Creamy Vegetable Casserole

This is going to sound ridiculous. I’ve never made a casserole. Not green bean, or tuna, or chicken, or cheeseburger casserole. In fact, it’s not even something that I can recall my mom making when I was growing up. And if she did, I probably wouldn’t have eaten it. I had that complex where I didn’t like my food touching or mixing with other food.

I thank God I overcame that crippling disorder because now I can appreciate things like this incredible casserole. Brussels sprouts meet sweet potatoes meet cauliflower in perfect harmony.

Now that I’ve made one, I really like the simplicity of casserole. Life is already too busy as it is. Commute, work, commute, make dinner, prepare lunch, do it all over again the next day. Weekends are filled with making blog recipes and working on side projects. Heck, I’m currently writing this post from the subway platform at Nevins Street in Brooklyn.

The best thing about this casserole is that we made it on Sunday and we had dinner for the next two nights. Pop it in the oven and take it out when it’s hot. Meanwhile, I have more time to enjoy my husband’s company. That’s what I call winning.

There is never enough time for things like this. At the end of every day, I find myself longing for more. More time with Clark. More popcorn on the couch. More deep conversations. More exploring in Brooklyn. More soup at our makeshift dining table. More time with friends. More Netflix reruns of That 70’s show. More minutes for Skyping family. More time for the blog. I like meals like this casserole because it gives me more time for any of the above.

Now, let’s talk about the flavor in this thing. Forget about green beans; there’s a new casserole in town. There may be a little more effort involved, but it’s worth it. This dish combines the absolute best ingredients into flavorful bite after bite. Each veggie adds to the taste and the creamy sauce brings it all together. If you’ve never made spaghetti squash before, have no fear. Just visit this post for an easy walk-through of how it’s done.

My favorite secret weapon – rosemary – is the perfect complement to the flavors that are already going on. You won’t believe how good your house smells while it’s in the oven.

Creamy Vegetarian Casserole

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This vegetable casserole recipe is full of fall’s best flavors – brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes. It’s the perfect healthy comfort food that makes for great leftovers.

• Author: The Fitchen
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Main

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Casserole

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (baked and scraped)
• 1/2 cup creamy cauliflower sauce
• 1/3 cup goat cheese (crumbled)
• 1/2 cup cauliflower (sliced)
• 1/2 cup sweet potatoes (cubed)
• 1/2 cup brussels sprouts (quartered)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper

Cauliflower Sauce

• 1/4 head of cauliflower
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic

Instructions

Cauliflower Sauce

1. Boil 1/4 of a head of cauliflower florets in 2 cups of water for 10-15 minutes and save the water.
2. Sauté 3 cloves of garlic in olive oil.
3. In a blender, add cauliflower, garlic with oil, 1/4 cup of water from boiled cauliflower, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Casserole

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Prepare all vegetables as described above.
3. Line two baking pans with parchment paper. One is for the spaghetti squash and one is for the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts.
4. Lightly spray the spaghetti squash with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place both halves flesh side down on the baking sheet.
5. On the other baking sheet, combine the veggies (cauliflower, sweet potato, brussels sprouts)
6. and drizzle with olive oil, then season with sea salt and pepper.
7. Roast both pans for 30-35 minutes.
8. Remove pans from oven and spray an 8″-9″ casserole pan with olive oil.
9. After it has cooled slightly, scrape the spaghetti squash clean of “noodles.” Set aside in a bowl for later.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 325º.
11. Add spaghetti squash to the oiled pan and spread it out in an even layer.
12. Add vegetable mixture on top of the spaghetti squash. Pour cauliflower sauce over top and smooth it across veggies. Crumble goat cheese on top.
13. Sprinkle fresh rosemary to your heart’s content.
14. Bake for 15 minutes on 325º. Enjoy.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4
• Calories: 99
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 1840mg
• Fat: 6g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3g
• Carbohydrates: 10g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 4mg