While I was daydreaming recipes to create for this Tabasco Challenge, I was simultaneously dreaming about my trip to Chile. And while Chile isn’t the actual birthplace of quinoa, it’s a huge part of the food culture down here so I thought I’d combine 2 of my favorite things – Tabasco and Quinoa – to make this super addictive Tabasco Quinoa Chicken Bake.
It’s basically a casserole of my favorite things. Quinoa, cheese, shredded chicken, refried beans from the recipe I posted earlier today, crushed tomatoes, and of course, Tabasco!
Everything is cooked, mixed together, doused with cheese and hot sauce and then baked until the cheese is bubbling and beautiful.
It’s seriously one for the record books. Another great thing about this one is that is makes excellent leftovers. And because I was feeling some major guilt about leaving Thomas for 10 days, I whipped up a giant batch of this and then divvied it up in little containers so he could have a little bit of delicious goodness while I was down south in Chile.
So for those of you who spend Sundays cooking up a storm so you have a bit of a lighter workload for the rest of the week – this one is PERFECT for you! It feeds a crowd, re-heats beautifully, and who doesn’t want a little spiced cheesy quinoa bake for dinner and then again for leftovers the following day.
I present to you, your new BFF, the Tabasco Quinoa Chicken Bake
Tabasco Quinoa Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided
- ½ cup refried beans
- 1 ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded chicken
- 1 Tablespoon Original Tabasco
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Finely chopped scallions as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Once cooked, remove from heat and transfer the cooked quinoa into a large bowl.
- Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, refried beans, crushed tomatoes, shredded chicken and the Tabasco. Season the entire mixture with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Lightly spray a medium sized baking dish with non-stick spray, and transfer the mixture into the baking dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake for about 20 -25 minutes until the top layer of cheese is bubbly and melted.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and garnish with green onions and serve.
Do you use shredded chicken from a store bought rotisserie chicken?
yup! you absolutely can do that if you want! I roast a chicken about once a week so I just used that – but the store bought rotisserie is a great option!
This quinoa looks so amazing! I’ve never thought of making it into a casserole dish and I’m gonna give this a try.
I cannot wait to try this! I love casseroles like this!
This looks AMAZING! Love all that melty cheese!
Has any tried using black beans instead of refried beans in this dish?
I have! and you totally can 🙂
Sweet!! Thanks!!
am I able to forward the recipes I like to my email?
Hi Anne!
Yup – you can cut and paste or on the very top of each post, there is a button that says “share” and you can hover over that, then click email, and then forward it to yourself!!
Thanks!
Hi, is this one cup of prepared quinoa? Or uncooked? Thx.
Oh, I love ‘Mexican’ food and quinoa. I just didn’t know how to get them together. This will be perfect as I’m going home from the hospital today and all the “regular” food has been driving me nuts. Can’t wait to dig into this! Thank you!
What a great use of quinoa. Love the idea of whole black beans too. Do you think you could make it and freeze to reheat for a quick dinner? I will confess I’ve never frozen cooked quinoa.
It totally works!! I’ve done it before – and then top it with some extra freshly grated cheese before baking! Similar to a lasagna 🙂 xx
Is the one cup of quinoa measured as prepared or uncooked?
Is the quona measured as one cup of prepared quona or uncooked?
Hi Suzanne! The quinoa is measured uncooked – and then it’s cooked in step 2 of the directions!! Hope you enjoy
This sounds yum! How many does it serve?
6!!
What kind of cheese do u use?
pepperjack, cheddar, mozzarella, fontina – you’re choice!
So good! My kids love it. I think that this will be good to have in the fridge for an easy after school snack before soccer practice. I could imagine using the same formula to come up with a BBQ chicken version too! Thanks Gaby and congrats on the new cookbook!