Vegan Vegetable Casserole

This Vegan Vegetable Casserole makes an excellent Christmas table main dish. We have made this creamy dish the centerpiece of our Holiday dinner and is now considered a staple of our feast.

This healthy veggie casserole is full of flavor, it has the looks and makes a great holiday dish as well.

This vegan veggie bake features soft sweet potatoes and eggplants both of which have great health benefits.

5 Sweet Potatoes Health Benefits you didn’t know

• They are Highly Nutritious as they are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
• May Support Your Immune System.
• Promote Gut Health. The fiber and antioxidants in sweet potatoes beneficial to gut health.
• Support Healthy Vision.
• May Enhance Brain Function.

Some Eggplant Health Benefits

The benefits of eating eggplant include:

• Improved bone health: the compounds that make up for the purple color in eggplants have been linked to reduced osteoporosis, stronger bones, and increased bone density.
• Prevents anemia: it is very important to pay special attention to iron intake. Not getting enough iron in your diet can be very dangerous to your health. As vegans, we need to ensure we get the right amount of iron as it is more commonly found in animal products.
• Helps with digestion: eggplants are high in fiber meaning that eating eggplant is a great way to improve gastrointestinal health

This baked veggie casserole recipe has three parts. The layers, the feeling and a vegan bechamel sauce as a binder to make it creamier.

Below the picture of all the ingredients. The three pictures below correspond to the three parts of your baked vegetable casserole.

These are the Ingredients for the Vegan Vegetable Casserole:

Vegan Vegetable Casserole

Gus

This Vegan Vegetable Casserole makes an excellent Christmas table main dish. We have made this creamy dish the centerpiece of our Holiday dinner and is now considered a staple of our feast.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Main Course, Sides

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Greek, Plant-based, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings 9 Servings

Calories 341 kcal

Equipment

• Baking Tray
• Mandoline (optional)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Layers

• 2 sweet potatoes medium, very thinly sliced
• 2 eggplants medium, very thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sea salt coarse
• 3 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin

Lentil stew

• 8 ounces lentils
• 5 ounces spring onions chopped
• 3 ounces celery chopped
• 3 ounces fennel chopped
• 2.5 ounces leek chopped
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 teaspoons oregano dried
• 1 sprig rosemary chopped
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
• 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt adjust to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper adjust to taste

Vegan Bechamel Sauce

• 8 tablespoons chickpea flour or any other flour
• 4 cups almond milk unsweetened, I prefer almond or soy, as tend to be creamier
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
• 4 tablespoons vegan butter or margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt adjust to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper black pepper also work

Optional:

• vegan parmesan to grill check the recipe
• To Serve:
• Green Beans check the recipe

Instructions

 

• Soak the lentils for 15 minutes in warm water.
• Preheat the oven to 400º F (200ºC).
• Lay the eggplant and sweet potato slices on an oiled pan.
• Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Make the lentil stew by heating the oil in a saucepan.
• Add the chopped onion, leek, celery, fennel, garlic. Sautee for 5 minutes and add the lentils and 30 fl oz of water.
• Add the tomato puree, nutritional yeast, and spices.
• Stir until the lentils are soft, but don’t let them lose their shape. It should take about 15 minutes. The stew should be on the drier side but still creamy.
• Line up your eggplant and sweet potatoes and along with your lentils.
• Oil a pan where you are going to assemble the casserole.
• Start making the bechamel by melting the margarine on a saucepan and adding the flour.
• When it starts to brown, cook it for 1 minute more and add the vegetable milk.
• Stir with a whisk until it starts to get creamy. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. This sauce gets sticky very quickly, so; you should make it just when everything is ready to assemble. It all should take no more than 20 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (175ºC).
• Start assembling the dish by arranging the eggplant and sweet potato slices in the bottom of a medium baking pan.
• Continue by laying a layer of lentil stew, followed by a layer of bechamel sauce.
• Add another layer of sweet potatoes, then eggplants, lentils, and finish with bechamel sauce.
• Optionally top with grated vegan parmesan or regular one for a vegetarian version.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes. Test to see if the sweet potatoes are tender by inserting a sharp knife down through the center. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

If unsure about the cinnamon, you can either skip it or add a tiny pinch to the already prepared lentil stew and try it before you put in the whole stew. I totally recommend it; it takes it to another level, but understand lots of people don’t fancy cinnamon.

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 13gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 2167mgPotassium: 977mgFiber: 16gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 7864IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 219mgIron: 4mg

Keyword casserole, moussaka

Did you make this recipe?Mention @ourplantbasedworld or tag #ourplantbasedworld!

Check our 5-mins Vegan Parmesan “Cheese” Recipe and Vegan Bechamel Sauce Recipe

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