Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole!
This Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole is so rich and decadent. It reminds me of a casserole I would have as a child, but so much healthier and nutrient dense. This casserole is vegan and gluten-free. It combines a creamy vegan cheese sauce with rice and sauteed broccoli.
The cheese sauce is made with a combination of cooked potatoes and carrots, cashews, and nutritional yeast. The cashews provide some protein and healthy fats, while the nutritional yeast adds some additional protein and tons of B vitamins. This dish makes a great side dish or light dinner option.
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For more easy dinner ideas, try my West African Peanut Stew, Creamy Mushroom Pasta Sauce, or Sweet Potato Lentil Soup.
Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried rice cooked according to package directions
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes optional
Cheese Sauce:
- 2 cups potato cubed (about 2 medium potatoes)
- 1 cup carrots sliced (about 1 large carrot)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups water reserved from cooking water
Instructions
- To prepare the cheese sauce, add the cubed potatoes and sliced carrots to a pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil uncovered until tender, about 18-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook 2 cups of dried rice according to package directions and set aside.
- Lightly saute the broccoli. Add a splash of water to a pot over low-medium heat. Add the broccoli and lightly saute with the lid on until the broccoli is bright green and tender, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain any remaining water, and set aside.
- After the potatoes and carrots are finished cooking, reserve 2 cups of cooking water before draining. Drain the remaining water and add the drained potatoes and carrots to a high-speed blender. Add the nutritional yeast, soaked cashews, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and reserved water to the blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the rice, broccoli, optional chili flakes, and prepared cheese sauce to a large pot. Stir until well combined. Serve in a baking dish immediately or broil for 3-5 minutes until bubbling and lightly golden.
wavavavavavy says
My partner and I made this for dinner and we just finished. It is DELICIOUS. Thank you for sharing it!
livesimplyhealthy says
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
mookdog11 says
Can confirm, this shit was delicious. Thanks!!
livesimplyhealthy says
Thank you!!
happylilvegan says
Okay so I made it and it was delicious! The cheese sauce reminded me of hamburger helper cheese sauce
livesimplyhealthy says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I also have a hamburger helper recipe you may like š
jamezdee says
I just finished making this with brown rice. Iām waiting for it to broil right now. The sauce is so good.
livesimplyhealthy says
Sounds delicious with brown rice!
fellow_failure says
made this today for my omni family, my brother though the sauce was actually nacho cheese sauce, he couldn’t believe it was vegan. one of the best meals I had during quarantine, thanks for recipe!
I also added 1/4 of a sweet potato for extra color, would recommend.
livesimplyhealthy says
Thank you so much for reporting back. I am so glad you enjoyed the meal!
Nerdy says
Thank you so much for sharing this. Finding a decent cheese replacement has been one of the most difficult parts of switching to a vegan diet.
Yesterday I made the cheese sauce and mixed it with frozen hash browns, then baked the whole thing. Amazing.
Today, I mixed the sauce together with penne that satisfied my mac and cheese craving.
Tomorrow, I may try and tweak things to get a nacho cheese.
Thanks again!
livesimplyhealthy says
I’m so happy you have enjoyed the cheese sauce. Thanks for your comment!
Sirkenneth says
I’ve been searching for the perfect “cheese” sauce for a while, and this is wonderful. I’m not a super fan of nutritional yeast flavor, so I used half. I also added a couple teaspoons of ground mustard and subbed the pepper for white pepper (like I used to do for mac-n-cheese in my pre-vegan days). I also used brown rice like someone else suggested. Thank you so much, I’ll use this sauce for mac-n-“cheese,” queso, etc. MMmm.
livesimplyhealthy says
Adding ground mustard is such a good idea, I also used to add it to my mac and cheese so I will have to try that out! Thank you š
jaburkey says
I made this recipe tonight and it is WONDERFUL! I am very impressed with the cheese sauce. Thankfully I had some leftover so I stuck it in the fridge and plan to play around with it tomorrow in some different items. hank you for posting!
livesimplyhealthy says
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Trish says
Absolutely DIVINE! Such a comforting, hearty, and super incredibly healthy dish. I bulked it up with extra broccoli and cauliflower I had in the freezer, used quinoa instead of rice for more protein, and added some mustard powder for a little more heat. Oh and some turmeric for some fun color. Even with the added pound of veg, there was still a generous amount of sauce to go around. Sooo delish.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is now one of my favorite go-tos!
livesimplyhealthy says
Your modifications sound delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe š
Tammy says
Made this for dinner tonight and it’s a keeper! I didn’t soak the cashews ahead of time and it was fine.
livesimplyhealthy says
Glad you enjoyed it!