This healthy vegan broccoli cheese casserole dish is the perfect hearty, delicious budget-friendly side the whole family will love (kids too!). This broccoli casserole is great served with a lentil patty and baked potatoes. In fact, you can enjoy this broccoli dish as a topping for your vegan cheese broccoli baked potatoes for a quick and easy dinner. It’s a great idea to include more cruciferous veggies, such as broccoli, in your diet, as they are packed with health-protective compounds, as well as fiber, vitamins, and minerals. So, start out with this broccoli recipe, and move on from there. Try substituting cauliflower for broccoli or go half and half to turn this dish into a broccoli cauliflower au gratin casserole. To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free bread crumbs and cornstarch instead of flour.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Vegan Au Gratin Broccoli Casserole
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan
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.
Broccoli:
- Water, as needed
- 1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli or broccolini, trimmed into spears
Walnut-Crumb Mixture:
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
For other classic side-dish recipes, check out some of my favorites:
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