Simple Seasonal

Healthy Seasonal Recipes Inspired by Your Local Farm and CSA

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Recipes
  • How-To
  • Farm to Table
  • Playing With Food
  • Contact

Cheesy Vegan Rutabaga Casserole

January 16, 2015 By Rachel 11 Comments

Share19
Pin12
Tweet
Yum
Share
Flip
31 Shares

rutabaga-casserole

My family tends to eat meals that fall into the vegan category on a regular basis. If you’ve read my previous blog articles, you know I don’t run an exclusively vegan home by any means. I do, however, attempt to make fruits and vegetables the basis of our diet, so many vegan and vegetarian meals naturally follow in my home. One of my favorite vegan recipes is a dairy-free cheese sauce made from raw cashews, roasted red peppers, and nutritional yeast. It sounds weird, right? It’s actually amazing and I use it to make creamy, but delicious dairy-free dishes all the time.

Rutabaga isn’t what you would call a staple in the average American household. In fact, I’m guessing that a number of people reading this article have never cooked one, and possibly have never eaten one. It seems that our food culture has become so potato-obsessed that we sometimes forget about this tasty root vegetable! The rutabaga’s flavor is pretty “meh” when eaten raw, and has a slight bitterness to it, but when it’s cooked it sweetens up, becomes savory, and can be used in dishes in a similar way as a potato.

This dish features my favorite dairy-free cheese sauce paired with the under-appreciated rutabaga, and tied together with sweet potato, kale, and thyme to create a savory, cheesy winter casserole.

Cheesy Vegan Rutabaga Casserole

Prep Time: 30 minutes                   Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 3 rutabagas/approximately 1 1/2 lbs
  • 1 lb sweet potatoes
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 bunch of kale
  • 1 C vegetable broth
  • 1 C raw cashews
  • 1 C roasted red peppers (approx 2 whole – I used canned)
  • 1/2 C nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • olive oil cooking spray
  • parsley for garnish

ingredients

Directions

1. The night before you plan on making this recipe, soak your cashews in water so that they are completely submerged. Overnight they will become soft and plump.

2. Coarsely cut kale and sauté in a skillet over medium heat by adding 1 C of vegetable broth to the pan instead of oil. Cook until the vegetable broth has evaporated and the kale is wilted, then set aside.

3. Dice onions and sauté in a pan with 2 Tbsp of water until onions begin to soften and the water is evaporated, then remove from heat.

4. Drain the water from the cashews. Using a hand mixer, puree the cashews, red pepper, and the nutritional yeast together.

dairy-free-cheese-sauce

5. Mix thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper (by hand) into your dairy-free cheese sauce.

6. Thinly slice rutabagas and sweet potatoes into 1/8 inch coins. You can do this using a knife or a mandolin slicer.

7. Now all of your ingredients are prepped. Lightly spray a 2.5 quart casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray and place your prepped ingredients within reach.

prepped-ingredients

8. Imagine dividing your dairy-free sauce into thirds. Place the first third onto the bottom of your casserole dish. Then build layers as follows: rutabagas, onions, sweet potatoes, kale. Add a second layer of cheese sauce, then again – rutabaga, onion, sweet potato, and the remainder of the cheese sauce.

assembling-casserole

 

casserole-layers

9. Bake the casserole in a 350º F oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the casserole is fork-tender.

oven-ready

10. Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving, then sprinkle with minced parsley.

baked-casserole

 

vegan-rutabaga-casserole

 

cheesy vegan rutabaga casserole

Cheesy Vegan Rutabaga Casserole

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This Cheesy Vegan Rutabaga Casserole features a dairy-free cheese sauce creating a savory, cheesy, plant-based winter comfort food!

Ingredients

  • 3 rutabagas (approximately 1 1/2 lbs)
  • 1 lb sweet potatoes
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 bunch of kale
  • 1 C vegetable broth
  • 1 C raw cashews
  • 1 C roasted red peppers (approx 2 whole)
  • 1/2 C nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • olive oil cooking spray
  • parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. The night before you plan on making this recipe soak your cashews in water so that they are completely submerged. They will become soft and plump overnight.
  2. Coarsely chop the kale and sauté in a skillet over medium heat by adding 1 C of vegetable broth to the pan instead of oil. Cook until the vegetable broth has evaporated and the kale is wilted, then set aside.
  3. Dice onions and sauté in a pan with 2 Tbsp of water until the onions begin to soften and the water is evaporated, then remove from the heat.
  4. Drain the water from the cashews. Using a hand mixer, puree the cashews, red pepper, and the nutritional yeast together.
  5. Mix (by hand) thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper into your dairy-free cheese sauce.
  6. Thinly slice rutabagas and sweet potatoes into 1/8 inch coins. You can do this using a knife or a mandolin slicer.
  7. Now all of your ingredients are prepped. Lightly spray a 2.5 quart casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray and place your prepped ingredients within reach.
  8. Imagine dividing your dairy-free sauce into thirds. Spread the first third onto the bottom of your casserole dish. Then build layers as follows: rutabagas, onions, sweet potatoes, kale, cheese sauce, then again - rutabaga, onion, sweet potato, and the remainder of the cheese sauce.
  9. Bake the casserole in a 350º F oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the casserole is fork-tender.
  10. Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving and then sprinkle with minced parsley.
© Rachel Hanawalt
Cuisine: American / Category: Vegan / Vegan Options

Get Your Next Meal In Your Inbox!

Enter your email address to get the latest recipes and relevant seasonal content on the blog!

I agree to have my personal information transfered to AWeber ( more information )

I will never give away, trade, or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Share19
Pin12
Tweet
Yum
Share
Flip
31 Shares

Filed Under: Entrees, Recipes Tagged With: Cheesy, CSA, Healthy, Kale, Rutabaga, Sweet Potato, Vegan, Whole Food

« Arugula and White Turnip Salad
Shiitake Miso Soba Noodles »

Comments

  1. Saniel says

    January 18, 2015 at 10:17 pm

    Looks yummy wonder how would do with other root vegetables celery root, turnips, parsnips, squash, red potatoes. Thanks

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      January 18, 2015 at 11:42 pm

      This recipe would be great with other root vegetables! I wrote the recipe to showcase the rutabaga, but I think I might try celery root and red potato sometime. Also, using butternut squash and swapping a little sage and nutmeg for the thyme would be awesome!

      Reply
  2. Chris says

    January 27, 2015 at 7:19 am

    I just made this as our main meal at lunchtime today.
    Wow, was it yummy. If and when we post the meal..we will write it as a review with a link to your site..it’s a delicious meal.
    I made my own vegan cheese sauce which is based on carrots instead of cashews…that way it is lower in calories. But the cashew cheese sauce is always delicious as well. The rutabaga and sweet potatoes go well together…and yes, you are right..other root veggies would be good with it as well..especially parsnips.

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      January 27, 2015 at 8:33 am

      Chris- I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe! And thanks for your willingness to share my link on your website. I’m curious about your carrot cheese sauce!

      Reply
  3. Linda says

    November 23, 2016 at 11:22 am

    have you tried this in a crock pot? Or way too watery for that method of cooking?

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      December 21, 2016 at 2:58 pm

      I haven’t tried this recipe in a crock pot. My guess is that it would end up a tad watery, but if you give it a try be sure to come back and let us all know how it turned out!

      Reply
  4. Courtney says

    May 20, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    Hi there! I have a bunch of beautiful oyster mushrooms that I’m trying to figure out how to use alongside the rutabaga I got this week. Do you think the flavor of mushrooms would go well with this? Thank you for the wonderful recipe and inspiration!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      June 7, 2018 at 4:03 pm

      Mushrooms and rutabagas… hmmm… In an effort to keep things simple and satisfying, you could saute’ the mushrooms with olive oil, garlic, fresh parsley and salt and pepper. Next stir in sprialized rutabagas and more salt and pepper. Cook them until the rutabaga is tender. Finish with freshly grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast if you vegan as well as fresh parsley. That’s just what I’d make…

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Choosing Raw - vegan and raw recipes | Weekend reading, 1.18.15 says:
    January 18, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    […] winter vegetables, and I happen to think it’s super underrated. I love the looks of this cheesy vegan rutabaga casserole, an ingenious creation from Rachel of Simple […]

    Reply
  2. Save Money With Freezer Meals: 12 Cheap, Healthy Dinner Recipes says:
    April 4, 2017 at 1:31 pm

    […] 2. Cheesy Vegan Rutabaga Casserole […]

    Reply
  3. 12 Cheap, Healthy Dinner Recipes | | JOAAGO says:
    August 3, 2017 at 11:14 am

    […] 2. Cheesy Vegan Rutabaga Casserole […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi, I'm Rachel! Welcome to Simple Seasonal, a resource for simple, healthful, and delicious recipes that help you make the most of seasonal produce from your local farmer's market, CSA, or home garden. Simple Seasonal is committed to a whole foods diet. With an occasional cookie... ;)


Recipes in Your Inbox!

Sign up to get free updates!

Search

Connect With Us

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Connect With Us!

If you're active on social media, you'll find Simple Seasonal there as well. Feel free to connect, share, and say hello!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Discover Fall Recipes

Honey Butter with a Touch of Cinnamon
Mini Monkey Breads
Apple Cider Pork Chops
Sheet Pan Chicken Drumsticks with Delicata and Grapes
Banana Split Breakfast Sundae Bowl
Creamy Pearl Onion au Gratin

Discover Fall Recipes

Lebanese Garlic Sauce
Skilled Honey Cornbread
Sweet and Tangy Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut
Homemade Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche
Creamy One-Pot Chicken, Carrot and Spinach Orzo
Pumpkin Jack ’n Cheese Bowls

Copyright © 2021 · Simple Seasonal · Privacy Policy · ↑ Back to top

Privacy Policy