Vegan Pumpkin Casserole

This vegan pumpkin casserole is a healthy casserole that can be enjoyed at any family meal. It’s also a great veggie dish for thanksgiving and festive celebrations.

It’s super easy to make and makes use of the oven and the stove top at the same time, to keep prep and cooking times as minimal as possible. The result is a hearty baked vegetable casserole that no one will realise is so healthy!

A hearty vegan pumpkin casserole

This pumpkin casserole recipe is freezer friendly, which makes it a great one to pull out when you have guests. It’s also perfect on busy weeknights when you just need something a little bit comforting. 

I’m such a sucker to the weather, and my food needs are so easily influenced by the temperature outside. I love cooking hearty dishes like this, as they meet my cravings whilst still containing healthy, whole foods. 

The key to this healthy casserole is fresh, seasonal veg and beans. There are so many pumpkin and squash varieties available in stores in autumn, they’re a no-brainer ingredient for this time of year. I’ve also thrown some halved shallots into the mix. I love the little bursts of flavour that they bring. 

I’ve also used fresh sage and thyme, which taste oh-so autumnal and are perfect for October.

How to make vegan pumpkin casserole

This is an easy vegan casserole, as a lot of the cooking is done in the oven, saving on hands-on time in the kitchen. Start by peeling the pumpkin and chopping it up into bite sized cubes. Peel the shallots and chop them in half. Put the pumpkin and shallots in a large casserole dish, drizzle with some olive oil, season, and pop it in the oven for 25 minutes. 

Whilst that’s cooking, you can prepare the sauce. Heat some vegan butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat (you could use olive oil if you would rather). Add the garlic, chopped sage and thyme, and cook for about 3 minutes, until it smells really good. 

Add a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch and then mix well. Then simply throw in the cannellini beans, coconut milk, mustard and nutmeg, and bring it to a simmer. Leave it to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often, and it should thicken nicely. Season it well.

For the topping, all you need to do is make up the stuffing. Add the liquid according to the pack instructions and mix well to combine.

To finish the casserole, pull the pumpkin and shallots out of the oven, and add the sauce. Top with an even coating of the stuffing mix.

Pop the vegan pumpkin casserole back in the oven, and cook for 20 minutes until crispy on top.

A great veggie dish for thanksgiving

This is a great dish to serve up during the holiday season, which can be a difficult time for a lot of new vegetarians and vegans. Explaining your dietary choices to family and friends can be tough, so bringing along a delicious veggie dish that everyone can enjoy is a great way to break the ice.

Vegan pumpkin casserole also works well as a vegetable side dish on the festive table, which everyone can dig in to. Top it with chopped chives, or for even more flavour, fry off some fresh bay leaves and arrange them on top.

If you fancy a bit of green on your plate too, try this sauteed kale with garlic and pine nuts.

How long will it last?

If you serve vegan pumpkin casserole as a veggie main, I assure you there won’t be leftovers! If you want to prepare the casserole in advance, I would prepare the pumpkin and the sauce and combine them in the casserole dish. When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle the crumb on top, and bake in the oven. You could prepare the casserole and topping this way up to 2 days in advance. After baking, the casserole will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge, but the crumb topping may soften.

You can also portion the casserole up and freeze it this way. It will keep in the freezer up to 3 months, and can be defrosted in the fridge and then microwaved or oven cooked until piping hot through.

If you like this recipe, you might also like…

• Vegan pumpkin bolognese– another creative use for your Fall pumpkin!
• This vegan pot pie made from jackfruit, butter beans, leek and potato.
• Or these super comforting individual vegan mushroom pies.
• Vegan goulash is also the perfect freezer filler for winter time.
• Or for something lighter but just as seasonal, try this delicious rice salad with pecans and apple.

Vegan Pumpkin Casserole

Chloe from Forkful of Plants

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 6

This vegan pumpkin casserole is a healthy casserole to be enjoyed at any family meal. It also makes a great veggie dish for thanksgiving!

5 from 10 votes

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Ingredients

  

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• 1 small pumpkin or other squash
• 8 shallots peeled and halved
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vegan butter or oil
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 handful fresh thyme leaves removed
• 1 tbsp fresh bay leaves chopped
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 400g can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 400g can coconut milk
• 1 box stuffing mix

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200°/fan 180°.
• Chop the pumpkin into bitesized cubes, and add it to an ovenproof casserole dish along with the halved shallots. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and soft.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the butter over a medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
• Stir through the cornflour, then add the cannellini beans, mustard, nutmeg and coconut milk and stir well. Season, then simmer for around 10 minutes, or until the pumpkin is ready.
• Make up the stuffing according to the pack instructions.
• Once the pumpkin and shallots are soft and golden, pour over the creamy sauce, then top with the stuffing. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, until the stuffing is golden brown and crispy.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!