Cheesy chick-none and veggie casserole

Just like grandma’s casseroles. Minus the love.

There’s something nostalgic and comforting about a casserole. In fact, when it comes to the old “is there anything more American than…” question, I firmly believe that a casserole can give apple pie, baseball and debatable foreign policy a run for their money.

Me and my Gma. She was a real rad lady.

Casseroles are also some of my favorite dishes, because they’re simple to assemble, please even the stingiest of pallets, make for days of delectable leftovers, and they remind us all of our grandmother’s cozy kitchens (unless you had a rare casserole-less grandma, in which case I invite you to borrow the memory of mine).

For me, this cheesy, seitan- and veggie-full recipe achieves all the important casserole criteria — and I can assure you that it has been thoroughly omnivore tested and approved.

Final note: While the seitan works well as a hearty chicken replacement, and it’s a great source of protein and iron, you can just as easily double the amount of mushrooms and the dish will still be “nomnomnom” worthy.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 12 ounces whole wheat rotini noodles
• 1 lb of seitan
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen broccoli
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Bridget’s Nommy Good Cheeze sauce (ingredients below)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (for some crunch, if that’s your bag)

Bridget’s Nommy Good Cheeze Sauce Ingredients

• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened soy or almond milk
• 3 Tbsp vegan butter
• 3 Tbsp unbleached flour
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• Dash of cayenne pepper (recommended for those of us who enjoy a good kick in the mouth pants)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Conjure a casserole

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook and drain the pasta, then put it back in the pot and set it aside.
3. Brown the seitan in a large skillet on medium heat (add 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil if you like), and break it up into bite-sized pieces while you’re at it.
4. Combine the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl or food processor.
5. Transfer the sauce to the skillet, add in the veggies, mix well, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Pour the skillet contents into the pot with the noodles and mix well, then turn the whole lot out into a greased casserole dish.
7. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs before baking uncovered for 30 minutes.
8. Allow the dish to cool before you start shoveling the yummy casserole goodness into your face hole.

Bon appetit!

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