Southwestern Vegetarian Casserole

This is vegetarian comfort food at its best! A flavorful filling of beans, veggies, and spices is topped with fluffy cheddar drop biscuits and baked to perfection.

Overhead view of a baking dish of vegetarian pot pie topped with cheddar drop biscuits.

Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

Even though I grew up in a part of the U.S. where Midwestern convenience meets Southern decadence, I’ve never been crazy about casseroles. One casserole I can always get behind is a tamale pie—a flavorful Southwestern filling topped with fluffy masa.

Recently, I was craving this hearty dish but was all out of masa. I spied a carton of buttermilk in my fridge and thought, why not top it with biscuits instead?

And with that, this Southwestern Vegetarian Casserole was born. This satisfying vegetarian meal has a generous filling of spiced veggies and beans with tender, crispy biscuits on top.

It’s great for a weekend family dinner or on a weeknight with a little wiggle room. This recipe makes six servings, but you could stretch it to serve eight with a side dish or two. I would recommend a citrusy cabbage salad or a nopalitos cactus salad.

How to Make Southwestern Vegetarian Casserole

This recipe has two components: the filling and the drop biscuits. Each is prepared separately and then assembled in a casserole dish.

  • For the filling, a rainbow of chopped veggies, beans, and spices are cooked on the stovetop then poured into a casserole dish.
  • The drop biscuit dough is made in a large bowl, portioned, and gently placed on top of the filling. There is no need to roll out and cut the biscuit dough.
  • The biscuits are spruced up with shredded cheddar cheese both in the dough and on top.
  • The whole thing goes in the oven and bakes for about 20 minutes, just long enough to clean up the kitchen and set the table.
Overhead view of a baking dish of vegetarian pot pie topped with cheddar drop biscuits.

Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

Tips for Biscuit Success

While some biscuit-topped casseroles use rolled and cut biscuits, I went with drop biscuits for a few reasons. They’re quick, easy, and less messy. They also spread and puff up nicely as they bake, covering the filling and allowing you to portion and serve the casserole however you’d like.

Most important: They’re fluffy rather than flaky like most cut biscuits are. The tops get crispy and moisture in the filling keeps the biscuits tender. While flaky biscuits are fantastic, cooking them atop a moist filling isn’t the best way to encourage flaky layers.

The key to fluffy drop biscuits is to handle the dough with a light touch. The more the dough is mixed, the tougher it’ll get. After adding the buttermilk, mix just until any large dry pockets of flour have disappeared and then stop mixing it.

Portion the dough and dust it with a little flour before placing it into the casserole dish. This should be done gently and without overworking the dough.

Customizing Southwestern Vegetarian Casserole

You can swap out ingredients to your heart’s content. I’ve provided measurements for the veggies for easy swapping—just make sure to always include the onion, bell peppers, garlic, and well-drained canned tomatoes.

When making substitutions, remember to use ingredients that cook in a similar way with similar water content and cook time.

  • Make it whole wheat: Swap all or half of the all-purpose flour in the biscuits for white whole wheat flour.
  • Make it spicy: Leave the seeds in the jalapeño and, if you’d like, double it. You can even add diced jalapeño to the biscuit dough.
  • Swap the squash: Replace it with chopped cauliflower or cooked, cubed sweet potato. Add them with the beans and 1/4 cup broth or water since squash contains more water.
  • Swap the mushrooms: Try diced eggplant instead or replace with chopped fresh tomatoes for more acidity.
  • Make it meaty: Swap the mushrooms and half of the beans for cooked and drained ground beef, turkey, or chicken.
  • Swap the kale: Any chopped, leafy green will work, such as spinach, chard, or collard greens.
  • Go all tomato: Swap the salsa for a puréed tomato salsa or tomato sauce.
A bowl of southwestern pot pie topped with cheddar drop biscuits.

Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

How to Store and Reheat

I thought this recipe wouldn’t keep well since drop biscuits tend to be lackluster as they cool. But there’s something about baking them on top of the moist filling that gives it longevity.

To store: Tightly cover leftovers and store them in the fridge for up to three days.

To reheat: I highly suggest reheating it in the oven, so the biscuits get a second life. Microwaving makes them a bit chewy.

Remove the dish from the fridge to let it warm up a bit as the oven preheats, about 15 minutes. Cover the dish with foil and reheat it in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes until bubbly. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes to re-crisp the biscuits.

If you’re not planning to eat all the leftovers, I recommend scooping your portion into a smaller oven-safe dish so that you don’t end up reheating it repeatedly.

If You Like Flavors of the Southwest

Overhead view of a baking dish of vegetarian pot pie topped with cheddar drop biscuits.

Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

Southwestern Vegetarian Casserole

Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 65 mins
Servings 6 servings
Yield 1 (9x13-inch) casserole

The veggie and bean filling can be made up to a day ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray, for the casserole dish

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

  • 1 small red onion, diced

  • 2 medium yellow squash or zucchini, chopped

  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and diced

  • 1 large red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped

  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced, optional

  • 1/2 large bunch (about 3 cups tightly packed) curly leaf kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons chili powder, plus more to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained

  • 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

  • 1 (7-ounce) can salsa verde

For the cheddar biscuit

  • 2 1/3 cups (326g) all-purpose flour, divided

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Method

  1. Heat the oven:

    Preheat the oven to 450°F and grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

  2. Cook the vegetables:

    Heat a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and onion. Sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes.

    Add the squash, mushrooms, bell pepper, and jalapeño, if using, and sauté until the squash begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

    Add the kale, garlic, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Sauté until the kale is wilted, about 3 minutes.

    Making the filling for southwestern pot pie topped with cheddar drop biscuits in a large skillet.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

  3. Assemble the filling:

    Make sure the canned beans and tomatoes are drained well. Otherwise, the filling will be too wet.

    Add the beans, tomatoes, and salsa to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until it comes up to a boil, then turn off the heat. Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning with chili powder and salt.

    Carefully pour the filling into the prepared casserole dish and set it aside while you make the biscuits.

    Making the filling for southwestern pot pie topped with cheddar drop biscuits in a large skillet.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

    Zucchini, kale, and bean pot pie with cheddar biscuits in a baking dish.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

  4. Make the biscuit dough:

    In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups (280g) of flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the cubed butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture resembles small peas covered in flour.

    Add the buttermilk and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix until just combined with no big pockets of dry flour left. Do not overmix.

    Making the biscuit dough for a vegetarian pot pie.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

    Making the biscuit dough for a vegetarian pot pie.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

  5. Form the biscuits:

    In a shallow bowl, add the remaining 1/3 cup (46g) flour. Using a measuring cup, scoop about 1/2 cup of the biscuit dough and add it to the flour. Cover the top of the dough with flour using your fingers. Lift the dough and gently toss it back and forth between your hands to remove any excess flour.

    Place the dough on top of the vegetable filling—you’ll be making 6 biscuits total, placing them in two rows of 3 biscuits.

    Top the biscuits with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

    Rolling a biscuit in flour for a vegetarian pot pie.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

    Zucchini, kale, and bean pot pie with cheddar biscuits ready to be baked.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

  6. Bake and serve:

    Bake the casserole for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is bubbly, and the biscuits are golden brown and puffy.

    If the tops of the biscuits are becoming too dark before the 20-minute mark, cover the casserole dish with a piece of foil and continue baking them to make sure they cook all the way through.

    Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping and serving.

    Overhead view of a baking dish of vegetarian pot pie topped with cheddar drop biscuits.

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
633 Calories
22g Fat
88g Carbs
25g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 633
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 51mg 17%
Sodium 1742mg 76%
Total Carbohydrate 88g 32%
Dietary Fiber 13g 46%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 70mg 349%
Calcium 596mg 46%
Iron 7mg 38%
Potassium 1336mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.