I wish I had a cute story behind this not-so-cute dish, but the truth is that I saw a hash brown casserole recipe online and wanted to fat-free veganize it. So I did. I threw out all the butter, the cheese, the sour cream, the cream of chicken-parts soup, as well as the corn flakes on top, and what I had left was a package of hash brown potatoes–and the need for a really good sauce. So I turned to my favorite cheesy sauce, which can magically transform even the most mundane ingredients into instant comfort food.
As you know, I can’t resist the impulse to turn side dishes into one-pot meals, so I chopped up some kale and added a can of chickpeas, which resulted in one of the least attractive casseroles I’ve ever seen (and casseroles aren’t generally known for their beauty). But it tasted rich and comforting, with less than half of the fat of the original (even though my servings are much larger) and none of the cholesterol. And as an added bonus, it’s gluten-free!
I’ve been having fun playing with the Vine video app on my iPhone. Here’s me “shucking” the kale, which is the quickest way to remove the stems. (Click the video to make it stop!)
Healthy Hash Brown Casserole
Kale and chickpeas give this comfort food a nutritional boost and turn it from a side to a main dish, but if you want to make the more traditional side dish, see the notes at the end of the recipe.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup plain, sugar-free non-dairy milk
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup raw cashews or 2 tablespoons tahini, optional
- 3 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (omit for low-sodium diets)
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- black pepper to taste
Casserole
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 16 ounces frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed (see notes below)
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 11×9-inch baking dish.
- Place sauce ingredients in blender and blend at high speed until smooth.
- Heat a large, deep non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. (Add water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking.) Stir in the garlic, kale, and 2 tablespoons of water; cover tightly. Cook, stirring every 60 seconds, until kale has wilted to about half its volume.
- Add the sauce, hash browns, and chickpeas. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until casserole is set (no longer liquid in the middle), 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
To make a more traditional style casserole, leave out the kale and chickpeas and use a 32-ounce package of hash browns instead.
Be sure to buy diced hash browns with no oil added. They should contain about 70 calories and no fat per serving. If they aren’t available, peel and cut regular potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 60 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 8
Nutrition (per serving, using cashews and soy milk): 230 calories, 35 calories from fat, 4.2g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 490mg sodium, 788mg potassium, 38.4g carbohydrates, 8.1g fiber, 1.1g sugar, 13.6g protein.
Nutrition (per serving, without cashews or tahini): 209 calories, 21 calories from fat, 2.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 489.6mg sodium, 764.1mg potassium, 37.3g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, <1g sugar, 13g protein.
Enjoy!
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{ 88 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds really tasty and easy, and I think it’s pretty!!!
I don’t know about anyone else, but I find the picture and the description about this casserole very appealing and appetizing! You are a wizard at taking simple ingredients and putting them together to make something fantastic!
I don’t buy hash browns so, to substitute home made, would I cook up a batch and weigh or use the pre cooked weight?
Just cut them up and weight them. They cook in the casserole.
WHAT?!?! This looks delish. Can’t wait to finish up my potato and kale enchilada casserole so I can make this next.
What would be the flavor difference if I leave out the cashews and tahini?
Thanks! i was afraid it had looks that only a mother could love.
It’s just a touch richer and creamier with the nuts, but you can safely leave them out.
I love the video!
OMG! I am totally making this for breakfast this weekend. LOVE IT! And I honestly think it IS kind of pretty.
Thanks again!
OH and thanks for that shucking Kale video! I should now be able to do it in no time at all. I never knew you could do it like this – but just FYI….clicking on the pic does not stop it, at least it doesn’t on my computer!
I think it looks delicious and beautiful, and I’m guessing most of your readers will feel the same way! I don’t eat flour or added starches like potato/cornstarch, so I’m pondering making this with a different cheez sauce recipe that doesn’t call for them.
Well, it’s easy to replace the starch with cooked potato (the recipe doesn’t call for flour). You could try another sauce, but you’d be missing out on a great one!
What a great meal, all in one dish! I love kale with potatoes, and I’m sure that hefty dose of nutritional yeast makes it so savory and cheesy. I’m going to have to give this a try!
Yum!! I love that this has kale as well, count me in!
Love this casserole idea!
Made this tonight—- soooo good! I used cubes of fresh white and sweet potatoes, added some diced vegan sausage, added chopped red peppers. Definitely a keeper!
Made this for dinner tonight! I added some green peppers but otherwise stuck to the recipe. It was really tasty, and my husband and 2 year old liked it too!
This does not look bad at all – in fact it looks very yummy to me. I’m definitely going to try this recipe. Wonder if I can halve the quantities to not make so much…Thanks Susan
Love your little video clip…
I guess I won’t be the first to say – That looks delicious! It’s not ugly at all, and I’m definitely gonna try it.
I’ve seen Ann Esselstyn shuck kale, and it’s a neat trick. Nonetheless, I’m frequently too lazy for even that and will often buy it by the bag at Trader Joes. How much weight do you think in that case? 6 – 8 oz? Or about how many cups once it’s chopped?
I didn’t measure it in cups, but I’d guess the stems weighed about 4 ounces, so 8 should do it.
Just came back to report that this was just as delicious as I expected it to be – more even. Thanks!!!
I’ve always wanted to try a nutritional yeast cheese sauce! My question is: can this dish be frozen or does that mess up the consistency of the sauce?
Freezing shouldn’t affect the sauce. It will probably freeze fine.
Can you shuck dinosaur kale the same way?
I have found that chopped kale keeps better than kale left on the stalk. I rinse it, cut off the stem, chop the leaves, spin them in a salad spinner, and put them in a gallon size baggie with a paper towel for 24 hours to absorb any excess water. After removing the paper towel, the kale stays crisp and fresh for a week.
Where can you find smoked paprika? I haven’t found it at any grocery store! This looks yummy!
If there’s a TJMaxx or Marshall’s in your area, check there. They sometimes have it for a good price. I’ve been buying it online, at The Spice House, for so long that I’m not sure if my local grocery store carries it now.
I found smoked paprika at Target.
I order mine on line from Penzy’s. It has the best smoked paprika ever! I love it on everything.
Actually, that looks gorgeous. Yum. Will be trying this one.
I enjoyed your description of adapting a recipe and only being left with the potatoes as a new starting point. So true. Love the addition of kale (of course, I love just about anything with kale). I’ve prepared something similar, adding some smoked tempeh. It also lends itself well to substituting chopped cauliflower for some of the potatoes. Now I think I might need to try this with sweet potatoes …
Ah, you read my mind about the cauliflower! I wanted to use half cauliflower and half potatoes, but alas, I was out of cauliflower. But I did have kale, so that’s how this combination came about.
Certainly looks delicious to me!
Hi Susan,
I agree with everyone else that this looks lovely and delicious! I really enjoyed the kale shucking video as well! I will have to make this sometime. I liked reading the extra touches people added in, especially the cauliflower. And I, too, loved how when you took all the traditional stuff out you were left wtih the potatoes! Thanks for another great and healthy comfort food choice!
xo
moonwatcher
Just made this casserole and it was easy and came out great. I love casserole recipes…I can prepare it on the weekend and then have several meals for the following week. This recipe provides a nice foundation for many variations that I am sure to try. Thanks Susan for the recipe!
We’re in the middle of the blizzard and hunkering down with a big batch of this tonight and it is PERFECT comfort food!! Just wanted to say I used frozen chopped kale and it worked really well. My only tip would be add it last to the pan since it won’t wilt. Next time I’m trying sweet potato!
Me too, Megan….Vermont here….LOTS of snow!!! And perfect timing for a comfort food like this potato and yumminess casserole! Thanks, Susan!
This looks stellar…gonna try a low-carb stove-top cauliflower version of it soon:)
Yum! Potatoes are Comfort Food 101 for me and this looks like a new and healthy way to enjoy them. I sometimes see these frozen potatoes on sale for great prices. So they will be good to have in the freezer for this recipe. Thanks!
Susan, Yum! I have been in a casserole mood too. I love how they warm up the home and smell wonderful! I created something really similar last weekend, only I used brown rice, frozen spinach & okra, adzuki beans and an onion-mushroom (coconut) cream sauce. I will try your version this weekend! I am so greatful for your blog!
Great dish, rich and satisfying…better than any vegan mac and cheese I have tried. So happy to find a basic, delicious and nutritious go-to dish for potlucks and the grandkids….not to mention chilly Saturday nights
Thanks so much, your recipes are so real!
If anyone tries freezing this, please comment and let us all know how it goes. Thanks for another wonderful recipe Susan
I made this recipe the day you posted it and my family loved it! I will definitely be making it again.
I enjoy all of your recipes. Just wondering… I have rainbow chard in my frig right now and just bought organic potatoes. Can I substitute kale for the chard? Any advice on using “fresh” potatoes instead?
Sure! You can use any greens you like and any potatoes, too. Just cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.
Just made this tonight, and WHAT a delicious, filling casserole!!
Just to let everyone know that grated potatoes will work just fine, as well as cubed. I had a bag of “Simply Potatoes” brand Hash Browns. These are the ones in the green bag that are refrigerated, not frozen. I find them where the butter, margarine, cheese, etc are in the grocery store. Oil free, and since they are not frozen, you don’t have to thaw them. Picture:
http://bit.ly/VOxq5y
Anyway, they come in 20 ounce bags, so I just made 1 1/2 times the cheese sauce, upped the kale and bean amounts slightly, and baked in a 9×13 pan.
Thanks Susan, for another fantastic recipe!!
Love this recipe even while watching carbs!
So, just wondering, did you leave the miso out of the sauce recipe for a reason? I like the sauce with the miso. Makes it deeper in flavor.
Going to make this today for lunch! Yum!
I was just trying to use fewer ingredients to simplify the sauce a little, but by all means, add the miso if you want to. It does add a depth of flavor that salt doesn’t.
I made this last night and it was incredible! My only complaint is that there were no leftovers; we couldn’t stop eating it. I’m going to add some butternut squash cubes the next time I make it, due to popular demand, which will be soon.
This is beautiful and delicious! So hearty and cheesy! I would love to try this with broccoli and mushrooms, too. I made it in a 9 x 13 pan and the cooking time was perfect. It went great with some grapefruit and Apple Upside Down Baked Oatmeal Cakes from http://www.bashfulbao.com/2012/12/apple-upside-down-baked-oatmeal-cakes/#comment-2593. Thank you!
I’ve made some amazingly delicious food from your site, and this has made my top 5 list for SURE. It’s easy, healthy and so so so yummy.
My spouse doesn’t like nutritional yeast, unfortunately. Do you think the sauce with still work if I use real shredded cheddar instead? I’ve tried the Daiya cheddar and he doesn’t like that either. Thanks.
I haven’t cooked with dairy cheese for 19 years, so I’m not a good person to ask! I would think you could shred it and add it to the sauce as it heats, but you might be better off following a nonvegan recipe.
Your recipes are always so great! I’m doing a series on kale salads for my blog this week and would appreciate your input. (And maybe a shout out?)
I’ve followed you for years! Stay well!
bkstrength.wordpress.com
We have a winner! This is the first vegan meal I have made in 3 years that my son (now 11) has willingly eaten seconds! I took out the chickpeas and put in vegan sausage since no one in my house likes chickpeas but me
Thanks so much Susan!
I definitely want to try this recipe but have been unable to find hash browns without oil, so I’d like to substitute with potatoes. How many potatoes would I need for 16 ounces of hash browns?
It really depends on the size and type of potato. Can you weigh them at the store when you buy them?
I used 16 oz of raw potato and it came out fine
This made the perfect amount for my Scanpan casserole dish for my toaster oven. I am looking forward to trying variations – mushrooms, cauliflower, artichoke hearts, spinach….the possibilities are endless…the sauce is so delicious! There was mention of miso above…how much miso would replace the salt? I also have some dehydrated shredded potatoes in the pantry…I might try that next time too 
So I cut 2 medium potatoes and then measured, and it came to about 3 1/4 cups. I made the casserole and I love it, thanks!
Made it. It was delicious! We enjoyed it for days. I happened to have bags of shredded hash brown potatoes just screaming to be used up in my freezer, so I used them. It worked fine.
I just wanted to say that I made this for the first time today and it was a hit! My husband said it was the best casserole ever and he does not give that kind of praise often! We are doing ETL and your site is fabulous. Looking forward to trying more recipes.
Just made this (with my own variation) and it was delicious!
I’ve also tried to make many different vegan cheese sauces, and none of them came close to tasting good. It’s one thing I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to find a vegan substitute for. But this vegan cheese sauce is amazing. Definitely going to use it in other dishes.
I made this yesterday for a vegan potluck and it was a big hit! Several people mentioned it was their favorite dish of the evening and asked me where I got the recipe from. I, of course, directed them here!
Ditto from our family: our kids rated this 9 3/4 out of 10. (People new to this way of eating take note: this is after 3 years of eating this way. My kids are 8 and 10. It’s really just been this year that we’ve turned a corner and that they eat plant-based food (beyond veggie burgers and veggie (well, okay, fake cheese) pizza). Take heart!!
They LOVED this one and so did I. Only differences: I used white beans (we don’t like chickpeas) and I didn’t thaw the potatoes. It still worked just great! Next time I’d love to try sauteed mushrooms and/or broccoli like another commenter suggested. I might even be brave enough to take it to a muggles-and-wizards potluck. Thanks again!
I think this looks beautiful and delicious. I can’t wait to make it!
Hi Susan!
I just want to add my voice to the chorus that is singing the praises of this casserole. I made it last night and it is wonderful. I used red kale, and a leek instead of the onion that I needed to use up. Also chopped a parsnip that I had on hand in with some yukon golds (no Southern style frozen hash browns at this northern co-op
).
All came out yummy. What comfort food on a Februrary week night. I am looking forward to leftovers!
Thanks,
xoxo
moonwatcher
This was so delicious! I used regular paprika in the sauce because I don’t always care for the smoked flavor. I love the suggestions for cauliflower, peppers, soy sausage and will try those some time.
Made this for dinner tonight and 15 month old loved it! I made it with southern style shredded hash browns because thats what I had but followed all other directions to a T. Delicious!
Thanks!
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
This was fantastic!
I made this last night for dinner! We loved it, it is fantastic! I am wondering if that is a sauce that would work for baked mac and cheese? I am going to be making this a lot with different ingredients! Thank You so much for the wonderful recipes!
I’m so glad you liked it! Yes, the sauce is almost the same as the one for my mac and cheese, and it does work well if you bake it. See the link near the top of the post to find the mac and cheese recipe.
This looked so good I ran to the store to buy the needed ingredients. Just finished I nice serving. Absolutely delicious. I will serve this for others. It was wonderful. My only comment is the prep time was a lot more than 15 minutes. Note I did sprinkle a little mozarella daiya on top but realize after eating it that t wasn’t necessary. Thanks for this fantastic recipe
I made this last week and it was absolutely delicious! I used diced red potatoes instead of of frozen potatoes. I also amped up the kale and doubled the amount of chickpeas to make this eat as more of a meal than a side dish. The cheese sauce was perfectly seasoned and was a perfect complement in taste against the other ingredients. Thank you Susan for another fabulous recipe. I’ve made about 30 different recipes of yours and I have yet to be disappointed! You’ve turned me into quite a chef and I look forward to continuing to try more of your recipes.
Wow, Susan, this is the creamiest, pseudo-cheesiest dish I’ve had since becoming a low-fat vegan over a year ago! It was delicious and such a welcome comfort on a blustery winter night.
Thanks!
Delicious! Just made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was a hit with my husband and I. Followed the recipe just as it says and cubed up organic baking potatoes instead of frozen hash brown potatoes and they cooked up perfect in oven. I plan on making this again when we have company over for brunch. Thank you for posting this and other great recipes!
This is a fantastic recipe. I have made it a couple of times and it is definitely company-worthy. Absolutely yummy. I add crushed red pepper and I think a bit of vegan sausage would be really good in it as well. Made it once with the cashews (no tahini) and without and it doesn’t make any difference in the deliciousness. Also, instead of frozen hash browns, I used Simply Potatoes Southwest Style fresh hash browns that you get at the supermarket. Therefore, homemade would work great for those who are wondering. Hubby’s new favorite!
Loved the mini video, never thought about doing this way.
Mmmm so delicious. I made it for my mother and I and we absolutely loved it!!
This was excellent and versatile! Thanks!
Great recipe, I just took the foil off and can’t wait for it to finish. The bite I just had was delicious, and the sauce is already so cheese-like (this is my first effort at vegan cheese sauce). Thanks for the recipe!
This was the first recipe I’ve tried from your blog and I LOVED it!
Are there other recipes that use this cheesy-like sauce?
Hmmm…I might try this with sweet potatoes and some other kind of bean since my husband hates chickpeas. (??) Maybe some small white beans like navy? Thanks for posting, and I agree with the others – it’s actually quite pretty.
I’m going to make this for Sunday brunch! Looks delicious.
WOW! We ate through this in 24 hours. I was packing my lunch this morning looking for the big glass dish in the fridge but it was missing because my husband ate most of it and put the rest in a tiny bowl. Yes, it was that good. I had expected it to last at least a few days!
I’m not always a big fan of chickpeas, so I used a different white bean and also added a few spoonfuls of miso. A great brunch dish for sure! Or dinner or lunch
. Thanks Susan!
I just made this and used plain, oil-free frozen shredded potatoes and it worked out beautifully. This is incredibly yummy! Thank you Susan!
could I use frozen Kale instead of fresh. Were we live currently the only two dark greens that are fresh are bagged spinach and Bok Choy. I’ve been craving fresh kale for about 5 months, but the store did just start carrying frozen kale, collards and mustard greens. Beyond excited about that even though they are frozen. . This recipe looks so good.
Yes, but try thawing them and then squeezing out the water first.
I live alone so casseroles are my go-to for weekly dinners. I made this one weekend and it was so good I had to make it again the next. Since I’m not a fan of chickpeas I substituted cannellini beans, and I’m pretty sure I doubled the kale because I love the stuff, and it was so delicious. I rarely post comments on blogs but I had to thank you for this recipe!