Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bake - Real Life Dinner

When I have guests over for dinner, one of my favorite meals to make for them is Chicken Fajitas. I use this awesome Homemade Fajita Seasoning and if I have enough energy I make my favorite tortillas too. So yummy!

I almost always have a little leftover, but it isn’t quite enough to serve the whole family as another meal, so I came up with this casserole that is so good no one would ever guess it’s a “Leftover Makeover.”

I have found that it works better for serving purposes to chop up the peppers and onions if they were in long strips when served with the Fajitas. I also like to reheat everything and cook the quinoa right before I am ready to put the casserole together and cook it. It significantly cuts down on cooking time.

If I can work it out that everything is warm going into the oven I skip covering it with foil and baking it for the first 25-30 minutes and I just sprinkle it with cheese and bake it until the cheese is melted.

Occasionally my boys turn their little noses up to quinoa, but in this dish, they gobble it right up. The flavor combination is delicious!

We love Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bake at our house and look forward to eating it almost as much as we look forward to Fajitas.

Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bake

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

The perfect recipe to use up leftover fajita meat and veggies, the flavors mingle perfectly with the quinoa and cheese.

Author: Maria

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1-2 cups leftover Chicken Fajita meat
2 cups Black Beans, or 1 can Black Beans, drained
1-2 cups leftover grilled or sauteed peppers and onions (I like to chop them into small pieces if they are in long strips)
1½ cups raw quinoa
2 chicken bouillon cube
3 cups water
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Cilantro for garnish, optional

Instructions

In a *rice cooker or on your stove top, cook the quinoa with the 2 chicken bullion cubes and 3 cups of water according to the package directions.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
When quinoa is done, add the chicken, black beans, and grilled veggies. Mix until well combined and then scoop into a greased 9x9 baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes
Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese, bake an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is heated throughout.
Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley if desired

Check out this post to learn how to cook Quinoa in your rice cooker.

How to make your own Fajita Seasoning Mix…so easy and delicious!