Creamy Vegan Casserole

One of the greatest things ever is finding a vegan blog and becoming addicted to their recipes. This can be said about Jaclyn's blog. She basically started her blog for the same reason that I started mine and I love her for it!

I made her Southern Fried Tofu and fell in love...I had a cast party and brought a long some Zucchini Weenies that were a hit...I bought all the ingredients to make some tasty Tofu Omelettes, which I will make on Saturday...and I plan on making Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes for Deidra's birthday this weekend.

Last week was the start of school for Cody, and this week, it was my turn. Casseroles are a must when thinking about leftovers, time frame, ease of cooking...that's why I was psyched when I found Jaclyn's Creamy Vegan Casserole. I had all the ingredients on hand and knew that, based on everything else she blogs, it would be fantastic. I was not disappointed!



Creamy Vegan Casserole
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
10 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced (I had regular button mushrooms and they worked well)
4 tbsp Earth Balance
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth OR 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes + 1/2 cup vegetable broth*
1 cup frozen peas
4 tbsp nutritional yeast**
2 tbsp marsala or red cooking wine
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp herbes de provence***
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
1 14.5 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and mashed with the back of a fork
1 cup Fried Onions
8 oz pasta of your choice (Jaclyn recommended little shells and they were awesome!)

* I think the can of tomatoes is great in this recipe. It creates a light tomato-cream sauce for the casserole. However, the casserole tastes great with just the plain ol' vegetable broth as well. I just go by what I happen to have in my pantry. I've also used vegetable broth and then thrown in a chopped up tomato which is just as good. This recipe is very easy to adapt. - Jaclyn

**If you don't know what nutritional yeast is, you can find out here. It sounds like one of those crazy, weird, vegan things...which I guess it kind of is...but it's always in my cupboard! It adds a very cheezy flavor to everything and is even good sprinkled on pasta!

***I wasn't sure what herbes de provence was and I couldn't find it at the regular grocery store. I looked it up on line and I was able to fudge it! It's made up of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender. I had the first four ingredients, so I just ommited the 1 tsp dried basil and used 1/2 tsp of each. Voila!

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x13" glass baking dish with oil.

2. Boil water and cook pasta until al dente.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp Earth Balance in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and mushrooms and saute for a few minutes. Add the soy sauce and saute for a few more minutes, until vegetables are tender. Set aside.

4. In a large stock pot, heat remaining 3 tbsp of Earth Balance over medium-high heat. Add the flour, soy milk, and vegetable broth and/or can of tomatoes. Whisk for about 7 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Add the nutritional yeast, marsala, lemon juice, garlic powder, herbes de provence, basil, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk to combine.

5. Add the chickpeas, sauteed vegetables, peas, and cooked pasta. Combine.

6. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish. Tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.

7. Uncover and sprinkle the Fried Onions over the top. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the top of the casserole is golden brown.



This was awesome. Even Cody liked it! Except for when he got the occassional fennel seed which he thought tasted just like licorice...oh well! It's great reheated and definitely fed us well! Thanks, Jaclyn!