This creamy, vegan casserole is the kind of rich, comfort food you look forward to at Thanksgiving–without all the fat and calories.
Thanksgiving is just three days away, and I don’t know where all my time went. Well, actually, I do know how I used some of it: making this casserole, twice, to get it just right so that if you decide to include it in your holiday meal, you can be sure it will work.
And it will! It’s my new favorite dish, though my family won’t allow me to make it for Thanksgiving because they just had it twice in the same week. But that shouldn’t stop you from putting this delicious yet nutritious casserole on your holiday table.
The standard broccoli-rice casserole usually contains white rice, chicken, cheese, and sometimes cream cheese, so the nutritional benefits of the broccoli get lost in a sea of cholesterol, simple carbs, and fat. Even vegan versions often contain Daiya or some other high-fat, processed vegan cheese, but not mine. There’s no cheese at all, and the only fat comes from seeds and nuts, which you can even leave out if you want.
The first time I made this broccoli casserole, I used chickpeas and some Lotus Foods Madagascar Pink rice (a swag-bag gift at Vida Vegan Con). It’s a quick-cooking, lightly milled rice that looks almost red when it’s cooked, as you can see in my photos.
The second time I made it, I used ordinary brown rice and soy curls instead of chickpeas, and if I were going to serve this to non-vegans, that’s the combination I would choose. It’s not an elegant dish, but then again, neither is stuffing or sweet potato casserole. It’s the kind of rich, comfort food I look forward to at Thanksgiving–without all the fat and calories.
So what are you serving? I’ll be traveling to my parents’ house with a green bean casserole, a double-layer pumpkin cheesecake, and a still-undecided protein dish (timbales? baked tofu? seitan cutlets?) with mushroom gravy. My mother will be handling the rest of the meal, which will include her cornbread dressing, my lemon pie (made with home-grown lemons), and, I hope, cranberry relish. It will be a feast of family and food! I hope your holiday is just as happy.
Creamy Vegan Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 1/4 cup plain unsweetened soymilk or other non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon sherry optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon tahini or cashew butter optional
- very generous grating black pepper
Casserole
- 1 head broccoli about 5 cups, cut into small florets
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 red or yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped celery chopped
- 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas or other options, see below
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups cooked brown rice warm, if possible
- 2 tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil or spray a medium casserole dish (about 2-1/2-quart size).
- Place the sauce ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
- Place the broccoli in a steamer basket set over water and steam, covered, until just barely tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- While the broccoli is steaming, heat a large, deep non-stick skillet or saute pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, thyme, rice, and steamed broccoli. Make sure the sauce is well-blended, and add it to the skillet. Stir gently and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if necessary, and smooth into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with almonds, if desired. Bake until the top begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
- 1 cup dry soy curls, rehydrated in hot vegetable broth and drained
- 2 cups baked tofu, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups tempeh bacon
- 1 1/2 cups sliced or diced seitan
Nutritional info is approximate.
Katie
If you were to replace the chickpeas with a bean (I’m just not a fan of chickpeas), is there any type in particular you can see going well with the rest?
Susan Voisin
I would use any bean that won’t fall apart easily. I think white kidney beans would probably be a good neutral flavor.
Angela
Does one serving equal-one cup of casserole?
Thank you Susan!!!
Susan Voisin
Hi Angela–I didn’t measure it, but I think a serving would be closer to 1 1/2 cups. These are really main dish servings, so if you use it as a side dish, you would probably have 8 smaller servings.
Sharlene
For those of us who aren’t vegans (but LOVE your site and the recipes) can we use the same amount of no-fat milk, or should we change the amount? Thanks!
Maggie
I’ve made many of the recipes here with dairy ingredients with varying levels of success. Sweet baked goods usually turn out fine, but I’ve found that creamy or “cheezy” sauces are best made with soy or other dairy-free milk. Hope this helps!
Shannon
Would wild rice work as a substitute to the brown rice?
Thanks for another awesome low fat recipe
Susan Voisin
I wouldn’t use all wild rice. It absorbs liquid differently and has a different texture so the amount of sauce might be off. I think a combination of brown rice and wild rice would be good, but I wouldn’t recommend just wild rice.
Jill
Hi Susan,
I made this tonight and it was delicious! As an afterthought, it might be good over a baked sweet potato or stuffed in acorn squash instead of mixed with rice. I may do this for my dish on Thanksgiving. Thanks for the great recipe.
~Jill
Susan Voisin
When we have stuffed baked potatoes, I serve them with chickpeas, broccoli, and a sauce much like this, so you’re right on target. I never thought of doing the same thing with a sweet potato or acorn squash, but that should be good, too.
Selina
This makes me wish I had broccoli right now. But I am totally getting some broccoli soon.
Erin
Hi Susan!
Thanks for another wonderful recipe idea – your blog is my favorite – I have loved every recipe of yours that I have tried. I will be bringing your EXCELLENT green bean casserole to my carnivorous in-laws again this year – they loved it and requested I bring it again!
Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday!!
Laloofah
This looks delicious, and we love all the ingredients so will definitely have to give this a try. What a great gig it must be, to be a member of your family and therefore an automatic FatFree Vegan recipe tester. 🙂 (Not to mention the lucky recipients of home-grown lemons!)
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving, Susan!
GetSkinnyGoVegan
Looks delicious!
Becky
I made this tonight. I was trying to stretch it out to feed my family of six (three of them growing boys) so I added a little bit more rice and broccoli and added a package of tempeh bacon with the chickpeas. I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough sauce with my additions so I added some mozzarella-style Daiya. Anyway…it was super yummy and I’m sure the leftovers will be great. My son asked if I was making it for Thanksgiving too because it tasted like a Thanksgiving dish. So you nailed it there I think! 🙂
Lorne Marr
This meal looks absolutely delicious. So sad I missed this recipe for Thanksgiving. I am going to prepare it for tomorrow with white kidney beans, so I will let you know how it tastes. L.
Sheena
Do you think I could double this and bake in a 9 x 13 dish?
Susan Voisin
Yes. 🙂
meredith
i made mine in a 9×13 and it was fine (or whatever a lasagna dish is)
vittoria
i will try :-)) i always follow your recipes ,
a fan from Italy!
Erika Driver-Dunckley
This looks like a great recipe! I cant wait to try it!!! 🙂
Theresa
Wondering if you think bulgur would work in this instead of rice? I’m out of rice and there is just too much snow outside to go anywhere!
Susan Voisin
I think any grain should work here, so no need to go out into the snow!
Leslie Paquette
This looks delicious! I am missing a few ingredients so plan to make it next week after the holiday craziness. Happy Thanksgiving!
Torwen
What a yummy recipe! I love the idea of just putting the sauce ingredients into a blender instead making a roux and making a kind of bechamel sauce. Looks much more time saving 🙂 I will have to try this. Thanks for posting.
Phoebe
I made this last night and it really was delish. A definite keeper, especially since I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Thanks for perfecting it!
meredith
this was really good! thanks for sharing!
Karen
We made this, as written, for Thanksgiving today. What a hit! Everyone loved it. This will become a regular at our house. Thank you for testing, perfecting, and posting this. I also made the Impossible Vegan Pumpkin pie . Wonderful.
Miriam
I made this for Thanksgiving. Did not tell family it was vegan. They had no idea and still ate it! Love your recipes!
Martha
Oh man! Can’t wait to try this! Hope your Thanksgiving was grand! We had a great meal at our local vegan restaurant in Tucson -Lovin Spoonfuls. Thanks for your efforts!!
Jen
I made this for Thanksgiving and didn’t tell anyone it was vegan. It was delicious and even better today!
Nicole
This is delish! I’m very new to vegan cooking/eating so am scouring the web for new ideas. Made this last night but with some edits – added mushrooms because I had some to use up. Also only used 1 cup almond milk, added some water to thin out the sauce. No nuts, no tahini, no celery. And I used brown jasmine rice because that’s what was in the kitchen! A tasty, vegan comfort casserole!!
Lynne
Okay this is a two thumbs up recipe. Made it last night and loved it. Thanks so much
urbanvegan
Looks wonderful, Susan. I am trying to work more healthful recipes into my vegan repertoire….pretty hard for a hedonist like me, but you are helping me take my baby steps 🙂
Rebecca @ Naturally Healthy and Gorgeous
So delish looking and with so many healthy ingredients!
Theresa
Can the nutritional yeast be skipped? It’s seems really pricey.
Susan Voisin
It’s a major part of the flavor, so I don’t recommend skipping the nutritional yeast. If you can find it in bulk, you can buy enough for this recipe very cheaply.
B'klynHeart
I was sick, and my husband made this for us last night because he knew I’d wanted to try it… oh, it was fabulous. Such a hearty, tasty treat (and I’d been really hankering some broccoli too). Thank you so very much!
We do have a question on the recipe! When would one add the almonds? Before, during, or after the 20 minute bake? Or is that up to the person?
(To note: He wound up doing it before the bake, which made sense to him… I worried about over-cooked almonds, but they came out fine with 1 or 2 at most just south of “cajun”.)
Susan Voisin
Oops, I didn’t realize that I had left the almonds out of the instructions. I added them before baking, too. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Tree
This dish was delicious. Very savory and comforting. The sauce tasted cheesy, which was an added bonus. And it looked just like your photo. Thanks over the years for helping me to be a satiated and healthy vegan!
Alexandria Lewis
Making this tomorrow 🙂 thank you very much!
Marilou Garon
I am in shock…. I don’t know what took over me to try this on a whim tonight, because I actively dislike nutritional yeast! But I’m so glad I did, because this is fantastic! Thank you so much, I’ll be purposefuly searching your recipe archives for others that contain nutritional yeast 🙂 All the best from Montreal.
Angie
This is one of the best dishes I have made from your blog. It was awesome. Thank you! Added a little crushed red pepper and didn’t use any tahini. My boyfriend just said he wishes there was just one more bowl left. We will make it again for sure.
Hawai‘i Leah
This casserole looks amazing! I cannot wait to try it! Thanks for posting!
Sarah
I am scared of nutritional yeast. Hold my hand and tell me it will be okay? Also, where do you find it?!
Susan Voisin
It will be okay! See my post about nutritional yeast for everything you need to know: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2011/10/what-the-heck-is-nutritional-yeast.html
Lacey
Yummo! My family loved this. 🙂
csteph
I just made this for dinner tonight, and thought it was quite tasty. We thought it would benefit from more liquid in the recipe, though, so I think next time I might double the sauce. I think I’ll add a couple more things to it (artichokes? more peppers? olives?), but it’s a good basic recipe to be creative from. However, there’s no way on God’s green earth that it only needs 10 min prep time! It takes me that long just to chop the broccoli! But still – I’ll try it again and see if I can streamline it a bit, because the essential flavour was good.
Katie
I’m in total agreement…this took quite awhile to make, counting the brown rice cook time, veggie prep, sauce making, broccli steaming, sauteing. I think I used every pot and pan and blender I own! I also felt it was missing something….artichokes might do it. I only added half the thyme and so glad because I could really taste it. My 3 yr old gave this a thumbs down….because of the extensive prep I prob won’t revisit!
Veggie V! @Veggie V's Vegan Adventure
This dish was amazing! I seriously don’t think I’ve ever made any of your recipes that I didn’t like. We must have very similar pallets.
I did make a few subs and switches to match what I had on hand, but wow! Great dish!
I kept the mushrooms, but used sauted kale and roasted asparagus for the other veggies, and I used wild rice instead of brown rice (less calories), and I doubled the cheeze sauce. Mmmmmm!!!!!
I usually freeze my left overs, and this reheated beautifuly; I ate my last frozen serving for lunch today. Looks like it’s time to make another batch 🙂
Joy
Okay, making an attempt at more vegan meals, this one ended up in the trash and we ended up finding something else to eat… I think it is due tot the sauce, probably not used to that amount of nutritional yeast in a recipe. I would smell/taste the sauce before pouring it over the lovely rice and veggies to make sure you like it first. It just didn’t work for us at all. We ARE finding many palatable recipes in the book The E-2Diet…these recipes feed firefighters from Texas and so far My family has found them very enjoyable.