Description
This comfort food side dish recipe for Vegan Au Gratin Broccoli Casserole is rich with the classic flavors of steamed broccoli, a walnut-crumb topping, and “cheesy” sauce, making it an excellent choice for holidays, potlucks, and easy dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Broccoli:
- Water, as needed
- 1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli or broccolini, trimmed into spears
Walnut-Crumb Mixture:
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar plant-based cheese (i.e., Daiya or Violife)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Cheese Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup plant-based milk, unsweetened, plain (i.e., soy, almond)
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar plant-based cheese
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot 1/3 full of water and bring to a boil. Place broccoli in pot, cover, and cook for about 8 minutes, until just tender but bright green. Drain, and transfer cooked broccoli to a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Set aside.
- While broccoli is cooking, make walnut-crumb mixture. Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Spray a baking dish or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, ¼ cup shredded plant-based cheese, walnuts, rosemary, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, mixing well.
- Transfer walnut crumb mixture to the baking dish or sheet and place on top rack of oven. Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
- While broccoli and walnut-crumb mixture is baking, make sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan and add onions and garlic, sautéing for 5 minutes. Add flour and cook an additional minute. Stir in broth and plant-based milk, and cook for an additional minute. Stir in ¾ cup plant-based cheese and black pepper, and heat until thick and creamy. Season with salt if desired.
- Pour sauce evenly over broccoli in casserole dish. Sprinkle with crumb walnut mixture. Serve.
Notes
To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free bread crumbs and use cornstarch instead of flour.
Substitute cauliflower to make this into a cauliflower cheese casserole or half cauliflower to make this into a broccoli cauliflower cheese casserole.
I like to serve this recipe in a pretty ceramic baking dish, such as this one.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 197
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 208 mg
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg