Best vegan casseroles (recipes only)

December 20, 2023 9:15 AM

Please share recipes for your best vegan casseroles. I am especially interested in a good shepherd's pie recipe that you have actually tried.

I decided to ask this question because there are a million vegan shepherd's pies recipes online. I have one that is so-so, but I'd like something better. I'd love to hear a recommendation for a specific recipe for that, but really, I'd be interested in any vegan casseroles. Gluten free is nice but not necessary.

I have a lot of recipes for beans that you eat with rice, so I'm not really looking for that. I think of a casserole as a one-dish meal - like a shepherd's pie or a cassoulet.

Again: recipes and personal recommendations only please. I am not a person who can just figure out spices, and I know how to Google.

Thank you!

posted by FencingGal to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

I really love the Rabbit and Wolves herbed vegan vegetable pot pie, though the phyllo dough top doesn't reheat well. But the filling is excellent and well flavored and you could substitute any vegan pie dough or biscuit style topping pretty easily.
posted by misskaz at 9:25 AM on December 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Also (sorry for the double post) the Post-Punk Kitchen chickpea and rice soup with a little kale tends to come out more casserole/stew-y for me than soupy, especially the second day as the rice absorbs more moisture, and is another favorite.
posted by misskaz at 9:30 AM on December 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I made a vegan version of this NYTimes ombre scalloped winter vegetables.

1 Make a batter of chickpea flour and water. add a little salt. Let it rest several hours or overnight. Should be pancake batter thickness.

2 Peel and slice beets, sweet potatoes, white or gold potatoes, onions.

3 In a glass baking dish, Layer beets, then onions and sweet potatoes, then onions and potatoes. Salt & pepper as you go, and dot liberally with vegan butter(I use earth balance).

4 Pour in batter, not quite to the top.

5 Bake covered at 350 until done - test with a knife. Uncover for 10 mins at the end.

It's pretty and tastes great. I don't bother w/ the pastry.on top. You could make a crunchy topping of some sort; I don't. Rave reviews at pot luck.
posted by theora55 at 9:49 AM on December 20, 2023 [5 favorites]

Shepherd's pie. I don't generally eat dairy. I make mashed potatoes with a tasty broth. Middle layer is a can of plain corn, can of cream corn, mixed. Base layer - my friend uses impossible meat. I saute a bunch of mushrooms, sometimes add bread crumbs.

I've been making carrots roasted in miso broth & olive oil. They're really delicious, and would be in interesting base layer in shepherd's pie. Also, not a casserole, but could be made into a casserole by some clever cook. Maybe a kugel with noodles. The chickpea flour batter I referenced above is made, with olive oil, as Farinata, and I caould see making roasted veg, then topping with the batter and baking. I had Farinata in Italy, made over a wood fire, and with a little rosematy, delicious. As with any roasted beg, don't undercook them; they're best when a bit shriveled and with browned, even a few charred, edges.
posted by theora55 at 10:00 AM on December 20, 2023

One of my favorite cold-weather dishes is the biscuit-topped leek and bean cassoulet from Veganomicon.
posted by Jeanne at 10:11 AM on December 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Shepherd made this one from one of our cookbooks not long ago and it was really one of the best iterations we've tried!
posted by Kitteh at 10:32 AM on December 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

This harissa chickpea hot dish from Molly Yeh is delicious. Can be gluten free if you pay attention when buying tater tots.
posted by carolr at 11:02 AM on December 20, 2023

Seconding the recipe Kitteh linked, though I skip the cauliflower in the topping. The tahini in the filling is so good!
posted by Akhu at 11:02 AM on December 20, 2023

I love this vegan version of shepherd's pie from The First Mess because it has a flavor profile most likely to be appreciated by all eaters (deeply savory, with plenty of onion presence). The topping calls for a mix of cauliflower and potato, but all potato obviously works.

This baked mushroom rice is also delicious (simply swap chicken stock for vegetable stock to make it vegan). I add a protein source to that one to make it a more balanced meal, but it could certainly be a satisfying main for smaller appetites.
posted by little mouth at 11:10 AM on December 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

This is our favourite shepherds' (garden?) pie, very similar to Kitteh's recipe but a bit different, which is why I'm posting it. And very, very easy to cook. This is the amount I usually make for 3-4 people. I always have some sort of a seasonal salad on the table as well.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of brown or green lentils or 1/2 cup of dry lentils
1 tsp thyme
2-3 bay leaves
salt, pepper, vegan Worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar, all to taste

3 large baking potatoes
1/4 celeriac if there is some hanging out in your crisper drawer
vegan butter

Turn on the oven to fairly high heat. I do this according to my mood. Very high heat for a fast solution, but maybe not perfectly melded flavours, medium high for slower cooking with more flavour development.

Heat the oil, then gently cook the onion, carrot and celery till the onion is soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and the tomato paste and stir until fragrance develops. Add in the tomatoes and the lentils. If you are using dry lentils, add in 1 1/2 cups of water or vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer before adding the thyme and bay leaves and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook till the lentils have a nice consistency. You may need to add more liquid, this depends a lot on the age of your dried lentils. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce or balsamico. Taste! You want an umami, earthy flavour with no single element overwhelming the others.

While the lentils are simmering away, cut up your potatoes and optional celeriac into 1-2 inch cubes and boil them in lightly salted water. When you can easily pierce them with a sharp knife, pour off most of the water, preferably into a jug, so you can add some to your mash if needed. Add in as much vegan butter as you feel you can deal with, and then mash it all, using a whisk or a potato masher. Don't overdo the mashing - a few lumps are preferable to a gluey mash.

Sometimes when I remember it, I make the lentil stew in something that can go into the oven, so I just need to spread the mash over the stew and add a bit more butter to the top. Other times, I assemble it all in a casserole dish.
Bake it till the top is golden with tiny specks of brown here and there.

I can't emphasise enough how much my now adult kids and their friends love this and have loved it since early childhood. And me too. You can experiment with the herbs and potential spices, we have over the years, but prefer this very simple version. I don't know if this is relevant, but it is a dish that also appeals to omnivores, and even can persuade them to explore vegan and vegetarian food.
posted by mumimor at 12:06 PM on December 20, 2023 [3 favorites]

Would a samosa pie work? Nadiya Hussain's Samosa Pie is great; I make it with 500 grams of cooked brown lentils instead of the lamb, and you could omit the egg for the crust - I always do.

It's really delicious and substantial, and looks beautiful at the table.
posted by punchtothehead at 12:19 PM on December 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

though I skip the cauliflower in the topping.

Same! If Shepherd is making the shepherd's pie, the topping is gonna be all potato.
posted by Kitteh at 12:21 PM on December 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

I've used Ottolenghi's traybake ragu in a shepherd's pie several times. Delicious, with wonderful depth of flavour.
posted by kelper at 12:42 PM on December 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm pretty sure this is the root vegetable pot pie I've made previously, but it may have been this one. Both call for dairy, but are easily vegan-able. I made whichever one it was as written, and it was a hit.
posted by BekahVee at 5:40 PM on December 20, 2023

This Samosa Shepherd’s Pie from 101 Cookbooks is delicious (and I’m not vegan). Such a perfect cold weather cozy meal.
posted by Empidonax at 7:27 PM on December 20, 2023

This is a pot pie recipe, not shepherds pie, but I feed it to the most dedicated meat eaters and they love it. Advice: I ignore the pie crust notes, and make it in a deep dish, w store bought (Pepperidge Farm is vegan if you're in US) puff pastry for the lid, no bottom. Also, I add way more veg than the recipe says. Can be doubled/tripled easily for whatever size crowd
Finally, fuck PETA, even though I'm a vegetarian, but they have some great cookbooks.
Robin's pot pie
Referenced chickenless gravy
posted by atomicstone at 5:55 AM on December 21, 2023

We make this vegan Cipaille on a regular basis, though we are not vegans. It is very good. (If you don't speak French you'll have to google translate the recipe.)
posted by Cuke at 6:56 AM on December 21, 2023