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overhead image of cooked broccoli rice casserole

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole (Vegan)


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4.7 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Jasmine @ Sweet Simple Vegan
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: About 6 servings
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Elevate your next meal with this mouthwatering cheesy broccoli rice casserole. This casserole is just about as effortless as it gets and is ready in about an hour.


Ingredients

Cashew Cream

  • 1/2 cup (65g) raw cashews
  • 1 cup filtered water
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Rice Casserole

  • 1/2 medium (about 1 cup) yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 rib celery, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 cups hot low-sodium vegetable broth (see step 5)
  • 1 cup brown rice 
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (optional)
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrot
  • 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
  • Vegan parmesan cheese, as desired for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and get a (9×9-inch) casserole dish ready. (see notes)
  2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once it is boiling, remove the pot from heat and add in the cashews. Soak for 20 minutes or until softened and drain.
  3. Add the soaked and drained cashews to a high speed blender along with the remaining ingredients for the cashew cream. Blend until smooth and set aside.
  4. In a medium pan over medium heat, add in 2 tablespoons of water broth along with the diced onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 3 minutes, adding 2 more tablespoons of water as needed to prevent burning. Alternatively, you can cook these in 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil.
  5. Heat your vegetable broth just until it begins to boil. We do this in a microwave to keep it quick but you can also do it on the stove! 
  6. Transfer the cooked mixture to a 9×9-inch baking dish along with the cashew cream, vegetable broth, brown rice, chickpeas and shredded carrots. Mix everything together until uniform.
  7. Evenly arrange the broccoli over the casserole.
  8. Tightly cover the dish with foil and place it into the oven for 60 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

  • This recipe was inspired by From My Bowl and our Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
  • We have tested this in a smaller and taller baking dish and it worked as well! We just suggest you use a small-medium sized dish.
  • Cauliflower would work great in this recipe too.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Oven