Description
“Cheezy” chickpea & broccoli casserole packed with protein, veggies, and a killer vegan cheese sauce. Perfect for winter and holiday dining.
Ingredients
Casserole
- coconut or avocado oil, for greasing
- 1 15 oz can chickpea, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium-large head cauliflower, shredded or grated into “rice”
- 3+ cups roughly chopped broccoli (2 small to medium heads– or more, this recipe is forgiving!)
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (I like this kind!)
- Himalayan sea salt and black pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes
- ½ – ¾ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup runny tahini
- ½ cup almond milk (+more as needed for thinner consistency)
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- dash of Himalayan sea salt
For serving
- more vegan parmesan
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with coconut or avocado oil.
- Prepare your cauliflower rice by pulsing in a food processor or high speed blender until it resembles “rice”.
- Steam the broccoli florets for 3-5 mins on the stovetop using a steamer basket in a saucepan with 1-2 inch of water until tender crisp.
- Heat a separate skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add a drizzle of avocado oil and cauliflower rice. Season with Himalayan sea salt and black pepper and stir to coat. Cover and allow to rice to “steam” for 4-5 minutes, until tender. Set aside.
- Next, prepare your sauce. Add the baby carrots and peeled potatoes to a pot and cover with filtered water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until fork tender. Once the carrots and potatoes are soft enough, drain them add them to a high speed blender with remaining sauce ingredients. Blend until all ingredients are well mixed and the consistency is velvety and smooth with no lumps. Add more almond milk, if needed, for a thinner consistency, but you want this cheese sauce to be thicker to coat the casserole. frequently.
- Transfer the cauliflower rice, steamed broccoli, and chickpeas to a large mixing bowl and season with vegan parmesan cheese. Stir to coat.
- Add about 3/4 “cheezy”” sauce to the mixture in and stir well to coat. I only used about 3/4 of my sauce and saved the reserve for dipping, but you can make it as cheesy as you want.
- Spoon the mixture into to your greased baking dish and use a spatula to spread it to an even thickness. Top with another sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, increase oven temp to 400°F, and bake for 10-20 minutes more or until bubbly and slightly golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly. Spoon casserole out and serve as is or with more vegan parmesan and chopped parsley.
- Store leftover casserole in the fridge for 5-7 days and reheat before serving.
Notes
Inspired by Minimalist Baker and The Glowing Fridge
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Entree, Main Dish
- Method: Oven-Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Oil-Free