I’m so excited to share this recipe with you guys today. This loaded chicken, black bean, and veggie casserole is one of the most frequently made dishes in our house. I think we make it at least once a month because t’s just so easy. It’s one of those meals that lasts us at least a few days, and if one of us is traveling, it lasts the other a week. It also freezes well! Sometimes we’ll make it if we have a lot of veggies or ingredients to use up, because we know inevitably there will be a week where we don’t have as much time to food prep as we normally do. It’s definitely a good one to pull out of the fridge/freezer and have on the ready!
Loaded Chicken, Black Bean, and Veggie Casserole
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup of cooked farro (cook in low sodium broth instead of water for extra flavor)
- 2 zucchinis, cut in half and sliced
- 1 container of mushrooms, sliced
- 2 fresno peppers, diced
- Swiss chard (half of a large bunch or a full small bunch, depending on size)
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Cut the chicken breasts into half inch cubes. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium to high heat. Saute the chicken until it browns on the outside (it does not need to be cooked all the way at this point). Scoop the chicken out with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
- Add the sliced zucchini, sliced mushrooms, and all spices. Cook for 4-5 minutes, and then put the mixture into a large bowl.
- Mix in the chicken, cooked farro, Swiss chard, diced fresno peppers, and black beans.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, and spread the mixture from the bowl evenly across the dish. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese, bake for 20 minutes, and enjoy!
This one was inspired by this recipe that my friend Cate sent me a long time ago, and we adapted it with the changes above. We like using farro instead of rice, changing up the spices, and adding in extra greens whenever possible. Since we are still participating in a CSA program, we always have greens to use, and I like adding Swiss chard, kale, or spinach to this. You can really use whatever whole grains or veggies you like best.
Sometimes we’ll also make this casserole using one chicken breast and one chicken leg quarter from a full chicken as well. Basically we’ll get a full chicken, preheat our oven to 350 degrees, season the chicken with salt and pepper, and cook for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. We’ll let it cool, and then cut it up and use the breast and leg quarter to replace the chicken breasts as outlined in the recipe. This saves both time and money because then we can use the other parts of the chicken to make other meals during the week. Either way works!
Hope you guys like this one… I always want to go back for seconds and thirds when we have this for dinner. The flavors are great!
Readers, let’s chat! What are your go to meals to prep that last you a few days or more? What’s for dinner tonight?
For more F&F casseroles, check out: