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!
Besides being a great main dish, consider this the perfect choice for your next brunch or hearty breakfast. Leftovers keep well—just reheat gently in the oven or taster oven.
For more casseroles (some of them pretty nice looking!) check out my Casseroles Archive of 40+ recipes.
Healthy Hash Brown Casserole
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 11x9-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
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Enjoy!
Robyn Clark
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?
Susan Voisin
It really depends on the size and type of potato. Can you weigh them at the store when you buy them?
Jen
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 🙂
Robyn Clark
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!
wendy (healthy girl's kitchen)
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.
Allison
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.
evie
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.
Anita Lauro
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! 🙂
heidi
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!
Annie
I think this looks beautiful and delicious. I can’t wait to make it!
moonwatcher
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
vegjeri
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.
Jess
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!
Mary H.
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
jean charette
This was fantastic!
theresa
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!
Susan Voisin
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.
Jill
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
Sarah Z
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.
Esther J
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! 🙂
Sarah
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!
Janet
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!
May
Loved the mini video, never thought about doing this way.
Candy
Mmmm so delicious. I made it for my mother and I and we absolutely loved it!! 🙂
Denise
This was excellent and versatile! Thanks!
Ellie
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!
Marie
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?
susan
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.
Brenda
I’m going to make this for Sunday brunch! Looks delicious.
Allison
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!
Shari
I just made this and used plain, oil-free frozen shredded potatoes and it worked out beautifully. This is incredibly yummy! Thank you Susan!
Jenn
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.
Susan Voisin
Yes, but try thawing them and then squeezing out the water first.
Becca
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!
Kbtheology
I just made this and I think it tastes really good! Next time I’ll probably leave out the chickpeas and do some cauliflower in with the potatoes. The chickpeas just kinda seem like they don’t belong for some reason. But thank you for the recipe! I was craving some au gratinish casserole and this hit the spot! Omni boyfriend enjoyed it too. :]
Stephen
I’ve never heard of a 9 x 11 dish. I guess 9 x 13 would be fine.
Corrie
This looks delicious! Quick question, do you think it would hold up if put together the night prior and baked the following morning? I’m thinking it would be a great recipe for when entertaining people for brunch. I can’t wait to try it!
Susan Voisin
I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work. Hope you enjoy!
Stephen
This recipe has a TON of sauce. I’m not sure how you would get it like the picture (I did use shredded potatoes, because my Whole Foods does not carry cubed, but still). I guess I could use more thickener, but I don’t mind it being soupy.
Nora
I just had to tell you, I finally tried this recipe last night, and it was amazing. I used spinach because that’s what I had, chickpeas and put some Sriracha on top. My picky 5 year old daughter ate a bunch, spinach and all! Will definately make this again, maybe for brunch?
http://healthyplantbasedfamily.blogspot.com/
Lauren Vaught
Susan,
This was a fabulous recipe. Instead of kale, I used chopped chard and baby spinach. It’s a beautiful casserole and really flavorful. Thank you for all your inspiration and delicious recipes!
Sherri
Just finished this for dinner. It was delicious! I used the tahini because I didn’t have any cashews. This recipe will go in my recipe files to be made over and over. Thank you!
Kim
OMG, I made this over the weekend and it’s soooo goooood!!! I am going to try the “mac n’cheese” recipe that you have referenced in the blog post. My co-workers thought it smelled heavenly; she even asked me if it had butter in it! Thank you!
Danyell
Wow! I found this recipe on Monday and finally got around to making it tonight. It was absolutely incredible! It was so easy to make (especially with my husband helping) and it was unlike anything else I’ve ever cooked, and we’re kale loving vegans! You have a new fan! I’ll be cooking my way through this entire site! Thank you so much!!!
Chessie
Oh my goodness gracious, this one is a keeper! I just fixed this for a late lunch/early dinner, and it’s spectacular. My only changes were to use collards instead of kale (so I cooked the greens a little longer) and to cut up potatoes by hand, because that’s how I roll.
This goes on the “definitely fix again” list. Thank you so much!
Chessie
Oh, and I used only 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and didn’t miss the rest of it at all.
Allison
I tried your recipe and it is wonderful! My husband loved it as well and my two oldest sons ate it without complaining. The sauce is really good. Would it work for other recipes like macaroni and cheese or something that calls for a white/cheese sauce?
Susan Voisin
Sure! You may want to check out my macaroni and cheese recipe, which uses a similar sauce: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/10/easy-macaroni-and-cheeze.html