Good Taste is the Worst Vice

Vegetable bean casserole

This might not be the most photogenic or elegantly named dish, but it’s one of my favorites – full of vegetables, flavorful (with just a little heat from salsa), and topped, nacho-like, with crisp multigrain chips and cheddar.

My mother and stepfather make this dish often, and I learned it from them – it’s easy to make and very satisfying.  When D and I were in Wisconsin recently, it seemed like the ideal healthy meal to go along with bike riding and walks near the lake.

The ingredients are really up to you – I used zucchini, carrots, and sweet corn, along with a can of whole tomatoes that I crushed by hand in a big bowl, and both kidney and black beans.  The secret ingredient is salsa, whatever kind you like most, whether mild or spicier.

The best part, of course, is the crunchy, cheesy topping.  (Ok, so it’s not entirely healthy, but it’s awfully good.)

Vegetable bean casserole
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (~1/2 large onion)
2-3 cloves garlic, put through press
5-6 small carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
3-4 small zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch half moons
10 oz frozen corn
15 oz can black beans, rinsed
15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
15 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
16 oz jar salsa, mild or medium
8 oz bag multigrain chips
~1/3 lb cheddar cheese, grated




Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Sauté onion until softened.  Add garlic, carrots, and zucchini and cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are beginning to soften.


Add corn, beans, tomatoes, and salsa.  Simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until carrots are tender.


Transfer into an 11×13 inch Pyrex baking dish.  Cover with a layer of chips, overlapping them so that the vegetables are completely covered.  Sprinkle with cheese, then cover with aluminum foil.


Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.


you may also like