This vegan brown rice casserole with broccoli and beans couldn’t be any easier. Simply place the ingredients into a baking dish, cover them tightly, and bake?this is a quintessential “dump and bake” recipe! The casserole is full of wholesome nutrition, and it’s a great make-ahead recipe. A creamy topping of vegan cashew queso takes it to the next level.

I’m calling this dish of baked brown rice and beans a casserole. But “casserole” may be a bit of an overstatement.

When I think “casserole,” I think about lasagna, enchiladas, gratin, or something equally involved.

This is really a “dump and bake” recipe?a meal that’s created by putting a bunch of ingredients into a casserole dish, covering them, and allowing the oven to do all of the work for you.
It couldn’t be easier. And, thanks to the wholesome building blocks of brown rice, black beans, and broccoli, the dish could hardly be more nutritious, either.

The beauty of baked brown rice

There probably isn’t a grain that gets more use in my kitchen than rice.

I routinely make all colors?brown, white, black/purple, red?and shapes: short grain, long grain, medium grain.

Rice is hearty, healthful, and versatile. It’s a source of B vitamins, folic acid, magnesium and potassium, and selenium. Brown rice is a decent source of dietary fiber.

Most of the time, I prepare rice by boiling it on the stovetop. This r...