Bean and Veggie Casserole

Oh the casserole – a delicious one dish wonder…

Traditional casseroles are often filled with heavy, filling ingredients that relate more to a post dinner siesta than a burst of long lasting energy and nutrition.

This plant based Bean and Veggie recipe is a touch unorthodox as it doesn’t call for a ‘cream of anything’ soup as its base. It is dairy and gluten free and full of clean, healthy protein and fibre.

Chickpeas and quinoa come together to form a complete protein giving you energy and strength along with fibre for healthy digestion. Immune boosting mushrooms and herbs add beautiful texture and flavour and very thin slices of sweet potatoes make a delicious, skin beautifying light topping.

This is a delicious, warming dish that pairs beautifully with a fresh green salad and some cozy candles.

Enjoy!

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Bean and Veggie Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 1 medium carrot chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• fresh ground sea salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups crimini mushrooms roughly chopped
• 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp gluten free flour
• 1/4 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium sweet or white potato very thinly sliced

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté until the onions have softened - about 5 minutes.

Stir in the herbs and tomato paste.

Add the mushrooms and beans to the pot and stir to combine.

Pour in the apple cider vinegar and stir well, scraping up the bottom of the pot.

Sprinkle the gluten free flour over the veggies and beans and stir until flour is just wet but not too pasty.

Pour in the quinoa and the vegetable broth and stir.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until the quinoa is cooked (you will see the germ of it pop out) and the entire mixture is slightly thickened - about 10 minutes.

Transfer the stew to a 8x8 square ovenproof glass or casserole dish.

Arrange the sweet potato (or white potato) slices on top of the stew in a layered pattern entirely covering the stew.

Brush them lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake it in the oven until the potato slices are tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 30 - 40 minutes.

TIPS & NUTRITION

The recipe serves 4 but you can easily double it to serve 8 or to have healthy leftovers for the fridge or freezer. I like to store my leftovers in single serving containers so they are simple and convenient to reheat. Use a larger casserole dish if this is the case.

You can substitute or add in any veggies you like – zucchini, bell peppers and butternut squash all will work well. You can also use fresh herbs if you have the time to chop.

I used a mandolin to slice the sweet potatoes so thin. It is an inexpensive kitchen tool that makes thin slices quick and easy. It is also great for making veggie chips, slicing beets on a salad or making a layered veggie lasagna.