tex-mex squash bake

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 4 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 green onions, chopped -- white and green parts separated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 10 mins


• cook and stir the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crumbly, breaking the meat apart as it cooks, about 10 minutes. drain off excess grease. set the beef aside.
• preheat oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c). spread the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
• pour the remaining olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook and stir the zucchini, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and the white parts of the green onions until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and mix in the tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. allow the mixture to simmer until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. remove from heat.
• stir in the browned ground beef, black beans, kidney beans, corn, and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese until well combined. adjust salt and pepper if necessary, and spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish. top with remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and cover the dish with foil.
• bake in the preheated oven until bubbling in the center, 20 to 25 minutes; remove the foil, return to oven, and bake until the cheese is browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. sprinkle the remaining green onions (green tops) and cilantro over the top.