Vegetarian casserole cookbook

December 4, 2013 7:05 PM

Is there a vegetarian casserole cookbook? Have you used it? Do you love it? What is it called?

Alternately, send me links to your favorite vegetarian casseroles. I want hearty winter stuff I can make a lot of and bring for lunches. Tastes are broad but, as mentioned, vegetarian.

Thank you!

posted by latkes to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

Response by poster: Found this thread and will use it.
posted by latkes at 7:05 PM on December 4, 2013

I like this lentil-rice casserole, and quiche is also a good hearty vegetarian loaflike thing that you can take for lunch. I make crustless quiche which seems to come out of the pan fine if I use cooking spray/Pam.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:10 PM on December 4, 2013

I find a lot of things labelled 'gratin' fit the bill, especially if they have something like beans or nuts to bulk them up a bit as compared to plain old potato gratin (which, honestly, I would probably also just eat by itself for lunch, soooo good!) Here are a few I have made and love, all of which I think are hearty enough to be a main dish:

White bean gratin
Butternut squash gratin with goat cheese and hazelnuts
Chard and sweet potato gratin
posted by rainbowbrite at 7:45 PM on December 4, 2013

I think any of the Moosewood cookbooks would have a good selection of hearty winter vegetarian meals. My favorite is the vegetarian moussaka in the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook. This Mushroom moussaka also from Moosewood is good, too.
posted by nightwood at 7:55 PM on December 4, 2013

Panade! This: Rustic Dinner: How to Make a Panade From Leftovers. Absolutely delicious.

I have a bookcase full of cookbooks and have never eaten meat, but I don't have a vegetarian casserole cookbook to recommend. Way too many tofu-millet-rutabaga blandfests. But I do have good luck taking non-vegetarian recipes and making substitutions. A mushroom/onion/green pepper mix, sauteed in butter, can often take the place of "1lb ground beef" pretty nicely. Slabs of chicken? Slabs of zucchini! Etc.
posted by kmennie at 8:04 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

I just saw a recipe for this winter squash and carmelized onion pie today and bookmarked it for later. I haven't made it yet, but the many other things I have made from her blog (including this quinoa and chickpea bake) are very delicious and I have high hopes for this.
posted by stellaluna at 8:11 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

If you can get a copy of The Stones Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from Stones Restaurant in Avebury, they had tons of great savory veg dishes. Not the usual fare as mentioned above, really tasty stuff.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 9:07 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

My favorite casserole is vegetarian, and might work for you. Heat some olive oil, and sautee an onion or two (depending on how much you like onions) until they're soft and starting to brown. Add some garlic and cook until it's translucent, then scrape those out of the pan into a casserole dish. (I use a Dutch oven. Dishes with a wider base will need less cook time.) Add some chopped mushrooms to the pan and cook them until they stop letting off water, then dump those into the dish. Add a large can of good quality crushed tomatoes, some chopped thyme, and three cans of rinsed and drained white beans. If you eat cheese, add some cubes of parmesan. (Cubes. Trust me. Little ones the size of your pinkie nail. They get deliciously chewy.)

Bung the whole thing into the oven at about 350 for an hour to an hour and a half. When it's done, the beans will have absorbed a fair bit of the tomato liquid, and it won't be all sloshy when you pull it out. To serve, add a splash of vinegar (I like white wine), and spoon the beans over toast or croutons.

It's an adaptable casserole--if you don't have mushroom, you can use spinach (steamed and pressed of water), or peppers, or any other non-wet veg that's good with tomato sauce. Sometimes we use other cheeses, or add bits of leftover meat or vegetables, and it's basically always delicious. Even my kid, who's not wild about tomatoes, happily eats multiple servings of it.

In related news, I know what we're having for supper tomorrow, so thanks for that!
posted by MeghanC at 11:17 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'm embarrassed how often I'll default to this chickpea & tahini casserole when I can't think what to make. That said, I don't just dump everything into a pan - I'll caramelize onions and garlic, add kale or leftover veggies, use fire roasted tomatoes, add lemon juice and chili flakes to taste - whatever sounds good and I have on hand. For the amount of spices and veggies given, I'll usually use one can of garbanzos and maybe two cups of leftover rice.

The toasted sesame seeds are a nice touch, and you can substitute peanut butter for the tahini in a pinch. I may even have originally found the recipe here. Enjoy!
posted by Space Kitty at 12:59 AM on December 5, 2013 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks folks. I will try some of the recipes you recommend here, they look delicious.

It seems that there is, in fact, no vegetarian casserole cookbook (cookbook authors - take note!) so I'll just have to keep finding them piecemeal. I guess there are worse fates.
posted by latkes at 7:08 AM on December 5, 2013

I don't have any experience with them, but an Amazon search for "vegetarian casseroles" turned up at least four volumes.
posted by MeadowlarkMaude at 3:36 PM on December 6, 2013