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Cheesy Vegetarian

One Pot Baked Fajita Rice

As you may know, I adore all things Tex-Mex. It’s hard to go wrong with plenty of veggies, black beans (the GOAT of all legumes), rice, gooey cheese, and a bit of tasty spice to bring everything to life. And this baked fajita rice has all of the above!

Best of all, it’s super easy to make, because everything cooks at the same time in a big baking dish (got to love a one pot meal). Just mix everything together – including raw veggies and uncooked rice! – and come back half an hour later to find your dinner has cooked itself. If that isn’t appealing, I don’t know what is.

Cheesy fajita baked rice in a large baking dish with a spoon.

All of my favourite vegetarian Tex-Mex recipes are easy to adapt, because you can usually swap in different vegetables if you like, and adjust the spice level to your preferences. Plus, you can top your meal with whatever you like – I served my baked rice with a couple of good dollops of sour cream and guacamole.

A bowl of baked fajita rice with a cheesy topping.

⭐ What Makes it Fajita Rice?

I’ve called this baked rice ‘fajita rice’, because it’s reminiscent of my favourite vegetarian fajitas, and it uses my favourite fajita veggies – peppers and red onion. Some mushrooms would also be great in this!

I also added some black beans for extra vegetarian protein, and swapped the tortilla that you’d usually use to wrap up your fajitas for some rice instead. If you’re bored of your usual fajitas, this is a great way to mix things up a bit!

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🥗 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for baked fajita rice laid out with text overlay.
  • rice – any long grain white rice will be fine. I used basmati rice.
  • black beans (canned)
  • fajita-style vegetables – I used peppers and red onion. Mushrooms would also work really well, or whatever else you usually like to serve in vegetarian fajitas.
  • canned tomatoes
  • vegetable stock – I used a stock cube (plus water), but you could use the equivalent amount of liquid stock if you prefer.
  • spices – I used smoked paprika, chilli powder and ground cumin, which is my favourite combination for Tex-Mex recipes (you can find all three in my homemade enchilada sauce recipe too!).
  • grated cheese – I used mozzarella as I find it melts really nicely.

Becca’s Top Tip

I love serving this baked rice with some extra toppings, like sour cream, guacamole, some chopped cilantro or spring onions, or sliced avocado. So remember to buy whatever toppings you’d like as well!

📹 Recipe Video





A portion of fajita baked rice with guacamole and sour cream.

🖨 Printable Instructions

A large spoon taking a scoop of cheesy baked fajita rice.

Print

One Pot Baked Fajita Rice

This vegetarian baked fajita rice all cooks in one pot, so it couldn’t be easier! It has plenty of vegetables and a tasty cheesy topping.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people
Calories 477kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, sliced or diced
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced or diced (I used red and orange)
  • 300 g (~ 10 1/2 oz / ~ 1 1/2 cups) long grain white rice (I used basmati rice)
  • 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
  • 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
  • 500 ml (~ 2 cups) vegetable stock (I used a crumbled stock cube and water)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 150 g (~ 1 1/2 cups) grated mozzarella cheese
  • To serve: sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, etc. (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F). Add the sliced red onion and peppers to a large baking dish – mine measured approximately 11 x 9 inches, and was quite deep. If you don’t have a large enough baking dish, you’ll need to spread the ingredients across two dishes.
    Chopped peppers and red onion in a large baking dish.
  • Add all the other ingredients, apart from the mozzarella cheese.
    Uncooked rice, beans, vegetables and tomatoes in a baking dish.
  • Mix well to combine, making sure the rice is submerged in liquid.
    Uncooked rice, beans, vegetables and tomatoes in a baking dish.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes, then mix well. The rice should be almost cooked.
    Baked rice with beans and vegetables in a large baking dish.
  • Top with grated mozzarella, and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the cheese has crisped up to your liking. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, or any other additional toppings, if you like.
    Cheesy baked rice with vegetables and black beans.

Video





Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 82.1g | Protein: 20.5g | Fat: 7.1g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 568mg | Fiber: 7.9g | Sugar: 6.3g | Calcium: 356mg | Iron: 3mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare this baked rice in advance?

If needed, you can mix all the ingredients in advance, store in the fridge, then bake just before serving.

How should I reheat leftover fajita rice?

This baked rice can easily be reheated in the microwave until piping hot. Be aware that rice must be stored in the fridge as soon as it has cooled, for up to 2 days, and reheated thoroughly to avoid food poisoning.

How should I serve baked fajita rice?

This recipe already contains protein, carbs and vegetables, so it’s a full meal on its own. However, I love to serve it with some guacamole and sour cream on the side, to add interest. A green salad would also be a great side dish for this recipe.

Can I make vegan baked rice?

Sure – just swap the mozzarella cheese for your favourite vegan cheese. The rest of the recipe is already vegan.

🍚 Other Rice Recipes

Vegetarian Tex-Mex Recipes
A large spoon taking a scoop of cheesy baked fajita rice.

One Pot Baked Fajita Rice

A bowlful of garlicky rice with pine nuts and spinach.

Easy Spinach and Garlic Rice

Baked asparagus risotto in a pan with tomatoes and cheese.

Oven-Baked Asparagus Risotto

Caprese risotto topped with roasted tomatoes and pesto.

Caprese Risotto (Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil)

The post One Pot Baked Fajita Rice appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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Cheesy Vegetarian

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Sometimes I really just need a hot bowlful of something that’s truly comforting – and if that comfort food can also contain plenty of goodness, even better! This Caribbean sweet potato stew is packed with fresh vegetables, beans, and a seriously tasty jerk BBQ sauce. Serve it up over some rice for a hearty, veggie-packed meal.

Overhead shot of a pot of vegan sweet potato stew.

The flavours in this stew are incredible – I love a good sweet / spicy combination. A lot of the flavour comes from the BBQ sauce, so make sure you choose a good one! I used a Jerk BBQ sauce (which you can get from Amazon, or from the supermarket), which added to the Caribbean vibe perfectly – it’s got just the right amount of sweetness and smokiness to flavour the stew without overpowering it.

⭐ Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Caribbean cuisine has been shaped by many factors, including the region’s extensive history with colonisation, and its wonderful warm climate. This sweet potato stew is not necessarily a traditional Caribbean dish, but it’s my own celebration of some of the Caribbean’s most iconic ingredients – sweet potatoes, coconut, beans, tomatoes, and more. A lot of Caribbean food is meat-based, but this is a totally vegan stew.

The recipe makes a nice big batch – easily enough for 6 people – so it’s perfect for cooking up to feed a hungry crowd.

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🥗 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this hearty vegetarian stew. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for Caribbean sweet potato stew laid out with text overlay.
  • sweet potatoes
  • cabbage. I used a savoy cabbage, but use whatever you have.
  • canned beans. I like to use two different kinds, to add a bit of interest – this time I used cannellini beans and kidney beans, but black eye beans or black beans would also be great.
  • canned tomatoes
  • onion
  • ginger and garlic. I used the pre-minced versions (ginger paste / garlic paste) for convenience, but you can use fresh if you prefer.
  • coconut milk
  • BBQ sauce (preferably a Jerk BBQ, for Caribbean flavour, but any will do)

As with any similar hearty stew, you can pretty much throw whatever you like into a dish like this. Ideally, choose vegetables that benefit from low, slow cooking (rather than anything that will cook down into mush). For example:

  • bell peppers
  • frozen peas
  • carrots
  • parsnips
  • potatoes
  • celery
  • kale
  • spring onions

Becca’s Top Tip

If you do want to add a vegetable that needs less cooking, like broccoli, just add it to the pot 15 minutes before serving.

📹 Recipe Video





🔪 Equipment

You’ll need a nice big pot for this recipe. If you don’t have a big casserole dish, you could halve the recipe and make a smaller version – however, there’s something really lovely about heaving the huge pot out of the cupboard and cooking up a big batch of stew.

I love any occasion that calls for my huge Le Creuset casserole dish. It’s wonderfully big and heavy, and it works beautifully to cook up a vegetarian stew or casserole. It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven.

I won’t lie, Le Creuset casserole dishes are expensive – mine was a gift many years ago. As much as I love mine, you can also buy very similar pots that are a much more budget-friendly.

Click to see the Le Creuset pot on Amazon.
Cheaper version (with great reviews) on Amazon.
(affiliate links)

A red Le Creuset casserole dish on a white background.
A bowl of vegan sweet potato stew and rice.

🖨 Printable Instructions

Sweet potato and cabbage stew in a large casserole pot.

Print

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Course Main meal
Cuisine Caribbean
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 468kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 900 g sweet potatoes (~ 2 lb / ~ 2 large potatoes)
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 250 g (~ 1/2 lb) cabbage (I used a savoy cabbage), roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, sliced or diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
  • 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
  • 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
  • 400 ml tin coconut milk (~ 1 1/2 cups)
  • 100 g (~ 1/4 cup) BBQ sauce (ideally jerk BBQ)
  • 500 ml (~ 2 cups) water or vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • First, prepare the sweet potatoes. Cut out any nasty looking bits, and peel as much of the skin as you like. You can peel all or none of it, or anything in between – I usually peel off about half. Cut the potatoes into chunks.
    Diced sweet potato on a chopping board with some of the skin left on.
  • Heat a dash of oil in a large casserole dish, and add the sweet potato, along with the chopped cabbage (leave out any tough bits of stalk), and the chopped onion. Stirring regularly, cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
    Chopped cabbage, onion and sweet potato in a large casserole dish.
  • Add the minced garlic and ginger, and cook for a few more minutes.
    Sautéed cabbage and sweet potato with garlic and ginger paste added.
  • Next, add the two drained tins of beans, the canned tomatoes, the coconut milk, and the BBQ sauce.
    A large casserole dish with tomatoes, beans, and coconut milk inside.
  • Add about 2 cups of water or stock, and mix well to combine. Cover with a lid, and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until you’re ready to serve. If the stew needs to thicken up a little, just remove the lid and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.
    A Caribbean-style sweet potato stew in a large pot.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot whenever you’re ready. I served mine with rice.
    A bowl of Caribbean style sweet potato stew and rice.

Video





Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 11.7g | Fat: 13.5g | Saturated Fat: 9.9g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 671mg | Potassium: 792mg | Fiber: 14.8g | Sugar: 20.8g | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 4mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare this sweet potato stew in advance?

Yes! Stews reheat really nicely, so there’s no problem with fully cooking the stew in advance, and then reheating later.

Does this stew freeze?

Yes – you can freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How should I reheat leftovers?

Leftover sweet potato stew can be reheated thoroughly in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

How should I serve sweet potato stew?

I love to serve this stew with rice, which soaks up the tasty sauce beautifully. It can also be served on its own.

Is this stew vegan / gluten free?

Yes! It is both vegan and gluten free.

🍠 Other Sweet Potato Recipes

Vegetarian Stew Recipes
Sweet potato and cabbage stew in a large casserole pot.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Creamy Sweet Potato Gratin

Creamy Sweet Potato Gratin

Sweet Potato and Lentil Thai Curry

Sweet Potato and Lentil Thai Curry

Sweet Potato Curry

Sweet Potato Curry

The post Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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