place down a layer of cooked rice. Next, spread the refried beans over top of the rice. Then, spoon the bean and veggie mix on top. Finally, pour over top the dairy free queso cheese.
- Bake and enjoy! Bake the casserole uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the toppings you like, and enjoy!
Notes
- How to Store
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
- How to Make Ahead: You can make the rice a day in advance to cut down on prep time. This recipe can be made the day before and kept in the fridge until ready to serve the next day.
- To reheat: Place either the entire casserole in a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through. You can also warm a slice on a microwave safe plate, covered with a damp paper towel, and warmed in 30 second increments until warmed.
