Cheesy Vegan Breakfast Casserole
This cheesy vegan breakfast casserole has crunchy golden spuds and chewy vegan sausage baked in a cheesy cashew sauce. It's a filling, comforting breakfast and it's loaded with protein!
- 1 tsp avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 medium onion ((finely chopped))
- 3 cloves garlic ((finely chopped))
- 2 tbsp parsley ((chopped))
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary ((or sage, If using dried herbs, reduce to 1 tsp))
- 3 medium potatoes ((red or yellow or russet, cut in a ⅓rd inch dice))
- 14 oz vegan Italian sausage ((roughly chopped))
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- 3/4 cup raw cashews ((soak for 30 minutes unless using a high-powered blender))
- 1½ cups water
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp rosemary ((or sage))
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C
- Make the cheesy sauce by combining all ingredients and blending into a really smooth paste. Set aside.
- Place the diced potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water by an inch, then bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain out the water and reserve the potatoes.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, parsley and rosemary (or sage) to the oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper and saute, stirring, for five minutes over medium heat or until the onions are soft.
- Add the sausage, red pepper flakes and potatoes and continue to cook, about five minutes. Check seasoning and add more pepper and salt if needed.
- If you are using a cast iron or a stove-to-oven skillet, arrange the potato mixture in an even layer and pour the cheesy sauce over it evenly. If using a baking dish, like I did, transfer the potato sausage mixture to the baking dish and pour the cheesy sauce on top.
- Transfer the skillet or baking dish to the preheated oven and bake 30 minutes or until the top starts to lightly brown. Switch to the broil function on your oven and broil for another five minutes on the highest setting, or until gold-brown spots appear on the potatoes and cheesy sauce. Garnish with more parsley if you wish, and serve hot or at room temperature.
Vegan breakfast casserole with sausage and potatoes
The very idea of a savory breakfast like this divine casserole is enough to get me out of bed on weekend mornings. It's full of protein and fiber - perfect to keep you going on a busy day - and every bite is loaded with chewy vegan sausage, tender potatoes and a creamy, cheesy, rosemary-kissed sauce.
It's all so delicious that every vegan - and non-vegan - friend I make this for always requests the recipe.
To me, the cook, a large part of the appeal is also that this casserole is so easy to put together. You need about 10 minutes to chop the veggies and make the cheesy sauce (which comes together in a blender). Bake the casserole for 30 minutes et voila! Breakfast is served.
The recipe is one-pot if you make the casserole in a cast iron skillet or in an oven-safe skillet that can go from the stove to the oven. If you don't have one, you can make the stovetop portion of the recipe in a skillet, then transfer the ingredients to a baking dish.
The casserole is gluten-free and soy-free and you can make it nut-free (see FAQs below). It is extremely kid friendly. When I served this to my son, Jay, for breakfast, he would polish off his plate and take second and even third helpings.
P.S. If you have an early morning or would like to serve this breakfast casserole on a weekday, I have a slow cooker version that you can put together at night and eat in the morning.
I am not vegan, but made this last year for nephew and his wife who are vegans for Christmas Brunch. My nephew asked if I was going to make the "Christmas Crack" casserole again this year. Of course I am. So it is delicious and incredibly easy to make. You do not have to be vegan to enjoy this dish. - Sue Duffy.
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or sage, If using dried herbs, reduce to 1 tsp)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the cheesy sauce:
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon rosemary (or sage)
